July 2, 1998
Dear CISM Team Handball Player:
It's nearly time! Training camp begins in just a few weeks!
The 11th Annual Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) Games will be held in
Bucharest, Romania from July 31 - August 10, 1998. You are going to be part of the third ever
USA Team Handball delegation to this event. There will be 16 teams - 4 groups of four -
Our group includes Italy, Nigeria & Korea. Single round robin; followed by top two go up
& bottom two go down; then medals & placement. We will approach them all - one game at a time.
As of today, our roster includes the following 14 players:
Dave DeGraaf Matt Sabatino
Tim Dukeman Steve Smith
Reuben Felkey Mike Thornberry
John Hartley Matt Van Houten
Kevin Hutchison Thad Weist
Jeff Kunard John Zierdt
Phil Parker Mike Dellert
I remain optimistic that Jeff Gabel (USAR) will also be joining us.
The Master Plan (as of today):
19 Jul. Depart duty station
19 Jul. Meet in Wash Dulles (apparel pickup)
19 Jul. Depart Wash Dulles
20 Jul. Arrive Frankfurt
21-30 Jul. Training camp
31 Jul. Depart GE / Arrive Romania
1 Aug. Training
2-9 Aug. CISM Games
10 Aug. Depart Romania to Wash Dulles
10 Aug. Depart Wash Dulles to Duty Station (home)
NOTE: Game uniforms and sweats will be provided for you and you need to be prepared to receive
them at Wash-Dulles and take these items as a carry-on with you since your luggage may be
shipped all the way through.
There are several other things which you will need to bring:
* MUST: Class "A" Uniform with garrison cap (needed for Opening and Closing Ceremonies)
Double check this one - hard to get branch crests or US's in Romania. Maybe we can have
an "Inspection in Ranks" in Germany just to bring back the good ole days.... :-)
* MUST: Khaki Style Dress Slacks
* MUST: Passport - carry on person or in carry-on - (if you don't have one, let me
know right away)
* MUST: Military ID Card
* MUST: Practice gear (bring at least 2-3 sets of light (white/yellow) and
dark (black/red) colored shirts or a couple of reversibles)
* Toilet paper (may be needed for Romania - highly recommended)
* MUST: Court Shoes - buy them now & break them in - training camp & games is
a very bad time to start
* MUST: Spare set of contact lenses (if applicable)
* MUST: Positive attitude
* MUST: Goalies - bring your own game pants / cup
* MUST: Passport
* MUST: Water bottle (there may be no team water bottles)
* Spending money (highly recommended)
* MUST: Solid Work Ethic
* MUST: Passport
* MUST: Knee pads, hip pads, elbow pads, ankle braces, etc. - Everyone should
consider knee pads and elbow pads!
* MUST: Notebook and pen/pencil
* MUST: Your Flexibility
* Shower and game towels (highly recommended)
* Padlock (highly recommended)
* MUST: Passport (as you can see this is a critical item along with the Class "A" uniform
& Khaki Style Dress Slacks - problems call USAF or ARMY Sports Office IMMEDIATELY)
I look forward to seeing each of you shortly. Come prepared to work hard - working together
as a TEAM - I know we can make a positive impact. I hope we can pick up where we left off
in Atlanta during the process of winning the "GOLD" Medal at the '98 National Championships.
Sincerely,
Jim Thome
Head Coach
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