Sept. 28, 2010
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -
by Michelle Nolan, Sports Desk - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
Fourteen national handball titles and six world four-wall championships could not prevent LeaAnn Martin from feeling some unexpected butterflies.
But, like a quarterback whose pre-game nervousness vanishes with that first pass, her butterflies began to disappear with her first words during the Handball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
It was understandable that the humble handball player from Bellingham, one of the sport's most recognizable figures, would feel nervous before speaking. She normally would rather talk about the benefits of handball than about her own game.
Nearly three decades after she first held a handball at age 25 while studying for a doctorate at the University of Texas, Martin enjoyed a special synchronicity while being the second woman to enter the Handball Hall during the 60th national championships at Austin in June.
"I can't imagine what my life would have been like without handball," said Martin, who was a multi-sport athlete in her youth but had never even seen a handball until arriving in Texas. "Handball is mostly all about the people who play it. I will never forget the people."
Fittingly, she gained her 20th major championship at the nationals, winning the women's 50 singles title.
"There are very few times in 30 years in handball that I've felt pressure. I don't get butterflies before a match, but I did before I spoke," said Martin, who still gets tears thinking about the emotional impact of that night. "Then I realized what a special time it was, and the butterflies disappeared. It was wonderful to be back where it all started for me in handball.
"I actually could have been inducted a year earlier, but I deferred so it could be in Austin for the nationals. It was so great to have so many old friends and the man who taught me the game, Pete Tyson, able to share it with me," she said. "And the court on the UT campus in Austin is still considered the greatest handball court ever built, with three unique glass walls and 500 seats."
Martin is a professor of kinesiology in the physical education, health and recreation department at Western Washington University, where she is in her 20th year and is a former department chair. She has won several major honors as an educator, including a 2003 state award for excellence in teacher preparation. There's more.
"This school year I became a half-time professor and also half-time dean in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences," Martin said.
In Austin, Martin's husband, handball player Joel, other family members including daughter Jana, and their friends also had the chance to celebrate her most recent world titles. Last October in Portland, Ore., she claimed the 50 singles championship and the 40 doubles with longtime friend Allison Roberts of Florida.
"What was really neat about that was that Allison won the 40 singles and I won 50s, so we both went away with two world titles," said Martin, who was especially pleased that WWU handball club coach Ken Starcher of Bellingham could be there. "That whole week in Portland was just so much fun."
Martin, who has been vice president of the U.S. Handball Association since 2006, is far from being all handball, as much as she loves the sport.
She played volleyball at what is now Missouri State University in Springfield and she holds a black belt in goju ryu-style karate. She's also a marathon runner on occasion.
Martin spent most of her 19-minute Hall of Fame induction speech acknowledging and thanking a multitude of friends. She also found a way to express her pixy sense of humor when she talked of her sister, Linda, who was not an athlete in their youth.
"We were polar opposites growing up," Martin said. "I would go outside and play (sports) with the boys. She would stay inside and read Nancy Drew books. So just because we stayed away from each other, one of us was destined to become an athlete. Tonight, I'm really glad it was me because there is no Nancy Drew Book Reading Hall of Fame ..."
Martin also revealed one secret for success: "Early on, I adopted the handball philosophy of 'Learn from the Best, Learn from the Rest, and Have Fun Along the Way.'"
Near the end of her speech, Martin drew some laughs when she told the crowd, "I see people who are future Hall of Famers. I just am older, slower, fatter and a much worse player than you. You know, no one in the Hall of Fame is young, fast and strong, or at the peak of his or her game. Just look at us.
"But what I do know is that there are so many people out there who get it - who understand the commitment, the hard work, the dedication and the support that our sport, our life, requires ..."
Martin said she's sees a future with handball.
"I am optimistic," said Martin, who has long since been deeply involved in every area of teaching and promoting handball, including dozens of clinics. "Right now, there are more kids playing handball than at any time in the history of the sport, and there are more college (club) programs than ever."
