August 27, 2023 • 36 mins
In this latest episode, we share the inspiring journey of Bevan Calvert, who started his handball career in Australia and eventually made his way to the international stage. From Australia to Denmark and then onto Germany, Bevan's story will captivate you and show that limitations are merely perceived barriers that can be overcome.
Throughout the episode, we explore the passion and intensity of handball games, comparing it to the electric atmosphere of rugby games in Australia. We delve into the unique culture surrounding handball, where opposing teams can display camaraderie and the fans play an integral role in creating an unforgettable experience. You won't want to miss this fascinating discussion!
The episode also emphasizes the importance of preparation and training, even without direct access to handball facilities. Our guest shares their valuable insights on improving strength, conditioning, and technique, as well as seeking guidance from local handball experts to enhance performance.Furthermore, we touch upon the pathways to a career in handball, highlighting the speaker's personal journey of falling in love with the sport, seeking advanced training opportunities, and ultimately making the leap to Europe. Hear firsthand about the challenges they faced, the support they received, and their incredible experiences playing at an international level.
So, whether you're a die-hard handball fan or new to the sport, this episode promises to leave you feeling inspired and ready to overcome any obstacles in your own journey. Tune in to Season 01 Episode 07 of Breakthrough: The Handball Podcast now available on your favorite podcast platforms.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:10):
Alright. And welcome to the Handball Podcast. I'm
your host, Steve Plummer, and it's great to be with you once
again. it's it's been a while between sessions, but it's
look, life gets in the way. We all get a bit busy. with me in
I'm gonna call the studio today. I've got Chris. Sure. It's great. How are
you? Good to meet you, mate. How are you? It's good to be back finally
(00:31):
in our let's say living room or studio with a good coffee. I'll live
missing that before. Yeah. It's good. That's right. And we're in the same room again
because we've been, Yeah. We've we've done this remote a few times,
and, now we've had our tour of duty in Canberra, and we're back in
Sydney. And, yeah, it's good to be back. And
today, we've got Bevan Calvert all the way from Germany, and it's just
(00:52):
ticked over midnight for you over there for Bev. Bev, how are you,
mate? Yeah. Good evening. Thanks, for
having me on the on the show. And it's, yeah, it's great,
to be hearing a bit of a Australian, hello
from from Germany. It's, it's great stuff, guys.
Yeah, fairness. Thank you. So, look, I'll give a, I'll give a brief introduction
(01:16):
to Bevan. And as as we sort of move through the show, I think
you THW one fold, but,
you know, Bevan started off his, you know, plain days here in
in Sydney, and in in THW
2004, and then moved over, started playing in Denmark,
for, for two clubs there. I'm gonna I always pronounce these wrong. So
(01:40):
we got rebaged K and Tm Tonda.
you enjoy when I go through these. and and then made his
way, to to Germany, where he plays for a
few clubs, Alton Holt's Oh, Naomi and ah, Mickle Bogastier.
And, really, I think Cohen had the the peak there
(02:01):
was a TFR Kiel. we we played there and
won the Triple Crown and, you know, playing the 1st
division there. a brief, a brief transferred
to the Sydney University Handbook Club of the Super Globe, and then, and then back
to some, back to some back to some German
clubs. that better. Yeah. Look,
(02:23):
I think we're talking offline beforehand. Yeah. This handles a game that really
can take you could take you everywhere, around the
world. Yeah. Definitely.
you know, I had the the luck that, I made the
straight jump over to Europe.
but, there can be a lot of stops along the way. That has
(02:45):
been previous, players, banking
debuts and, various locations in,
East Asia or in the Middle East,
So it's definitely a sport, that can take
you, wherever you want to. There's some previous
space players from Sydney also in the US now, I think,
(03:07):
as well. So that's picking up there. It's also good to
hear that, that the US are getting into it. as
well now. So, hopefully, they can,
spur another another go over
over there and, encourage other
western, countries to to to have
(03:30):
a dig. Yeah. Awesome. So so, I mean, look, let's
wind up what right back at the beginning, how did you start with
Hamill? Where did you find it? I had,
the absolute luck, back in high school that,
my school was offering at as a a
school sport. and I first got
(03:53):
involved, through a knockout tournament which was
being organized by the, New South Wales
federation, which they have yearly.
