BLOG UPDATE

Tour De Tundra Logo Wrap!

The Toyota Tundra Pace Truck (#2) is back in California sitting in the SL Designs, Inc., production room awaiting logo and complete vehicle wrap application. The Crew Cab Tundra will be on display at the USHA 4-Wall Handball Nationals on June 16th, along with the other Toyota Pace-truck (#1). Both vehicle will carry on to New York, for the 1-wall nationals, as we protect The Team, along their journey.

If you, your business, or other contact would like to have your company/business logo on this truck (logos stay on for lifetime* minimum of one year) please contact us as soon as possible. Vehicle will go into the production shop within the next couple days for logo completion. Minimum logo buy-in is $500.00!

Contact us for more details: weplayhandball@cs.com

JUNE 4TH THROUGH THE 8TH - WICHITA CLINIC

Wichita, KS here we come!



Quite possibly the hardest portion of our trip so far. Emmett and Dave are tired and ailments are starting to set in. Fink has a huge gash on his leg that required minor medical attention; meanwhile, the very energetic Peixoto is attempting to sleep twelve hour days and ride the other twelve! LOL!!


In order to make the Wichita Clinic on time, Dave and Emmett will have to pick up the pace and turn a 5-day trip into a 3.5 day trip. This means 150 miles per day (unless we leave Denver directly after the hard-fought handball clinic in that handball town) in heat and wind.

Tired, but no loss of ambition, The Team takes on the challenge. We left Denver just after the clinic and punched out 60 miles before the day drew to a close. Night riding isn't safe, but the Toyota Tundra Pace Truck made for very safe conditions!


El Team battles through scorching 95 degree heat and 50 mph wind gusts through Kansas en route to Wichita



El Rock pushes through exhaustion to Wichita; Fink takes the opportunity to darken his tan on this lonesome and wind-swept highway in Western Kansas


Toto- WE ARE IN KANSAS NOW!


Wind and heat helped and hurt the team and we busted loose 183 miles in the first full day of riding and exactly 191 the next day. Luckily, we had the 30 to 50 mph wind gusts at our backs, but the boiling heat made it very tough on these riders. The last thing they wanted to do when they pulled into Wichita was to play handball. Luckily, WPH friend Curtis Creed was there to take the Team in and supply food, drink and rest before the 9am clinic the very next day.


Curtis Creed takes in the team and offers up some grub!


Curtis Creed poses next to the WPH Toyota Pace Truck just before the 9am YMCA Handball Clinic.



GQ Models, or bike riders?


"What a clinic !! The boy's wore EVERYONE out. The exhibition game between the two of them was awesome. DF spent quality time with one of our promising players (Gary Kasitz) - I had told Gary that if he attended his game would improve - now I'm sure of it. And Emmett spent quality time with our 60 year old (Randy) explaining the proper stroke from beginning to the follow thru. Got a picture of George Stevens & Russ Meyers presenting the $1,000 check to the boys. Hope to see you at the Nationals. Thank you very much, Curt." - Curtis Creed on The Team's Visit



DF and EP receive the check from Handball Fanatics Russ and George; DF/EP with a fewof the Wichita sparring partners. These guys played for 4-straight hours and wanted more!!!



El Team in Old (Downtown) Wichita with 18 time City Champion Gale and fellow baller, Gary


The Wichita YMCA Clinic completed at 2pm and The Team was on the road at 2:30pm and cranked out 97.6 miles as the sun was going down.

Where is The Team headed?


Kansas City here we come!

The Team pulled into Kansas City on Sunday morning after 196 miles (over a day of off and on riding). We quickly rode to St. Louis, MO to watch Dave Chapman play Marty Hogan in a Hands vs. Racquet match. Meanwhile, I flew home to California from STL (before the infamous match) to gather more supplies; rejoining the Team at DC's home for relaxation and training leading up to the 4-Wall National Championships.

The Bike tour will resume after the USHA Nationals, June 16th thru 22nd. We will post updates from the tournament right here, as DF and EP hope to play each other in the finals in both singles and doubles.




