Archive:The Season Is Over
April 23, 2008
We got to this time of the year where there are two feelings, sadness and happiness, in our hearts. Sadness, for a completely botched season, where everything was ruined by the hesitations and indecision, sadness to still have no news regarding the new Federation, sadness for all the efforts of some teams, that went in vain
This season has shown the real situation existent in this country for our beloved sport, and the direct result of this situation, we confirm again, if it was necessary, to the entire World, the people who where in charge with the destiny of this sport, did not know what they are doing or they wanted to be the saviors without any respect for the team work.
This sport will survive, because there are still some passionate, I dare to say crazy passionate people, who will keep it alive. The happiness is coming from the hope for the new season to come. Happiness from finally knowing the real passion of the sport, and knowing those who have done bad to this sport for so long.
As much as we regret loosing one season without having a finality ( the National Championships), the hope for a better season to come is more than I can describe in words. I know there will be good things to come, I know that this experience (past seasons) will humble some, the time will mature the people (if you like it or not), and has already exposed those who where in the mix for the wrong reasons.
We as an organization, will keep working at the development of this sport on this side of the country. Despite all of the negatives, we, the Miami Sharks , have had our traditional, high quality Tournament. We kept practicing and doing all we can to become better players, a better team, and better role models. I have to say that I am proud of my players for all their dedication, our success is a reflection of their sacrifices, hard work and discipline.
I am sure these two feelings, sadness and happiness, will dominate everybody this summer, when the break will re-charge the batteries for everybody. Team handball will be on the map, no matter what are the political decisions..
I wish you all a great summer, keep loving the sport of Team Handball, and do not give up.
"Quitters never win. Winners never quit."
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Recent Headlines
Sharks take title at 2007 Miami Sharks Invitational
As much as we regret loosing one season without having a finality ( the National Championships), the hope for a better season to come is more than I can describe in words. I know there will be good things to come, I know that this experience (past seasons) will humble some, the time will mature the people (if you like it or not), and has already exposed those who where in the mix for the wrong reasons.
We as an organization, will keep working at the development of this sport on this side of the country. Despite all of the negatives, we, the Miami Sharks , have had our traditional, high quality Tournament. We kept practicing and doing all we can to become better players, a better team, and better role models. I have to say that I am proud of my players for all their dedication, our success is a reflection of their sacrifices, hard work and discipline.
I wish you all a great summer, keep loving the sport of Team Handball, and do not give up.
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Handball Workshop a Success
June 20, 2007
The Miami Sharks Organization continued to extend its reach into the community on Tuesday, presenting a three-hour presentation to a collection of physical education teachers from throughout Miami-Dade County. The event took place at John A. Ferguson Senior High School and was a complete success according to Sharks Head Coach and Owner, Cristian Zaharia.
"Through yesterday's workshop, we were able to expose some 45 teachers to this beautiful Olympic sport, some of them for the first time, some have seen it before. It was great to see their enthusiasm and desire to understand the game and how to teach it, and even more, to play the game.
I want to especially thank Dr. Greenberg for introducing the sport of Team Handball in this year's Summer Institute preperation for the PE teachers. Also, I want to thank my team for their professionalism in executing the demonstration for the teachers. I am looking forward to enlarging this cooperation with the Miami Dade Board of Education and eventually start an Inter-scholar League, which will be used as a template for the entire country to follow."
Coach Cristian Zaharia
1992 Olympian
Miami Sharks Team Handball Club
Message to all readers
As you can see Miami Sharks Team Handball Club is still alive and doing well. We have had a period where we did not update our web-site as we should, but the waiting to see who will be the next Federation, has got us too.
I am realy happy to let everybody know, we are a strong club, with very dedicated athletes, we have some new ones, and we are keeping the ritm.Also I want to let you know that we will have our Invitational again live on Internet and I am asking all of you to log in and let know about it, all your friends, relatives and fans of this great sport.
As you can see this year we are adding a very important sponsor www.Iamsport.org
Get everybody registered and get all upload their profile on the handball community, we all will benefit from it, by having a chance to know each other, keep informed everybody in the handball community about your progress, necesities, mile stones etc, without waiting all the time for somebody to do the job for you.
Get all the athletes you might know, in any sport to register and get to their respective communites, the more we are the better it will be for all. We have the unique chance, due to an Olympian, MR Nick V( I want to thank him publicly), to have this service dedicated to the ATHLETES! And free!