And, kinda got the scouted
there, from,
legend, Alex, Garvillage, and,
(04:17):
the the Chung brothers. And,
yeah, they just said, look, you've got some some great
Kiel, How do you would you feel about,
playing for, the the the youth,
New South Wales squad? And How to
just, took off from there. Started playing at, the high
(04:40):
school, regularly.
then, found myself, a club where I could,
play it outside of, of high school in, in
Sydney. Started off at, at
the hills, Hamburg Club.
And transfer at, Harborside,
(05:04):
Hamburg Club in Sydney, that we wanted to
develop the junior team. Pretty much
as a as a individual team in the
in that Sydney based,
competition. And then, yeah,
once they're bought, the other went from the the THW, New
(05:26):
South Wales squad into the senior
New South Wales squad got my first taste
of, the, the national,
training squad and, got the forest foot
into the national squad going,
THW into my first, world champs in,
(05:49):
Tunisia. And then had the
luck that we got in, overseas based,
coach, Norwegian,
who was then based in Denmark and got me and
a couple of the other boys, over to Denmark,
(06:11):
yeah, And, I got started on my
European tour. Amazing. So
what sort of, yeah, so you got, I mean, very safe, very fortunate to identify
it at a, a a young agent, and and
not to talk too much about yourself, even though I know it's one of your
favorite topics. what
(06:34):
what what what skills did did they see, or what what, you know, what sort
of skills to, you know, scouts look for at a handball player?
Ugh. Yeah. It's just a a
high THW, agility, good
ball Kiel. THW, my
THW. I was pretty much doing every sport underneath the
(06:57):
sun. So now I was playing a lot of,
football or or soccer, from a young age, just
started from the under sixes and and played that through to the
under teens. I was playing a lot
of, basketball, at a
young age as well. I think I started basketball at
(07:19):
in primary school. And, I think with
basketball there, you've got a lot of skills that you can transfer
over. to handball.
a lot of people come first with the,
Yeah. Then, dribbling is not a problem, even though dribbling is pretty much a
(07:40):
lost resort in Campbell. But,
I thought just, just this, knowledge of,
of using the ball, handling the ball,
passing, you know, but,
that's mostly skills that, that every
sport needs. or at least both sports.
(08:03):
but, every team sport, you just need to do this
general knowledge of how to move in the in a field
of play. And, I think that's why a lot of
people have,
The problem of of, acknowledging is like, okay.
Why isn't this taking you off in Australia? Because, we're such a
(08:25):
a sporting country that the, it seems as low as nowhere a
perfect fit for it. Hey, I say it's it's it's all those ball
sports. I think mean, ham will benefits them and
vice versa. yeah, basketball, you know, it's it's the sort of
logical one because it's a ball moving on a court, but
it it's it yeah. You you're you're stuckers in your footballs. And, I
(08:48):
mean, I say any team sports, long as it's you're moving a ball, you move,
you know, agility speed, or all these THW, Exactly.
And and I think one of the things we've been sort of going through is
it's not, you know, it's a it's a sport for all you
know, shapes and sizes. It's not just the the big, it's like basketball. I
think a good big guy always beats a good little guy, but but
(09:09):
Hamble's got that that diversity of of size
for each position. Yeah. And even
in the in the new age Campbell, they're also breaking
those Kiel of, stereotypes as well.
No. There's, coming out of the Netherlands,
(09:30):
smith, or here
in Swedish of Rania's,
Senator. Yeah. Not they're not your
typical, back players, but, they can
show with the right amount of,
individual play style in bringing something different to the court.
(09:53):
it's something that shouldn't be disregarded that,
you're not big enough So, if
there's a wheel, there's a way. So, just give it a try
and, You may even surprise yourself as
as a small player. Like, I'm also not the biggest player, but,
I still found my way. And, yeah, Bevan
(10:16):
a crack. Yeah. Totally. That's what, you know, yeah, we talk
about Hamill, you know, you pick up someone on the street, Tory, but, yeah, the
school pickup line, you talk about, you know, you know, handball and what sort of
sport it is. And they go, well, well, who plays this sport? Yeah. I said,
look, it's it it's not Look at me because I'm I'm I'm
fairly broad. And they said, well, yeah, they all shaped like you. I said, no.