On May 19th, 2008, two world class athletes and personalities known simply as The Team embarked on a 3000 mile/25 city Bike Tour starting in San Francisco, California and potentially ending in New York City to promote and play the extreme sport of handball across the Heartland of America. The Team is comprised of the devastatingly handsome and sublime professional musician, Emmett Peixoto, who is also the #2 ranked world handball pro and his eccentric side-kick, and strangely lovable best pal, David Fink. Fink is currently ranked #7 in the world (with a bullet), according to the World Pro Handball Rankings. The Team made stops in: San Francisco, Berkeley, Sacramento, and Grass Valley, CA, then rode across the Nevada Border making stops in Reno and Elko, Nevada to play ball. While in Utah, the Team played handball in Salt Lake City (4 and 1-wall) before riding to Grand Junction, CO to play Fronton Handball and 4-wall handball with the locals. The Team will not only impart their vast handball knowledge, prodigious handball talent and charm in various handball clinics and exhibitions, but will also be playing in the 2 most prestigious events on the handball calendar The USHA 1 and 4-wall Nationals.

The Team is riding across America to raise money for professional handball and production costs for a youth instructional handball video.

To sponsor or donate to the World of Pro Handball and the Toyota Tundra Bike Tour, please contact us at weplayhandball@cs.com : Dave Vincent, C/O WPH, Box 208, Rough and Ready, CA, 95975

DENVER, COLORADO PRO HANDBALL CLINIC

Denver, Colorado, through the help of WPH buddy Jed Seigel, hosted one hell of a pro handball clinic! Emmett and Dave were physically drained, yet found the time to get EVERY handball player on the court. An estimated 90 people showed up to watch and participate!!!

If you want your organization to take part in the tour, please contact us at: weplayhandball@cs.com


(Left Pic: Current Co State Champ, Bear Meiring, chumps up with EP after his 21-7 expo loss)
(Middle Pic: The two lefties, Dave Fink and Mark Hammond before their expo match)
(Right Pic: El Rock and Mark Hammond after EP dismantles the lefty 21-0, 21-2)

The "original team" of Mark Hammond and Bear Meiring jumped out to a very quick 12-0 lead on the shirttails of a very enthusiastic local crowd. Then, Emmett realized that he had a name on the back of his shirt and sparked teammate Dave Fink to a 21-2 run to close out the one game exhibition. The locals are VERY MUCH into ball and we want to return just to be apart of this vibe!


The Colorado Gallery was packed full of fans on this day (Left); meanwhile, (center) event organizer Stan Dunleavy stops for a quick pose with Emmett, Dave, Mark, and Bear.


The spectacular show court at the DAC (Denver Athletic Club) as they await a doubles exhibition; Bear/Mark vs. EP/DF (LEFT).

(Right) The Team with several clinic participants; 13 and 14 year old Alex and Luis, plus rising open player Travis, #9 ranked women's pro racquetball player, Jo, Jed Seigel, and several more handball nuts!!

Next up is Wichita, Kansas!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, June 3rd - Denver here we come!!!

The Historical Vail Trail- The road between Gran Junction, CO and Denver, CO was full of scenery. It was hard to determine whether we should suspend the bike tour indefinitely or keep riding on. The Team needed rest, but with a "clinic" set up in Denver, we had to make 243 miles in two days of riding -and- over the hardest part of the trip. Both athletes were exhausted!!!

Fink rides down the Vail Trail slamming in 143 miles on a day where we should have rested! Dave Fink is an animal! I was tired just driving the truck and eating candy!

DF makes himself aerodynamic as he pushes 25 mph to Vail

Is this the Tour De Tundra, or the Tour De France?

El Rock coasting to Vail!

Tell me Emmett, "Did you bring your skis?"

After the 90 mile mark and just 4.5 hours of riding (no stops!!!), the team take a much needed breather and rest in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The scenery is amazing here. Luckily, we were able to meet some folks that DIDN'T know about the sport of handball and this allowed us to get into "sales-mode" and pass out Discs, fliers, and Emmett's latest music CD. Our reception was grand in a place where just a few courts even exist.

Scenery in Glenwood Springs was amazing!!! In my next life I will be living here (in the next life DF will be Shirley Maclaine, BTW)

The Team pulls into Vail after putting in almost 150 miles and both riders fall asleep within 30 minutes!!! Just 80-something to go until Denver and Pro Handball Clinic.

Pedaling their sport

By PATRICK BAHR
The Daily Sentinel

Monday, June 02, 2008

David Fink and Emmett Peixoto are traveling across the United States to promote their sport, handball.

Now, since Fink and Peixoto are both ranked in the top 10 world-wide in the sport, they’re traveling by plane with all the luxuries one could want, right?

