AUGUST 19, 2024 – Beach handball is fast-moving and high-scoring sport, played on a sand court between two teams of four each. To an observer, it looks something like beach volleyball -crossed with rugby.
“Most people, when I tell them I play handball, they’ll say, ‘oh yeah, I played that’ and they’ll be thinking of that one-on-one handball that’s played against the wall – which is handball, but not the handball I play,” said U.S. Space Force Maj. Andrew Donlin, a United States Air Force Academy graduate who currently serves as a deputy program manager with Space Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force Base in southern California.
“The way I describe it usually is water polo on land, and kind of a mix of soccer, basketball, and lacrosse, all in one – it’s very physical; there’s a lot of contact,” Donlin said.
Donlin should know; he plays both indoor and beach handball at world class levels. He led the Men’s USA National Handball Team to two victories in the International Handball Federation Men’s World Championships, was named a Department of the Air Force athlete of the year in 2023, and is considered one of the best American-born players in the game.
“I’ve been really fortunate, the way it’s coincided with my Air Force and now Space Force career,” Donlin said. “To be able to play a high-level sport internationally, and to keep up with my career and work on cool projects and serve my country – it’s been this perfect meld of two things that I really enjoy.”
In July, he was one of only three Americans selected for a series of “All Star” demonstration games in Paris in a collaborative effort between the IHF, the Paris 2024 Olympic committee, the French Handball Federation, and the International Olympic Committee.
“In this tournament, I was playing with the guys that I’m usually competing against, so the dynamic was definitely different,” said Donlin, one of 64 players (32 men, 32 women) from 18 countries who played in Paris. “We all had the common goal of trying to make the sport attractive, and played at a high level … so overall, it was a really positive experience.”
Indoor team handball and beach handball are similar, although the indoor teams are larger (seven players, including the goalie) and the rules are slightly different. Donlin’s position in both is as his team’s ‘pivot,’ akin to the center in basketball, playing near the opponent’s goal and acting as the focus of the team’s offensive play.
“I’ve been fortunate to get to continue to play both,” Donlin said. “For me, it’s fun because I don’t really get burned out on one or the other.”
Sports have been part of Donlin’s life since high school; raised in Minneapolis, he played high school football, baseball, and basketball before entering the Air Force. Throughout his military career, his athletic pursuits have been supported by the Department of Defense and his commanders.
“It’s really because of my leadership (who) have seen the benefits of it,” the major said. “There are benefits to the service of me getting to compete, and representing the Air Force and Space Force, as well as Team USA.”
This has included support from the Air Force World Class Athlete Program, established in 1995 to continue the legacy of Airman Malvin G. Whitfield. Whitfield became the first active-duty American serviceman to win Olympic gold in 1952 in Helsinki; previously, he’d won two golds and a bronze in track during the 1948 Olympics in London.
In announcing the establishment of WCAP, then Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman wrote, “This new program is not only good for a small number of Airmen-athletes, it’s also good for the Air Force,” citing strong recruiting and retention benefits.
The USAF program is mirrored by the other services; Army Capt. Samantha Sullivan was part of the U.S. women’s rugby team that won a 14-12 upset victory over Australia in Paris, bringing home a bronze medal, while Army Sgt. Sagen Maddalena won a 2024 silver medal in the women’s 50-meter rifle competition.
If the IOC recognizes beach handball as an Olympic sport, it might make it to the 2032 Brisbane games; Donlin, for his part, is looking forward to the 2028 Los Angeles Games, where the U.S. indoor team is expected to qualify.
“We went through all the qualifications for Paris; we didn’t quite make it, but we’re looking ahead to ‘28,” said Donlin, whose wife Julia – a two-time beach volleyball national champion and first alternate for the 2024 Olympics who is also likely to compete in Los Angeles – cheered him on in Paris. “That’s kind of the clear goal right now – for both of us.”
By Brad Smith
Space Systems Command Public Affairs