(10:36):
Yeah. There's one percentage which is where it's kind of useful to be that size,
but other positions, no, so look, you got backs can
be tall skinny guys. They can be short guys. You got wings who are just
just speeds and agility and, you know, cunning. And they go, ah,
so it's, yeah, and then then they start thinking about their
kids and where they may fit into another sport and,
(10:59):
that's something which we're having fun. I mean, Chris is having fun identifying town with
with some of the the Sydney THW players. and they're gonna, you know, begin
conversely there. Yeah. Yeah.
so yeah, we're talking about the skills and we're talking about
sort of the pathway you went on. I mean, at what point did you go,
okay, this is some I wanna make a, I guess, a career of this or
(11:20):
a life out of this.
yes. Oh, yeah. It's pretty funny to say, but I
just pretty much fell in love with the sport as soon as
I started playing it back in in high school. Like,
even remembering back to my first, knock
(11:40):
on a tournament. It was just I had so much fun
with this game and,
It was just something also totally,
totally different, and, it just help write
for me. And, that's why it was just
(12:01):
quite easy for me to to discover the next step or to go with the
flow. you know, go find a
a a club where you can play regularly or or train
regularly or if someone's offering, a
kind of, advanced training where anyone,
from the region wants to join in and just, not pitch in 5 bucks, and
(12:23):
you can come as I was always looking for
for the next, the next step,
for for the game. So it was
just, yeah, pretty much, with the first touch with
the first experience. It was something that I wanted to,
to get involved with. I
(12:47):
kind of wanted to take in
to the Eva and a late Bevan, is when I
started really, getting into the performance levels of of
humble and just thinking, okay.
If I want to Get better,
then I need to be in a better place that I can, raise my
(13:10):
level. Then, of for us, as we say in Australia or not,
it's a European hand ball. Well, I need to go to Europe.
Yeah. And as I said, we had that luck that,
the the Danish based, coach set of pay I want you
to Denmark. I'm like, yeah. You can have me.
(13:33):
That's great. That's great, Bevan. Yeah. You just mentioned
Denmark. on THW, you started the big journey going
overseas, playing European hamples.
Tell us a little bit about it. How how were the first steps in Europe,
how to play hamper? What what's the difference is? So just give a little bit
insight. Yeah. Yeah.
(13:56):
well, it was just, a big
wake up Kiel. just from
from skill Bevan. and and
this, knowledge of Campbell
without thinking about it. they they know how the ball
is moving. They know how their their teammates are moving.
(14:20):
especially in in Denmark, I I find Danish Hamble a
very, beautiful,
kind of playing style. now there are
always a a a very, tempo,
Hi, Denver country, which to the rest of the the the
(14:40):
countries have picked up and, hamble in general is very fast
now. but, especially the skin
in Scandinavia, I find the that they're that the that the
plays are are more of a a main factor in their
in their tactics. and,
of course, you've got your your individuals there, but it's more about the the
(15:03):
team play, having to focus on that.
but, getting integrated, over there on
a I had the advantage that I had, 2 Australian
mates also that came over. so
that factor of of being alone and,
maybe having that worry, okay, if I if
(15:26):
I don't find someone or if if the team kinda
doesn't accept me then that could be
that, get home sick or something like that. But, with
those 2, us
together also in the in the same apartment, you know, we we all
wanted to to to strive for something better and we pushed each
(15:47):
other. outside of of
the team, to to get to the level
that was required, to, to be
there. but, yeah, the Danes being
the Danes, they just welcomed us.
That wasn't, really a factor after 1 week we were
(16:09):
pretty much a big family and we're,
now we we met before training. We did, we would did the
gym together before training, after training,
it wasn't about, yeah, just leaving. we took our
time on the quad maybe doing here in Bevan meter competitions
with each other or, just talking, generally,
(16:34):
more even staying after training, looking at the
at the the women's team, training a bit,
yeah, Danish ladies and and such.
also very beautiful. It's more to look at.
but, yeah, that
(16:55):
quite a lead to to even being more motivated,
to get, to get a foothold,
in in the team, to say, okay. I wanna be
one of the starting, players in that team
and which, was Kiel of successful
(17:16):
in my in my first season there. Great. It's from here. Yep.
You just mentioned, like, the family THW. And Steve and I, we always say,
Hample is like a big family all over the world. So It means not on
the court. So also off the court, you say you've been watching the women's team
and you did something together with the gym. I think you can agree. It's like
it's anywhere in the world. Yeah.
(17:38):
that's pretty much, anywhere where you can
get can handle, and the team is pretty much a a
second family. and when you're getting
what I find in with a with Australian Campbell is that
That that is a big humble family.
