8 Comments

As someone who grew up in bay ridge I really enjoyed this, particularly the sense of being an underdog (despite getting nowhere near Poly). I recommend reading into the history of handball with the GAA if you want to get a better sense of where it comes from.

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This post really resonated with me - a Brooklyn kid who was a fish out of water at Bronx Science. I moved down to Austin, TX and continue to play with a melting pot of characters - ex cons, El Pasoans, Californians, and fellow New Yorkers. The game provides so much and requires so little in return. No sound will ever compare to that first ball of the day hitting the wall and keeps so many of us coming back.

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That's great they have handball in Texas. I would not have believed it. Even my friends on Long Island barely knew of it. They called it "wall ball."

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Great article. Brought back memories of growing up in Glendale. Shout out to Bobby Miller and Brian Ferri who were the best players.

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This is lovely. I relate to your experiences in high school. I was much the same "non-entity" at Stuyvesant. A lot of us "slip through the cracks" during high school. College was a saving grace for me.

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yes, me as well

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This is wonderful (despite the sadness). Thanks so much for writing it.

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thank you for your kind words!

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