As you could see we are getting back Houston plus West Point. We have invited some other teams, but they refused to be part of this event. Too bad for them, they could have been part of a high level competition, as is done at the International Level, in the real World.
It is time for all of those who are still staying on the fence, to get down to business, and recruit the new generation, boys and girls, to play team handball, is the only way we can get back to where we've been.
Miami Sharks Team Handball Club is very proud to let everybody know that one of our players, Mark Ortega is playing in Spain righ now.
We will have a special presentation with Mark very soon.
I am asking all of you to put aside the past, is time for the present and the future. I wish you all the best for this year and have fun watching the Miami Sharks Invitational.
Coach Cristian Zaharia
Miami Sharks Team Handball
Bronze Medal Pan Am Games 2003
| Sharks Sign Broadcasting Agreement with LiveSportsVideo.com |  |
March 22, 2007
The Miami Sharks Organization has announced that it has signed a three year broadcasting agreement with LiveSportsVideo.com. After broadcasting the 2007 Miami Sharks Tournament, the two have agreed to terms that include broadcast of all Miami Sharks home events as well as naming the Sharks Organization as representatives of Livesportsvideo.com in the United States for the sport of Team Handball.
“I am very happy that we are on board with LiveSportsVideo.com,” said head coach Cristian Zaharia. “This will bring future revenue to the Organization and will open the door for some other lucrative contracts with other companies. I would also like to take this time to extend a big thank you to John Eckart for his relentless efforts to build this Organization’s foundation towards a business like company.”
“I am also looking forward to finalizing negotiations with all the companies who have showed interest in being associated with the Miami Sharks Organization, and the owner of the Miami Sharks, New Sports Enterprises & Marketing Inc. I am looking forward to the next big event!"
Together with LiveSportsVideo.com, the Sharks are looking to bring other clubs around the United States on board with live broadcasts of their tournaments in order to spread the visibility of team handball in the United States, and to create a broadcast network for team handball.
TH Santa Clarita will become the first club to come on board, as they will broadcast the Second Annual Santa Clarita Tournament this weekend, March 24-25. Be sure to check out the live action and the tournament schedule by clicking here.
Those interested in broadcasting their tournaments with LiveSportsVideo.com or with any questions, please contact Coach Zaharia via email at headcoachhandball@comcast.net or John Eckart at jxeckart@hotmail.com.
Handball in the United States
April 21, 2007
The Nationals are done.
We have finished 6th, which is not what we wanted.
It hurts but that's how you learn, by trial and error. We have had some problems with the squad, but that is not an excuse. Now we will go back to practice, and clean up what we've done wrong, and next year go back and try to win it all!
The Miami Sharks Team Handball Club, as an organization, is getting stronger with every day that passes.
We are looking to recruit new players, preferably 16 and older, where they can learn and compete with other players their age, Chicago is an opportunity, and why not getting to Europe to do it also.
We are also looking to crystallize the business aspect of the organization, where we can step up a level, and get some rewards for the hard work, sacrifices and dedication that the core of the team has put in.
Now getting back to the real situation of Team Handball in USA.
I am very disappointed of the organizational quality showed at the 2007 Nationals in Delaware. We are cheating everybody if we think we will improve in this conditions!
The main courts where short by a lot: one by 7m and the other one by 5m, the 20min halves with no time-outs, the horrendous quality of refereeing, with a few exceptions, are just some of the problems!
It seems that the organizers are staying in their comfort zone, where they do not adapt to the conditions. For the first time we have had the opportunity, due to a lot of absences, to play real games, with 2x30min halves, with time outs, on the real size courts, but the OC(Organizing Committee) went to the old way, again.
We are tooting the horn that the coaching quality in USA is bad, but how do we want to improve, or our players to improve, if all that they know or how to compete, is this travesty! It has been going on far too long!
How can we expect to develop this sport and try to become a main stream sport, when, due to this de-facto situation, the National Teams are getting blown away by emerging teams, not even the power house teams.
The leadership, what's left of it, doesn't even bother to inform us, the clubs, about what is going on.
I remember the meeting in Houston, where the chairman of the Men's National Team Program, was very forceful in his presentation: "what we are going to do..., you better do it..., if you don't you are out...!"