(17:59):
And I've fond memories of, No. When you
when you're involved in Campbell, then you just kinda know everyone
there. And, It's really,
like, a familiar setting. even if you
go to the Australian nationals, then you're meeting people from
Queensland, Victoria, again and again and again. And it's just
(18:21):
it's just great, atmosphere to be involved
in. And we can only
highly recommend others to experience it. Right.
Yeah. So with the other the obvious question. So you said the Danes
were very welcoming. How were the Germans when you got there?
(18:43):
could help myself.
yeah, they do have a reputation, but,
I I have absolutely no problems at
all. they are a bit stricter. There were
rules Need to be on
(19:04):
time. Don't you dare be Kiel.
but Again, they were just
they were just family for for me. They they they took care of
me. I had no German
knowledge, and they said, okay. No. We speak
(19:25):
English. We understand you. But after 3 months, you
gotta start talking German. Like, oh, shit. I'm like,
yeah, shit. Good. Then I have to get myself THW in that
aspect. but of course, after THW months,
you're not gonna be fluent in anything. And, but
they just appreciated that I was trying,
(19:48):
like, I would say my sentences. If I didn't know THW in
German, I would throw out the English word, or if a the sentence
was totally wrong, they would say, hey. Yeah. That was okay, but this is
how you say it properly.
So that was also very encouraging,
for my development personally,
(20:10):
just getting settled there. was that was
really flat. Maybe the, first experience where I was
Kiel of by myself and needed to do it, by myself.
But, the support that are saved
from the team and also from the,
support and officials from the club.
(20:33):
yeah, it's like they just want you to be, to be
happy. And, And
they know if if, if the player is happy, then that's when they'll,
deliver, the best handle that they can. Yeah.
Perfect. do you have a a favorite,
career moment?
(20:58):
Yeah. that's a tough one. I mean, you
can mention a few if you if you're a company. I I can
mention a few because, I'd I don't wanna have,
just one pinnacle where I just say,
yeah, that's it. my
first major memory was
(21:21):
getting my first, world championships,
cap in in Tunisia. It's, it's
THW I'll I'll never forget putting the the the green and gold on.
and, and hearing the THW and then, getting involved
in such an an honored,
(21:42):
opportunity to represent the country at the the
highest level.
unfortunately, of course, we didn't, you know, the the win that we were looking
for, but, being there also
took my handle to another level realizing, okay, so this is
the world I need to need to get myself to.
(22:06):
And,
Not to mention, you know, TIAVI Kiel,
one of the best clubs, in the world, if not the
best in in the world. just
being being able to train with that with that
(22:26):
team is, a dream come true and then,
being involved with the with the
with the daily business, playing, the
first mundas League, game,
scoring THW goals in the in the THW, Derby against,
Fensburg. being a
(22:49):
German, champions,
it was such a a wonderful
and crazy season, also hit with Corona
and and everything else, but, Yeah. You just
gotta be a little bit lucky sometimes and
Bevan the right time and take the right opportunity.
(23:12):
And, Of course, together with chili,
you know, another world stage, Super Cup,
that, we were able to pull off such,
come back from minus 10,
to So drawing, such
(23:35):
such a tight game. And, of course, when you're minus 10,
it does feel like a win. And,
that was just a a testament that we had such a team that
did not have any kind of experience together. And what we what
you guys put together in in such a short time frame was
just, yeah, impressive.
(23:58):
And, it was great to be involved in such
a such a cool experience. So, yeah,
it's Yeah. Many many,
great, memories. Yeah. Awesome. I didn't say
the, I would so that I know the bundes League is, it's it's
got underway this week. and look, there's actually
(24:20):
some streaming out here. There's a few online things which we've been we've been posting,
but Well, what's it like going to a bundes League a game or being, I
mean, look, you've been, you know, from a fan's perspective, but also being in the
middle of that field, what's it what's it like and, you know, say the THW
It's, it's it's intense.
Like, it's not intense, from from being afraid
(24:41):
or something. It's just They're so passionate.
So you maybe you can compare it to, not going to a rugby
game back in Australia. just that the fans
are, they're living this moment, living this
this team, giving that full support behind this
team. It's and something really, really special.
