Roberts wins World Handball Championship

Priscilla Proctor, Coordinator of College and Public Relations reported to Historic City News that Dr. Allison Roberts, Flagler College assistant professor of economics, now holds the title of 2009 Waterford Crystal World Handball Champion.

Roberts is both the single and doubles champion in the senior women age division, 35 and over, which was held October 4th through October 11th in Portland, Oregon.

This is the second time that Roberts has held the World Handball Champion title. In 2000, she beat Lavonah Madden from Nova Scotia, Canada, to become the World Champion. Interestingly, she beat Madden a second time this year to acquire the title again.

Roberts trains four times a week. Because there aren’t any handball players locally, she drives to Port Orange and trains with a group of 20 male handball players to prepare for competitions.

Robert’s doubles partner, Lea Ann Martin, who also helped her obtain the World Championship title in the doubles category, is a professor at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash.

Roberts has been playing handball for most of her life. She has won 25 national championships since the age of 16. Roberts says handball is referred to as a lifetime sport. “Many people ask me if it is a painful sport,” she said. “I think handball players have a lot of respect for one another because you have to get past that painful place, to where it becomes a lot more fun.”

World Handball Championships are held every three years, and the next one will be in Ireland in 2012.