We have reached the point that we are getting the Masters back in the National Team!
The downfall of handball in the United States is logical: No plan, No vision, and No leadership = NO RESULTS, No Pan Am Games and No say in the IHF World!
I bet the Bronze Medal at the last Pan AM Games (2003) looks really good by now!
I, as a person with a lot of passion for this great sport, and heavily involved financially and otherwise, think it is TIME FOR CHANGE!
I want my players to have a dream and do everything to reach it. I do want my players to get in the best position to compete for a spot on the National Team, and I do want my players to live the life that I have had as a professional player, to be proud to represent their country, to have the tools and the knowledge to stand up to the high level competition, not to play politics and take everything for granted as the actual players do today.
I have tried not to get in the "way of doing things around here" but it is illogical to make the same mistakes year in and year out, and hope for a different outcome.
It has been proven, how many times now, that the old system put in place in the 1960's is not going to work in the realities of TODAY, 2007!
The Miami Sharks organization has proven, where all the leadership has said is not possible, that it is possible to find sponsors, it is possible to have exposure to the public and it is possible to establish a business type of organization.
I applaud Chicago and their development, Santa Clarita, Houston and all the others who, quietly, have done on their corner what was supposed to be done a long time ago.
It is time for a new direction with people who want, know and will do, what needs to be done!!
The most important thing that needs to happen is the ACCOUNTABILITY! For far too long the bad results, hiring of coaches, scheduling and last minute solutions have not had accountability.
For far too long the sugar coating of the real situation, has taken us were we are today: NOWHERE!
I am opening this debate and I am inviting those REAL people to be part of the NEW Team Handball development.
Coach Cristian Zaharia
1992 Olympian
2003 Bronze Medal Pan Am Games
National Championships Viewing Options
April 4, 2007
We are happy to announce that game footage from the 2007 United States Open National Championships in Newark, Deleware will be available on an on-demand basis courtesy of LiveSportsVideo.com. At the current moment, the broadcast slate will include all five of the Miami Sharks games, which will be available for on-demand viewing at www.livesportsvideo.com .
The Sharks will play two games on Friday (available for viewing by mid-day Saturday), with the first game against the Houston Stars and the second against Chicago Inter. Miami will play New York Saturday morning (available for viewing by mid-day Sunday) and an opponent to be determined on Saturday after re-seeding.
Please visit www.livesportsvideo.com for the on-demand footage, and visit the site throughout the year as additional tournaments will be broadcast live and archived onto the first team handball broadcast network in the United States.
The games can be broadcast for a fee of $100 per game. Clubs interested in having their games available for viewing should contact Cristian Zaharia at headcoachhandball@comcast.net
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Sharks shift focus to National Championships
March 16, 2007
With the 2007 Open National Championships just three weeks away, the focus of the Sharks narrows in on their quest for the Organizations first national title.The Championships will take place on April 6-8 in Newark, Delaware on the campus of the University of Delaware. Below is a letter from Head Coach Cristian Zaharia.
"Due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, this year, those who have been selected to compete for the United States National Team will be competing in Chile for the last chance qualifying tournament for the Pan Am Games.
This scheduling has already left the door wide open for comments of "This is not a real Championship, we did not have the best players, etc"
In the big picture, these kind of excuses don't matter to me. A competition is a competition, and everybody has a chance to win, no matter who is the opponent.
The Miami Sharks will be ready to compete at the highest level possible, and will be ready to apply and comply with the real international level of the sport of Team Handball.
The tournament that we hosted a few weeks ago pointed out some weak areas in our game, but we have worked hard since to correct the majority of the glitches and we are on the last hundred yards before the Game TIME!
I hope the USOC and their manager will do everything possible in their power to have the Nationals at least live on Internet, as we did with our Tournament. This way, everyone can see the games and judge for themselves what really happened in the game, and not have to rely on someone else’s personal opinion about it.
We are looking forward to a quality tournament, and will look to bring home to Miami its first Team Handball national title.”
As soon as the game schedule and viewing options, if any, are announced, we will post them on our website and we will try to update the webstie throughout the tournament as well.
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Miami claims title at 2007 Sharks Invitational
News:
The 2007 Miami Sharks Invitational was a complete success! A special thanks to the Houston Stars, the Houston Firehawks and Inter Chicago for an amazing tournament. The level of play was some of the best ever seen in the United States.
