American Handball Associates
We consider ourselves players first,
promoters second.
Our love for playing the game ...
and introducing others to it
... is always what drives us.
AHA has not been created as an alternative to the current team handball national governing body, USATH, and has no designs on positioning itself as such. Over the years, we, as individuals, have worked with USATH and its predecessor, USTHF, and we have noted certain areas of development that never seem to get the attention and/or funding they deserve. Soon, it will be 10 years since the strategic 10-year plan was made public and very little has been accomplished in achieving its four main goals: a top 6 finish at the 2028 LA Games, financial self-sufficiency, weekly television appearances and a collegiate league. Although AHA fervently believes collegiate leagues and the other goals are important, as with almost any endeavor within the handball world, it is imperative that the American sporting public become aware of the game, its culture and the opportunities they present. Thusly, AHA has developed its Path to LA28 strategy for 2026 and beyond.
The AHA Team
The men and women of American Handball Associates have been hanging around courts, in America and around the world, for years. The core of its leadership and operational team is made up of two people, creative director, Mark Wright, and strategic planning director, JD Orr.
Mark Wright
Creative Director
Mark Wright’s fascination with team handball began the day he walked on to a court in the Women’s Gym at UCLA in January, 1977, when he played with the Bruin club team for the first time. By September of that year, the one-time Bruin football and basketball player was on the U.S. national team handball team, competing against Canada for the right to go the World Championships in 1978. He would be a member of the national team for the next quadrennial, eventually moving to the USOC in Colorado Springs with the rest of the men’s team in order to train to qualify for the Moscow Games in 1980, traveling the world and learning the game. Even though Moscow didn’t work out, his devotion to the development of the game took definite hold and he went on to become head of the PR committee for the USTH Federation as well as promoting the sport on his own, utilizing his professional skills as a writer and TV producer/director. In 2015, he produced four-camera live streaming coverage of the USTHA Open Championships for Men and Women from York, PA. Through it all, he has used traditional public relations methods, such as print and video press releases, phone calls and social media, to successfully plant team handball stories in local media.
JD Orr
Strategic Director
Synonymous with Midwestern team handball, JD Orr is the visionary behind The Ohio State program, one of the most successful collegiate programs in America. After founding the program in 2012, he has served as the team’s head coach and promoter ever since, serving in a variety of other handball-related positions as well. A goalie by player trade, JD competed with the U.S Junior National Team in 2013, then served as assistant coach for the junior team in 2017, followed by the senior team in 2018. In 2018, he was named USATH Volunteer Coach of the Year while being elected to the USATH Board of Directors as well. Professionally, JD works as a Validation Engineer for Hikma Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical manufacturer and packaging company, where his skills at managing teams and relationships have been duly noted with awards and advancements. His understanding of social media and its supporting digital tools, vehicles like podcasts, live streaming and online training, has allowed his passion to take flight and he looks forward to seeing the international sport of handball truly grow in America in the years leading up to LA 2028.
We have been helped over the years by an experienced, motivated group of senior advisors.