(25:03):
So, if you are joining in
Europe, I want to recommend, going to earth
handball game. If you're in East Europe,
definitely go to a handball game. I was there
crazy.
maybe you would probably classify it as,
(25:26):
that the entire fan base is ultra there But,
it's all in good fun and in good
spirit. I don't think I've ever been
afraid or intimidated of of fans at a
humble game, very passionate but,
(25:47):
it's not at the level where you think Culligan's at the at a football
game. Of course, maybe you have maybe one,
kind of, outlet there, but, that's
what I find special with Hamble in general. It's just that, it's
very, I'm Monica, also
from from the fan side of things that that,
(26:10):
for example, in one of the opening games in the
bundes League, Hamburg, against Lansburg
that, Hamburg got a red card. And even the the
friends, my friends were just like, what? Why?
There was THW. Let him play. And it
(26:30):
says cool things like that. this,
this culture that, that a
revolves around the the handle here. It's, it's
quite special. It says, so what's
So you're playing, TIV Kiel. Yeah. It was a division 2 this year. What are
your what are your hopes? What are your aspirations for the season ahead?
(26:54):
Yeah. That's the the Bevan team, of of tier v Kiel.
And, we're playing in the,
In the 4th leagues, we're playing, Ashlene
Street in Hamburg League.
And we want to we
(27:14):
haven't set our goals yet. We still need to have our team meeting about that.
We're we are still in the in our pre season.
But, with the team that we've put together, I'm
hoping that we'll be We'll
be above, above average in the in the
in the in the in the table. So while Not
(27:37):
exactly going for promotion to the 3rd
leak. we want to be
pretty, aggressive, going up the table. So that means
you're playing or just coaching?
No. I'm actually, not coaching. So I'm, I'm a
full player at the moment. perhaps,
(28:00):
just but personally, passing our knowledge to
to players, in in situational,
moments. that's kind of why I'm there with a couple of
older players in the team, just to
give the younger players a bit of, a
solid, base,
(28:23):
to to build around,
because, Kiel of,
I felt that through pre season and a couple of the, the training
games that I'm no longer a 60 minute player.
Yep. I think you also realize that at, at super
(28:46):
the superglobe. while I'm not a 16 minute player. If the coach
wants me on the field, then I'll I'll die on the
field. Yeah. I remember
that in my own, yeah, category.
It's At the moment, the coaching is,
(29:07):
coaching role is on on hold. still looking into
the licenses, but, this season, I'll be a a player
again. Okay. Great. Great. yes.
Also really interesting for our young guys, especially also for our
young talents in Australia, Bevan, what what is your advice
or what can you recommend young players to be like a
(29:30):
good tempo player and be like, is it chest talent,
or what would you re recommend like, young kids or especially young,
young plays here in Australia to do this, one
day into Europe, maybe. Just,
just get involved and, and ask for help.
(29:53):
because that's that's what's really gonna get you through.
there's enough experience
In Australia, actually, to give you
a solid base, to get
you set up for the higher levels So just ask the
experience, in your
(30:16):
local area, what you need to be working on, how you
can work on it, there's I'm sure they've
got a knowledge of exercises that they can
be easily done with or without a handle
now that's one thing in Australia. Now we have pretty
(30:37):
bad access to to handle facilities or
hamble friendly facilities.
so there's many other
options out there to to train for a handle
without a handle, and that's what I did.
when I was young, I was out and about to getting
(30:59):
my fitness up to up to a elite Bevan.
play a metric training, getting my jumping game as best as I
could. getting my,
getting my forearms up to game.
just, just getting all these, these
(31:22):
humble nuance,
muscle memory, and,
and techniques, in your head.
so that when the time comes to make the jump
overseas is that then you're ready or that
(31:42):
the country that you're heading to can see that potential and see that
talent on what you've been, building on.
Amazing, I've got, I've got one last question, and, then we'll probably
Calvert, call it night studio. I think it's ticked out at 1 AM for you
there and you can
(32:02):
probably guess who's asked this question to come through me is, do you think you'll
wear the green and gold again?
tape. I love you, mate. I love you,
mate. I'm
not gonna rule out a comeback.
(32:26):
but there are many
conditions that need to be fulfilled in order
for me to put on the greening gold again.
it's just, you know, unfortunately, our national
program is still, amateur oath
Bevan. and that just puts
(32:50):
a lot of pressure on the players. I know how it was So when I
was in my youth, I had a luck that,
my mom and dad, could always
stand up behind me and say, hey, do it. Don't worry about it.
But, yep, now
with the a house and, 2 kids
(33:13):
and a dog.
