End Of
An Era
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End Of |
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While these courts weren't used extensively, a number of GHCA members played on these courts over the years. |
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Three kinds of wall, two ledges, no ceiling, only one usable court with a sewer lid in the left corner -- it was still the closest thing that Cincinnati had to outdoor handball. Those who were brave (and crazy) enough to venture out to the court for the first time were often heard to mutter one of the following, often-used phrases: |
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"Up brick?" "Everything's in play?" "Acorn ball?" "Sewer lid?" "Why does brick color matter?" "That crack's a line?" "What did that hit?" |
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Among the countless Norwood highlights: shooting for the weed clump; Roberts' handball reunions, held anytime there was a family wedding; bouncing one out along the ledge; playing in the rain; the Annual 2 1/2 Wall Handicap Doubles Draw Tournament; ball sacrifices to the roof god; Red Coleman's serve, which hopped around the corner and into the bushes no matter how banged up he was; kill shots from the grass by the garage; waiting forever to play when it was crowded; shooting from the bushes, with leaves flying; balls that hit the edge of the ledge and came back at your face faster than they went in, etc. |
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In spite of all its flaws, this site saw a lot of spirited matches -- and a lot of handball fun. After all, it was tough to get too serious when you never knew where the ball would go. And even though they haven't been used since the real 3-wall courts were built at Veterans Park, it was still sad to see the Norwood courts torn down. |
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Some of us have a soft spot in our heart for the old Norwood courts. |
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