A 27-year-old screenwriter named Rylee White discovered the high-energy sport of handball through an unexpected source: her roommate showed her a TikTok video advertising tryouts for the U.S. Olympic women’s team in Los Angeles, with no prior experience required.
White felt compelled to attend the tryouts, and she wasn’t alone. The viral social media post drew more than 150 women to the January event, representing a five-fold jump compared to typical attendance numbers.
Now, five months after those tryouts, White has joined a small group of women who relocated to Florida to participate in USA Handball’s national residency program. Their ultimate goal is earning selection to compete for the United States at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Since the U.S. will serve as the host country, it receives automatic qualification in every Olympic sport.
The United States hasn’t fielded a women’s handball team at the Olympic Games since 1996. Securing adequate funding and resources to create a competitive American squad remains an ongoing struggle. Team rosters typically include athletes with dual citizenship from European countries where they compete professionally.
Although handball receives little attention in America, the sport enjoys widespread popularity in Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, and various Balkan countries in southeastern Europe. These nations typically excel in Olympic competition.
Men’s handball made its Olympic debut in 1936, with women’s competition beginning at the 1976 Games. Unlike many Olympic athletes who begin training during childhood, American handball players frequently transition to the sport during adulthood.
The sport features two six-player teams using their hands to move a ball coated in sticky resin toward the opposing team’s goal, which a goalkeeper defends. The action is rapid, involves full contact, and attracts tens of thousands of spectators in other countries.
Female handball athletes often come from Division One college sports backgrounds or professional basketball careers. Most players range from their 20s to 30s, though some continue competing into their 40s.
White had aspired to compete collegiately in basketball and lacrosse, but injuries and multiple knee surgeries derailed those plans. Handball represented an opportunity to return to competitive athletics.
“I think a lot of people would describe me as the most competitive person they’d ever met,” White said. “I definitely was raised in a house where we had big, big dreams.”
Following the tryouts, she informed the coach: “I’m ready to go do this and I will work as hard as you want me to work.”
The residency program aims to develop players sufficiently to earn professional contracts overseas.
Many participants, including White, have left romantic partners behind to pursue this opportunity.
“I told him I’m going to take him to Europe with me,” she said.
The final Olympic team roster won’t be determined until several months before the LA Games. While dozens of women are participating in residency training, only approximately 14 to 18 athletes can represent the country in tournament play. The commitment involves considerable risk.
Sarah Gascon, a longtime member of the women’s national team, recently assumed the role of head coach. She’s working to reconstruct both the team and the broader program in the United States following years of deterioration.
“We’ve had great successes in my career and some really great moments but still didn’t get an opportunity to play in the Olympic Games because we just weren’t good enough,” Gascon said.
According to Gascon, the most effective players have competed in multiple sports. Basketball provides dribbling skills, volleyball teaches ball-blocking techniques when facing shots, and softball or rugby develops throwing abilities. Handball combines all these athletic elements.
“It’s really about their athleticism,” Gascon said. “Do they have a good foundation that we could build upon? And how are they able to adapt with learning something new at 22 or 23 years old?”
While Gascon has assembled motivated athletes in Florida, their primary obstacle involves limited resources.
USA Handball stands as the sole national governing body for an Olympic sport that receives no financial support from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, and the women’s team is the only squad that lacks any assistance, including access to elite athlete health insurance, according to Gascon. The committee did not respond to an Associated Press email seeking comment.
Gascon and her coaching staff work as volunteers, while athletes must maintain full-time employment alongside their training.
“Some of our best athletes haven’t been able to go to tournaments or go to events because they can’t afford it,” Gascon said.
Devyn Holbrook also had no knowledge of handball before attending the tryouts.
The 30-year-old, who calls herself the “queen of side quests,” participated in ballet, soccer, basketball, softball, and javelin during track and field while growing up. She developed an immediate passion for handball after just a few days of play.
“I just loved it and then I couldn’t stop watching videos online of past Olympic Games,” Holbrook said. “You don’t get a lot of chances to do like women’s team sports later in life.”
She decided the opportunity presented minimal downside risk.
“There will never be a chance again that I could go to the Olympics in this capacity,” Holbrook said. “So why not give it everything that I have? And if I don’t make it, then I don’t make it.”