Oh, so wrong.

The co-owners of World of Pro Handball, Fink and Peixoto are biking from San Francisco to New York, hoping to compete in different handball competitions across the nation but more importantly to be able to spread their handball gospel.

Monday, the two found themselves at the Grand Junction Athletic Club giving a free clinic as well as an exhibition.

“We are doing it to promote handball and let some communities see two of the top players in the country play,” Fink, from Pittsburgh, Pa., said. “Hopefully we can get some new players in the game and introduce ourselves to handball players around the county.”

The rules of handball are closely related to those of racquetball. Take away the racquet and add a level of difficulty and you’ve got handball.

“There is a lot more strategy for handball,” Peixoto said. “You can’t shoot it from anywhere on the court because you are off balance a lot and you basically have to be ambidextrous.”

With 1-wall handball that only uses the front wall, and 4-wall handball, which is played on racquetball courts, Fink said the top-tier players are strong with each hand.

“That is what makes the game hard is you are only as good as your off hand,” Fink said.
The two have become training partners as well as business partners and said the detour to Grand Junction was just what they wanted.

While playing in a competition in Salt Lake City (Peixoto took first, Fink second) they met local handball enthusiast Kevin Price, who invited them to Grand Junction.

“The stop in Salt Lake was planned and we met Kevin and were able to put something together here,” Fink said. “This is just the type of thing we were looking to do with this trip is go out and meet people.”

But biking across the nation?

They’re starting to enjoy the trip.

“We are both really fit because handball is such a demanding sport, but the first couple days were tough being as we are both not serious bike riders,” Peixoto said.

“But we have been able to adapt and I enjoy the rides now and it is actually relaxing.”

The bike ride is an evolution of trips they have made before.

“We had already done cross-country car trips, so we were just thinking what could we do next,” Fink said. “We have a lot of grandiose ideas but we also tend to follow through with them.”

After leaving Grand Junction this morning, the two will make their way to Denver en route to the U.S. Handball Association 4-wall finals in Kansas City, Mo., on June 16. The end goal is the USHA 1-wall national finals in New York in late July.

The best way to keep up with the players is through their blog at tourdetundra.blog spot.com or go to their Web site, weplayhandball.com.
•
E-mail Patrick Bahr at pbahr@gjds.com.

Monday, June 2nd, 2008 - SAFETY COMES FIRST!!!

Grand Junction, CO- The Team left Britt Reed's home in Salt Lake City, Utah bright and early Monday morning on a quest to Grand Junction, CO. This was a weary day of travel for Dave and Emmett because the strip of highway between the two cities is one of the nation's deadliest. Over 100 traffic-related deaths occur on this highway each year and many vehicle vs pedestrian/bikers. To couple the very serious mood of the day, road construction made it nearly impossible to ride bikes and navigate on this dangerous road.

Safety first!

Even though the boys cranked out over 100 miles on their bikes in a matter of just 5 hours, we drove past the construction and dangerous road, then biked back into Grand Junction before it got dark (leaving at 5am out of Salt Lake City was a smart move!!!). Along the way, Dave and Emmett stopped off to play tennis and pose for pics along the Utah/Colorado border, before finding another Fronton Court in Grand Junction.

Emmett and Dave stop-off to pose for pics along the Utah/Colorado border

Even though this wasn't like the Fronton Court in Elko, Nevada, the Grand Junction Court bared the same name.

Dave and Emmett, rode 100 miles before noon, then drove over 100 miles past construction and dangerous highways, then jumped on a Tennis court and Fronton Court all before supper time. Oh, did I forget to mention, they also did a clinic for over 40 locals, TV and Radio media crew? These guys are earning their keep!

DF and EP see a tennis court and quickly jump onto it for a quickie-game leading up to their Fronton exhibition later that afternoon in Grand Junction, CO

Jason Jones and family, Kevin Price (former CO St. HB Champ) and his kids, plus the locals bond with Emmett and Dave as handball exhibitions in Grand Junction bring out the media on this day!

The theme for today's big adventure was to keep safe, but I am sad to report that both Emmett and Dave are suffering from ailments. After Sunday's handball match, and 8th round of play in 2 days, Emmett played 1-wall handball and Cricket at a Salt Lake City Park in his bare feet. Blisters on both heels were the size of dollar coins.

