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SHORTLINE
The Official Newsletter of the Greater Cincinnati Handball Association |
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Winter, January 2005
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SHORTLINE
The Official Newsletter of the Greater Cincinnati Handball Association |
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Winter, January 2005
| Event | Location | Dates | Days |
| BlueBall Open | Veterans Park; Cincinnati, OH | January 1, 2005 | Saturday |
| GCHA Board Meeting | Dubliner, Pleasant Ridge | January 5th | Wednesday |
| Kentucky State Handball Championship | University of Kentucky | January 21st - 23rd | Friday - Sunday |
| Youngstown Dinosaurs Tournament | Youngstown, OH | January 28th - 30th | Friday - Sunday |
| GCHA Board Meeting | TBA | February 2nd | Wednesday |
| State of Ohio Championships | Cleveland, OH | February 18th - 20th | Friday - Sunday |
| GCHA Board Meeting | TBA | March 2nd | Wednesday |
| ShortLine Deadline | N/A | March 15th | Tuesday |
| GCHA Board Meeting | TBA | April 6th | Wednesday |
| USHA National Masters Singles | Athletic Club @ Waycross; Cincinnati, OH |
April 7th - April 10 | Thursday - Sunday |
| 11th Annual Cleveland Invitational | Mentor, OH | April 7th - 10th | Friday - Sunday |
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How I Became A Browning Automatic
Rifleman (BAR) And How It Saved My Life |
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Editors Note: Carl Q. Topie, a GCHA member, is part of what Tom Brokaw describes as America’s “greatest generation.” For his service, Carl was awarded the combat infantryman badge and bronze star medal, amongst other awards. You can see his complete list of honors at the WWII memorial site. Carl exercises and still plays at the Williams Y. |
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| During World War II, I was a rifleman in Company K. We were preparing
to cross the Rhine River on March 25, 1945. The Division artillery opened
fire at 0050. Approximately 10,000 rounds were fired in a 38-minute period.
At 0230, my company was in the first wave that crossed the Rhine River
in small rubber boats under intense heavy enemy artillery and mortar fire.
We ran into stiff opposition while advancing towards the town of Lampertheim
about five miles from the Rhine River. During the advance, our squad had
to cross an open field. Our Browning Automatic Rifle-man advancing far
ahead of us fell when he received a wound to his head by sniper fire.
My Squad Leader, S/Sgt. Lloyd E Jack, shouted, “Topie, go out and
help him!” I ran out under a hail of small-arms fire and dragged
him back along with his BAR. Our medic took him back to an aid station
and we never saw him again. S/Sgt. Jack said, “Topie, you are now
the BAR man!”
As our squad was low on manpower, I did not have an assistant BAR man to carry extra rounds of ammunition. So I had to carry the extra rounds myself. I also carried two extra magazines in the breast pockets of my combat jacket. Later during a fire-fight, I got hit by a rifle bullet that pierced my left breast pocket and hit the magazine. The magazine spewed out the twenty rounds of ammunition along with the spring which cut my face. However, the magazine which I still have, saved my life. As a postscript, forty-seven years later, I was at a Third Infantry Division reunion in San Francisco. I walked into the hotel’s restaurant and spotted my old sergeant, Lloyd E. Jack, sitting at a table. I recognized him immediately after all of these years! |
GCHA Annual Fall Meeting and Member Appreciation Party
by George Lehocky
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The Greater Cincinnati Handball Association (GCHA) held it's annual Fall Meeting and Member Appreciation Party on Monday, October 11th at the Washington Platform Restaurant. Food and drinks were provided. New or renewed memberships to GCHA were received. A business meeting was conducted including a financial report from Treasurer David Kent, and the selection of the 2005 GCHA Board. With no nominations received, President, George Lehocky announced the 2005 GCHA Board: President George Lehocky; Vice-President, Jack Dean; Treasurer, David Kent; Secretary/Webmaster, Jim Krailler; At-Large members Bob Burkitt, Greg Fite, Bob Hiance, Dave Laxton, Mike Reilly and Will Straw. Each attendee left the meeting with a token of GCHA’s appreciation that ranged from shirts, hats and bags to Bengal football tickets to gift certificates to the Washington Platform. |
| The annual Fall membership drive is in its final stages, and as of publication we have 57 members, well short of last year's 129. If you haven't done so already, you can start or renew your membership electronically by completing the on-line membership form, and follow up by mailing the check. (Why not do it now, while it's fresh on your mind! The link above opens a new window with the form.) An option this year allows you to save $10 on a new USHA membership by joining both organizations at the same time. USHA renewals save $5, regardless of your renewal date. See details of the combo offer. (Make all checks payable to GCHA.) |
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Queen City Shootout |
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The 2004 Queen City Shootout tournament was held in Cincinnati, OH the first weekend in December at the Athletic Club @ Waycross. There are pages available with the final results in bracket form, as well as a story with photos.
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Sent on December 1, 2004. I am pleased to report that handball is alive and well at the University of Cincinnati. Our mission is to introduce new players to the sport of handball and to compete in local, regional, and national events. There are currently 15 members of the handball club. Any full time student (men and women) is welcome to join. We had only one returning player from last year. The other 14 are all new to the game. They are a very enthusiastic group. Practice is every Tuesday and Thursday night from 7:00 – 9:00. Some of the students arrive early and stay after practice to work on their games. We spend the first 45 minutes working on fundamentals and doing drills to sharpen their skills. The remainder of practice is spent playing games. The players rotate from court to court and usually everyone gets to play with everyone else each night. Several members of the club will participate in their first tournament this weekend. The Queen City shootout will be held at the Athletic Club at Waycross this Friday and Saturday. There will also be students from Miami University and the University of Kentucky at this tournament. Future Tournament plans include the Kentucky State Tournament in January and the Circle City Tournament in Indianapolis in February. Also in February are the Ohio State Tournament in Columbus and the NCAA Handball National Championship which will be held at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Everything is going extremely well for us as a group and all of the club members are looking forward to playing a lot more handball and meeting many new friends. I would like to especially thank Bert Huether and Ralph Weil for their help in recruiting players and for their guidance in re-establishing the Handball Club at UC. Both of these men are great contributors to our great game. Thanks |
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The Kentucky Handball Championships will be held in Lexington, Kentucky, over the weekend of January 21st through 23rd. Information and an entry form are available on a separate page. |
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| The Ohio 2004 State Handball Championships move to the Severance Club in Cleveland this year. The tournament will be held over the weekend of February 18th through 20th, 2005. Information and an entry form are available on a separate page. |
| Cleveland Memorial |
The Annual Cleveland Memorial Tournament was held in Eastlake, Ohio over the weekend of October 22nd through 24th. A page is available with the final results.
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