Even though it’s an Olympic sport, handball is not usually seen as your typical school sport.

Well, Ecole Secondaire Notre Dame High School in Red Deer is hoping to change that.

On Tuesday night, the Senior and Junior boys and girls teams faced off in a series of matches against Bentley, one of their few rival teams in the area.

Other teams in central Alberta include Wetaskiwin, and Penhold, which only has a boys’ team so far.

Two teams of seven players (six field players and one goalie) face off against one another in a sport that seems to combine soccer, lacrosse, and a bit of basketball, due to the rules about handling the ball.

Players follow the rule of three, meaning they are only allowed to carry the ball for three seconds, can only take three steps with the ball before they have to pass or shoot, and can generally go about three metres to complete these actions.

In order to score a goal, they must fire the ball past the goalie and into the net, which seems to be much easier for the shooter, and a lot more difficult for the goalie.

 

Teacher and coach of the Senior boys handball team Dale Henderson says even though the game is similar to a few sports, it combines skills not usually used at the same time in any other sport.

"It's a game that combines running, throwing, jumping and catching, all at the same time. Really different skills, and kids don't realize how hard it is to throw on the run. Totally different sport for a lot of kids, but in general the kids who have played have really, really enjoyed it, so we're pretty happy with the way it's worked out."

Henderson hopes with the formation of a formal league last year, the sport will only grow as more and more schools becomes interested.

However, Henderson explains that just because there is a lack of teams in central Alberta, that doesn’t mean the options are limited for kids wanting to play the sport at a higher level.

"There are opportunities outside of the school to play at the provincial level. We have kids on our team that are on the provincial junior team, we've got kids that have travelled to Germany and Iceland... I got to go to Germany last year as a volunteer coach. There’s lots of opportunity".

Here's a look at the Senior boys in action in this fast paced game.