We would also like to thank the crew at livesportsvideo.com who helped us broadcast the tournament worldwide with professional commentating by Bogdan Pasat and Mark Telthorster.
The Miami Sharks took home the title with a 3-0 record, including a 25-16 victory over Inter Chicago on the final day of competition. The speedy Houston Firehawks club took silver with their only loss coming to the Sharks. Inter Chicago took bronze while the Houston Stars took fourth.
Individual Tournament Honors:
Most Valuable Player- Jorge Garcia, Houston Firehawks
Most Valuable Goalie - Dragan Marjanovic, Inter Chicago
Top Scorer - Marcos Puertas, Miami Sharks
Tournament schedule and results:
Friday, Feb 23, 2007
Inter Chicago 17 - Houston Firehawks 20
Houston Stars 26 - Miami Sharks 30
Saturday, Feb 24, 2007
Houston Stars 16 – Inter Chicago 25
Houston Firehawks 26 – Miami Sharks 30
Sunday, Feb 25, 2007
Houston Firehawks 42 – Houston Stars 22
Inter Chicago 16 – Miami Sharks 25
All games took place at Pharmed Arena (11200 S.W. 8th Street Miami, FL 33199) on the campus of Florida International University.
December 12, 2006
Sharks to host annual tournament:
After a one-year hiatus, the Miami Sharks will host the 2007 Miami Sharks Invitational on Feb. 23-25. This will be the second time in three years that the Sharks have hosted a home invitational.
The tournament will consist of four teams, with each team playing one game each day over a three day period. This format is designed to promote more quality play. Teams that have accepted invitations include Chicago Handball Club, the Houston Stars and the Houston Firehawks.
We are looking forward to a quality tournament and an action packed weekend of handball.
The bracket and viewing options will be announced after the Christmas break.
August, 2006
The Miami Sharks organization enters its third year of existence after ascending the ranks of the Unites States Team Handball members to finish second at the 2006 USA Open National Championships, just one year after placing ninth in its first year of competition.
The Miami Sharks Organization is led by head coach Christian Zaharia. Zaharia brings a wealth of international experience to South Florida after competing at the highest levels in European Handball. Below is a message from Coach Zaharia to give a little insight into the Sharks Club.
"As we unveil for the first time this web site for the Miami Sharks Team Handball Team, I am very proud to say that we are developing this Olympic sport in our part of the Untied States: with hard work, dedication and discipline.
My vision is to help this club gain a strong hold of the sport of team handball in South Florida, with strong ties to the community, especially to those communities who have been exposed to team handball in their country of origin and want to practice this sport here.
Miami is a great location, the melting pot of all cultures and the gateway to the World, and this gives me the power and the enthusiasm to do what I am doing.
I started this club three years ago, meaning to prove to all the naysayers that it can be done. With the development of this great sport, the only requirement is to have a real passion for it and to build up based on great players, with strong characters, discipline and the ability to make the necessary sacrifices to get where you need to get: to the top!
We are always looking to bring new members into the club. Having established a strong base, I have begun the implementation of the second faze of my plan, which is to get in the middle schools and high schools, create after school programs, and to give one more chance for the kids to compete for a better life with the help of Team Handball.
This sport has taken me to the highest level, to the World Championships where I got my Bronze Medal, and to the Olympic Games, and this will stay with me for the rest of my life. I want to use my experience and expertise to help give the same opportunity to somebody else and to help them achieve their dreams.
It takes hard work and dedication.
We are also looking to find sponsors who are interested in associating their image with this vibrant Olympic sport, and to show to their clients that they are an open minded company who can look and see the big picture.
I want to send a special thank you to the Miami Dade Sports Commission, especially to Mike Sophia, who has been strong supporters of what we are doing, as well as to Florida International University for their help and support. And last but not least to my players, because without their hard work and dedication, we would not be here.
The second place at the 2006 National Open Championship in Houston is only the beginning of a great story.
Come and join us!
Go Miami Sharks!
Cristian Zaharia
Head Coach/ Owner
Miami Sharks
1992 Olympian
Bronze Medal 2003 Pan Am Games USA Men's National Team
The Miami Sharks logo is copyrighted and is not for use without the consent of the Miami Sharks Organization.