1941: Handball

The perennial Joseph Platak won his seventh national A. A. U. four-wall singles handball crown, crushing Stanley Hitz in straight games. In the doubles event the New York A. C. team of Eddie Linz and Frank (Lefty) Coyle regained their national four-wall title. The one-wall game, played at bathing beaches, saw Artie Wolfe come up from nowhere to win the singles crown, while Morton Alexander and Marvin Hecht repeated in the doubles contest. Those players represented the Trinity Club, of Brooklyn, N. Y. In the junior four-wall game Ken Schneider won the singles national title and then teamed with Herb Silver won the doubles event, representing the Castle Hill S. C. of the Bronx, N. Y.

Among women, Miss Marie Zanetti ended Miss Lucy Caruso's five-year reign as Metropolitan (New York) title holder.

1939: Handball

Handball has its largest following under the auspices of the amateur Athletic Union, sponsoring district competitions under the able direction of Arthur M. Wehrmann, chairman of the Handball Committee. The national championship singles (four-wall) title (indoors) was won by Joe Platak, of the Lake Shore A. C., for the fifth consecutive year, and the doubles title was again captured by Ed Linz and Frank Coyle, of the New York A. C. Platak defeated Jack Clements, of the Olympic Club, San Francisco, and the doubles winners downed Joe Goldsmith and Jack Gordan, of the Pacific Coast Club by a wide margin.

The one-wall game (outdoors) is played in many municipal centers and at seaside resorts all over the United States. In New York City more than 500 outdoor courts are to be found in the city parks and playgrounds. The national A. A. U. singles title event, played at Manhattan Beach, N. Y., was won by Harry Michitsch of the Trinity Club; the doubles title went to Harry Goldstein and George Baskin of the Trinity Club, winners for three years.

The Harold Lloyd three-year trophy, which went out of competition after a year in the possession of the doubles winners (four-wall) of the New York A. C. is now at the Lake Shore A. C. by virtue of Joe Platak being the largest point scorer.