And with the bills to pay and inflation being a
bitch, there are certain things that
need to be calculated and
factored in before I'm able to make that commitment
again. Totally. Thanks. Thanks for being such a great sport with
(33:36):
that one, but, yeah, and I think, yeah, we're seeing a lot of change in
the country right now. you know, people are talking about Hamill again in
Australia I think with Brisbane and this being that shot in the arm
that a lot of the, the old guard who were in
Sydney and and and there's a around the time you're playing it back
as well. So, look, we we we do hope to see in the
(33:57):
green and goldie in one day, and I think, you know, it's a good reason
for us to all work towards something like that. So, mate, thank
you so much for your time. It's been absolute pleasure. And, maybe we
should check-in later in that season to see how the body's holding up.
Yeah. Another, yeah, THW for for the invite and having me on the on
(34:17):
the on the podcast. And, yeah, if you guys
are interested, then, I wouldn't say no to making
another appearance. It's been a lot of fun. Thanks. Awesome. Thanks, bit. Have a
good night. Thanks, Bevan. See you soon. See
you. See you. Alright.
So there we have it. We still had, a Bevan Calvert, walk through
(34:40):
his story. oh, or his
journey from from Australia THW Denmark into
Germany, and onto the world stage.
I really do hope you all enjoyed that. you
some great points there for for those who are getting started,
don't be constrained by, you know, what you think might be limitations
(35:03):
you can do a lot of strength and conditioning, you know, a
lot of hand ball without doing hand ball, I think. Yeah. And you
do need a little willpower. And then, yeah, at one day,
you can an upset, like, Bevan. So just believe in yourself, and then, yeah, you
can do it. He's he's taken a big leaf, and it's been a
great journey for him. So we're we're gonna Calvert there today, and
(35:25):
thank you very much for joining us. next time.
we're we're looking to have, a first lady on the podcast,
Sally Potaki, looking for it. Yeah. She had a very similar
journey to Bevan made her way from Australia to Germany,
and also leading gold score at at the World Cup,
a few years back now. So Yeah. It it's gonna be great to get
(35:48):
some more perspective from her, and we look
forward to speaking to you all again next week. Alright. Alright. Thank you
all. See you guys.
Alright. And welcome to the Handball Podcast. I'm
your host, Steve Plummer, and it's great to be with you once
again. it's it's been a while between sessions, but it's
look, life gets in the way. We all get a bit busy. with me in
I'm gonna call the studio today. I've got Chris. Sure. It's great. How are
you? Good to meet you, mate. How are you? It's good to be back finally
(00:31):
in our let's say living room or studio with a good coffee. I'll live
missing that before. Yeah. It's good. That's right. And we're in the same room again
because we've been, Yeah. We've we've done this remote a few times,
and, now we've had our tour of duty in Canberra, and we're back in
Sydney. And, yeah, it's good to be back. And
today, we've got Bevan Calvert all the way from Germany, and it's just
(00:52):
ticked over midnight for you over there for Bev. Bev, how are you,
mate? Yeah. Good evening. Thanks, for
having me on the on the show. And it's, yeah, it's great,
to be hearing a bit of a Australian, hello
from from Germany. It's, it's great stuff, guys.
Yeah, fairness. Thank you. So, look, I'll give a, I'll give a brief introduction
(01:16):
to Bevan. And as as we sort of move through the show, I think
you THW one fold, but,
you know, Bevan started off his, you know, plain days here in
in Sydney, and in in THW
2004, and then moved over, started playing in Denmark,
for, for two clubs there. I'm gonna I always pronounce these wrong. So
(01:40):
we got rebaged K and Tm Tonda.
you enjoy when I go through these. and and then made his
way, to to Germany, where he plays for a
few clubs, Alton Holt's Oh, Naomi and ah, Mickle Bogastier.
