Bigger Things Are Yet To Come

12-17-2009

Karl Gladeck

As one of the founders of Visit NYC travel agency from Germany, and as the owner of the biggest Basketball Travel Homepage in Europe Karl Gladeck  is a person with tremendous amount of energy who loves handball and is committed to bringing some novelty in the US team handball. He is heavily involved with many of the top Bundesliga teams,  and is friends with some of the best handball players in the world. According to Karl, who is a frequent visitor of NYC, The Big Apple team handball tournament is just the beginning of bigger things to come next year, and his biggest wish is to organize a great handball event in Madison Square Garden.  Even though he’s been busy the last few weeks with the organization of The Big Apple tournament he found time to respond to a quick e-mail interview.

Can you tell us what's your experience in team handball? 
- Bad Player, Bad Supporter, but a good women’s coach…  :)

Your company Teamsport is an official travel agency for some of the best Bundesliga clubs.  How did you get into all this, and for how long have you been doing it? 
- I started in 2004 with Magdeburg club from Bundesliga (Premier League in Germany), and afterwards every year I have been able to take care of additional  clubs like Flensburg, Hamburg,  Grosswallstadt, Rhein Neckar Löwen, Wetzlar and we are still counting…

The idea of The Big Apple tournament in New York City started over a Starbucks coffee in 6th Avenue. Did you think at that point some of the best players in the world would book the ticket to play team handball in NYC? 
- Never, ever.  When Henning Fritz (German international player, European Champion in 2004 and World Champion in 2007, first goalkeeper to be named World Handballer in 2004) and Ljubomir Vranjes (Swedish international player, European Champion in 1998, 2000, 2002 and World Champion in 1999) called me I was starting to think about what may be organized.  Since then we have been able to reach to even more top players from Bundesliga, and many of them have accepted to participate to The Big Apple tournament.

Stefan Lovgren, Pascal Hens, Vranjes, Gentzel... These are the best of the best, and it's the first time since Atlanta 96' we have such a spectacular group of handball players together in US. Do you think this will become a tradition, and beside the handball experience it will become a way to build intercultural relationships between the two countries?  
- Of course this is the first edition, but I really hope that we will be able to plan such an event on a regular basis, such as it will become a tradition.  My dream is that via this type of event  this game becomes popular enough in the USA so that one day this tournament may take place in the Madison Square Garden.  For now  we expect to have a great first tournament in New York City and to do that again in the coming New Year Eves.

Two months ago you organized a trip for the Bundesliga coach Raul Gonzales to come to New York City, and give some insights to our club, and coach the West Point team. Is this a one time thing, or you plan to continue bringing more coaches to help other clubs around US?
- I love to have a good relationship with everyone.  So at the end I love to work with the clubs, but also with the federations.  When Mr. Dieter Esch, the president of USATH asked me to bring coaches like Raul who have experience in Bundesliga, it was the same as with the idea of The Big Apple tournament, in the first second I thought nobody will do that, but we finally have been able to make it happen.  For the moment  I am really focusing on West Point and New York City THC.  I hope to repeat this initiative in January, and then later in March/April again.

You are also collaborating with USATH in organizing Florida Youth Cup 2010.  This would be the first time an international youth team handball tournament of this kind organized in US, and it will certainly help popularize our sport. Can you tell us a little more about it, and do you know which teams are you going to bring? 
- I have just started working on this project a week ago, because we are very busy with the Tournament in New York.  I hope we get teams of all European countries to play there: Croatian, Polish, German and American, and of course people from all over the world.  Everything in this situation will help USA team handball to become more popular.  Also, the players are always excited to be able to play their sport in the USA.

In October you went to Chicago tournament and watched teams from Atlanta, NYAC, Army and Chicago compete against each other. What did you think about the quality of handball? Where do we stand?  
- From most of the teams I have been able to watch playing  I would say that the majority of the U.S. teams can be compared to teams playing in 5th League, based on European standards. The best teams such as NYCTHC would definitely have their place to play in 4th League. I even think that  on a good day  they can beat a 3rd League team.  That's my opinion.  Concerning women’s teams the level is closer to the European 6th League.  But that's the bottom. We will start now changing that and things should improve.  Dieter Esch is the person who can do that.  He is crazy about the sport, and he gives 100% in to his passion, and that's what team handball need.  I am crazy in sport also.

What else are you planning for next year? 
- For all the other events I am planning or helping to organize, I would have to write a book to list them all! We will definitely keep New York City updated.

You are a frequent visitor of NYC. What do you like the most about New York City?  
- The multi-culture, the melting pot you can find in this city is really unbelievable.  Taking the example of your club, you have people from all over the world and with very different jobs united behind the game of team handball.  I think it's the only city in the world you have such a mix of culture.   And of course this diversity is also reflected in the restaurants, because you have the most different (and delicious!) restaurants in the world.

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