"Walking or running feels like I am stepping on bags of water." Said, Emmett Peixoto

Meanwhile, Dave Fink scratched his leg playing Jeu de Paume along the bike trip when Emmett drove him off the platform with a driving return (right into a cut-off tree stump). The wound didn't heal and he re-injured it when, playing Fronton Handball, he smacked it again. This time the bleeding wouldn't stop and when it did, the wound swelled up to the size of a Golf Ball. The Hematoid-like swelling was looked at by local handball player, Rusty, and Doctor of medicine.

"Thanks to Rusty I can walk today. I don't know what you did, but this is the best my leg has felt in two weeks." Claimed, Dave Fink.

The Team got their gear on this morning for Denver, Colorado and a visit with Jed Seigel and Co. Details from the road are forthcoming!

On May 19th, 2008, two world class athletes and personalities known simply as The Team embarked on a 3000 mile/25 city Bike Tour starting in San Francisco, California and potentially ending in New York City to promote and play the extreme sport of handball across the Heartland of America. The Team is comprised of the devastatingly handsome and sublime professional musician, Emmett Peixoto, who is also the #2 ranked world handball pro and his eccentric side-kick, and strangely lovable best pal, David Fink. Fink is currently ranked #7 in the world (with a bullet), according to the World Pro Handball Rankings. The Team made stops in: San Francisco, Berkeley, Sacramento, and Grass Valley, CA, then rode across the Nevada Border making stops in Reno and Elko, Nevada to play ball. While in Utah, the Team played handball in Salt Lake City (4 and 1-wall) before riding to Grand Junction, CO to play Fronton Handball and 4-wall handball with the locals. The Team will not only impart their vast handball knowledge, prodigious handball talent and charm in various handball clinics and exhibitions, but will also be playing in the 2 most prestigious events on the handball calendar—The USHA 1 and 4-wall Nationals.

The Team is riding across America to raise money for professional handball and production costs for a youth instructional handball video.

To sponsor or donate to the World of Pro Handball and the Toyota Tundra Bike Tour, please contact us at weplayhandball@cs.com : Dave Vincent, C/O WPH, Box 208, Rough and Ready, CA, 95975

SATURDAY, MAY 31ST AND SUNDAY, JUNE 1ST

NO BIKE RIDING ON SATURDAY OR SUNDAY, MAY 31ST-JUNE 1ST!!!

The Team played in the annual "Ace's" handball tournament hosted by The Sports Mall and sponsored by Ace Disposal (Lonnie Stalsberg). They mowed down locals and out-of-towners in singles and doubles. Dave and Emmett made the finals of both events, then relaxed at a dinner party overlooking scenic Washatch Mountains.

Host and tournament donor Lonnie Stalsberg (red shirt / dead center of the photo walking thru the entry-way) stops for a quick moment of recognition for a "job well done."

Fink in awe, as the dinner party turns from friendly and fun-loving to a "jokes-on-you" bash fest (to which Fink found the wrong side of a few off-color DV jokes). "Not so much!"

Dave Fink routs Emmett in the first game of their open singles final: 21-11

A very defeated and winded Emmett Peixoto stops to collect himself between the first and second game of the singles final.

Dave Fink, after scoring just 9 points in the second game, ponders his upcoming tie-breaker vs. teammate, El Rock.

A happy Emmett (just after his 11-3 tie-breaker win) scores $650.00 for his doubles and singles wins.

Fink takes home $350.00 and quickly donates it to the WPH bike tour fund. Wow, he has a heart. Love you DF!!

EP and DF pose after their singles match. Expressions on their faces explain it all. Hehe

The Team, Toyota Trucks, and DV travel up the road to the Utah State Capital for a quickie photo-opp. Believe this or not, but Mutt and Jeff are still "jawing" at each other during "said" shoot and it's all caught on film!

DF threatens to flatten EP's tires, as EP decides to head to the Temple of Zion.

The Team have "kissed and made-up" and are now posing in front of the Temple.

A special thank you to the Utah Handball Association, Lonnie Stalsberg, Michael Fendrick, Matt Stalsberg, and all that coordinated the Team's visit and bike tour stop while in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Next up?

A visit to Jason Jones, Kevin Price and the ballers in Grand Junction, Co. Updates to come.....

To sponsor or donate to the World of Pro Handball and the Toyota Tundra Bike Tour, please contact us at weplayhandball@cs.com : Dave Vincent, C/O WPH, Box 208, Rough and Ready, CA, 95975