MISSOULA — A professional handball tournament has been held at the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula for five years.
The Peak Racquet Ball Club in Missoula is one of eight stops in a professional handball tournament that draws a national audience and brings in players from around the world.
The Red Death handball tournament has been a staple of the Missoula handball community for 22 years. With tournament entries for all skill levels including professional levels in the past five years.
Tournament Director Sean Sandau says the engagement between the pros and the amateurs is unmatched in this tournament.
“A guy will come off will come off the court who just had the worst game of his life and he goes into the next court with a little kid and does a clinic for him and is happy to do it they’re just down to earth really really good guys here and we’re fortunate to have them.”
Players say that Missoula’s hospitality makes it easy for them to engage with the community.
“I mean, everyone from Uber Drivers to restaurants that we go out to -- everyone is very nice. At least that’s been my experience. I’ve been out here like five years now,” professional handball player Leo Canales told MTN News. “Every time I come out, I got nothing bad to say the people are amazing they treat us great, we feel very welcome when we’re out here.”
Sandau and two of his friends worked with the World Players of Handball to make the Red Death tournament a viable stop for the pros. Randy Joliffe, one of Sandau’s friends who helped put this together, passed away two years ago and now the tournament is played in his memory.
“He was instrumental in this tournament too, great guy. This tournament is pretty deep. It goes a long way. Like I said, it’s been around for 22 years and you know it has deep roots in Montana and it’s nice that it’s spreading around, it’s spreading around the world,” Sandau said.
The next leg of the World Players of Handball Tour will be held in Tuscon Arizona.
