One Wall Handball: Creating an International Connection

Tom O'Connor is the International Officer for the Irish Handball Council in Ireland.  He attended the Euskal Pilota Txapelketa in South San Francisco. He shared with EuskoSare his thoughts on the use of the one-wall version of handball as a unifying bridge between handball and those sports to which it bears similarities such as Basque Pelota.

Tom, how did you get involved in Basque pelota?
A couple of years ago I was contacted by the Basques, particularly by Oskar Rekalde.  He wanted to come to Ireland and see if some connection could be made between Irish handball and the Basque pelota.  He came and viewed our national championships.  We got together and talked about various things.  There were two different games, but we needed to come to some kind of compromise between the two.  The Irish team visited the Basque Country and played the hard ball pelota.  The Basques are very,very strong, probably too strong for us.  But then we have another game at home which is a very simplified version of pelota handball played against one wall.  This is very successful in America in that it can be played outside, it can be played by very young people, in parks and at no cost to setup.  This is very successful and this is what we have started to play in Ireland.  It has now spread to France and Italy. It is called “one walled handball.” 

How have the Basques faired at the one-walled handball?
The Basque people that came to Ireland saw that this was a very good game.  They had two days practice and then beat all the Irish at the games.  This caused amazement at home because we have been playing for hundreds of years. Suddenly these guys come and play and they were terrific!  They came to the world championship and they entered the B division and won it very easily.  The A division was won by the Americans.  They went to Edmonton last year and again they won singles and doubles in the second division and again gave good games; the Americans won the first division which we didn’t. 

What are some of the benefits of promoting one walled handball?
We think it is a great method of introducing pelota and our handball to different cultures and people because we can start at very simple steps.  It costs nothing and players get used to hitting the ball with their hands.  If they get very good at it,  they can move onto the proper indoor courts.  It provides a pool for which the interest and talents can be found.

Why do you think it's so important to introduce Basque pelota and Irish handball to different cultures?
I see it as a way to build a future for handball in Ireland, England, and all over the country and here in the United States as well. I think it will be good for pelota, especially for poorer countries such as Bolivia for example, as well as other countries in Europe.  If you build a court like this in Bolivia, it’s pointless because few can play, they don’t know how to do it.  If you start from the very simplified version, then the children get used to that, and then you can move onto something like this.  That is my idea and that is what I have been pushing in Europe.   In Europe at the moment we have something like seven countries in the last five years that have taken up the game.  Next month we go to Italy. There will be a tournament there between France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Ireland, and England.  It’s going to be terrific.  Because they each have their own version of their game, just a common modality, the games can be very, very close and that gets very exciting.  We think it would be very good for both their own games and for making an international connection.  With this idea of a common chord, it gives a connection.  Next year we will have a Europeon championship, and we are going to have that every three years.  Perhaps next year it will be in the Basque Country or Italy.

What are your thoughts on the Basque Pilota Championship here at the Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco?
I was very impressed with the facilities, organisation, and standard of play. There is much in the set up that we can use in our Federation. Most satisfying was the fact I was made to feel part of the family and everyone was so friendly. It was an experience I will always remember.