And, really, I think Cohen had the the peak there
(02:01):
was a TFR Kiel. we we played there and
won the Triple Crown and, you know, playing the 1st
division there. a brief, a brief transferred
to the Sydney University Handbook Club of the Super Globe, and then, and then back
to some, back to some back to some German
clubs. that better. Yeah. Look,
(02:23):
I think we're talking offline beforehand. Yeah. This handles a game that really
can take you could take you everywhere, around the
world. Yeah. Definitely.
you know, I had the the luck that, I made the
straight jump over to Europe.
but, there can be a lot of stops along the way. That has
(02:45):
been previous, players, banking
debuts and, various locations in,
East Asia or in the Middle East,
So it's definitely a sport, that can take
you, wherever you want to. There's some previous
space players from Sydney also in the US now, I think,
(03:07):
as well. So that's picking up there. It's also good to
hear that, that the US are getting into it. as
well now. So, hopefully, they can,
spur another another go over
over there and, encourage other
western, countries to to to have
(03:30):
a dig. Yeah. Awesome. So so, I mean, look, let's
wind up what right back at the beginning, how did you start with
Hamill? Where did you find it? I had,
the absolute luck, back in high school that,
my school was offering at as a a
school sport. and I first got
(03:53):
involved, through a knockout tournament which was
being organized by the, New South Wales
federation, which they have yearly.
And, kinda got the scouted
there, from,
legend, Alex, Garvillage, and,
(04:17):
the the Chung brothers. And,
yeah, they just said, look, you've got some some great
Kiel, How do you would you feel about,
playing for, the the the youth,
New South Wales squad? And How to
just, took off from there. Started playing at, the high
(04:40):
school, regularly.
then, found myself, a club where I could,
play it outside of, of high school in, in
Sydney. Started off at, at
the hills, Hamburg Club.
And transfer at, Harborside,
(05:04):
Hamburg Club in Sydney, that we wanted to
develop the junior team. Pretty much
as a as a individual team in the
in that Sydney based,
competition. And then, yeah,
once they're bought, the other went from the the THW, New
(05:26):
South Wales squad into the senior
New South Wales squad got my first taste
of, the, the national,
training squad and, got the forest foot
into the national squad going,
THW into my first, world champs in,
(05:49):
Tunisia. And then had the
luck that we got in, overseas based,
coach, Norwegian,
who was then based in Denmark and got me and
a couple of the other boys, over to Denmark,
(06:11):
yeah, And, I got started on my
European tour. Amazing. So
what sort of, yeah, so you got, I mean, very safe, very fortunate to identify
it at a, a a young agent, and and
not to talk too much about yourself, even though I know it's one of your
favorite topics. what
(06:34):
what what what skills did did they see, or what what, you know, what sort
of skills to, you know, scouts look for at a handball player?
Ugh. Yeah. It's just a a
high THW, agility, good
ball Kiel. THW, my
THW. I was pretty much doing every sport underneath the
(06:57):
sun. So now I was playing a lot of,
football or or soccer, from a young age, just
started from the under sixes and and played that through to the
under teens. I was playing a lot
of, basketball, at a
young age as well. I think I started basketball at
(07:19):
in primary school. And, I think with
basketball there, you've got a lot of skills that you can transfer
over. to handball.
a lot of people come first with the,
Yeah. Then, dribbling is not a problem, even though dribbling is pretty much a
(07:40):
lost resort in Campbell. But,
I thought just, just this, knowledge of,
of using the ball, handling the ball,
passing, you know, but,
that's mostly skills that, that every
sport needs. or at least both sports.
(08:03):
but, every team sport, you just need to do this
general knowledge of how to move in the in a field
of play. And, I think that's why a lot of
people have,
The problem of of, acknowledging is like, okay.
Why isn't this taking you off in Australia? Because, we're such a
(08:25):
a sporting country that the, it seems as low as nowhere a
perfect fit for it. Hey, I say it's it's it's all those ball
sports. I think mean, ham will benefits them and
vice versa. yeah, basketball, you know, it's it's the sort of
logical one because it's a ball moving on a court, but
it it's it yeah. You you're you're stuckers in your footballs. And, I
(08:48):
mean, I say any team sports, long as it's you're moving a ball, you move,
you know, agility speed, or all these THW, Exactly.
And and I think one of the things we've been sort of going through is
it's not, you know, it's a it's a sport for all you
know, shapes and sizes. It's not just the the big, it's like basketball. I
think a good big guy always beats a good little guy, but but
(09:09):
Hamble's got that that diversity of of size
for each position. Yeah. And even
in the in the new age Campbell, they're also breaking
those Kiel of, stereotypes as well.
No. There's, coming out of the Netherlands,
(09:30):
smith, or here
in Swedish of Rania's,
Senator. Yeah. Not they're not your
typical, back players, but, they can
show with the right amount of,
individual play style in bringing something different to the court.
(09:53):
it's something that shouldn't be disregarded that,
you're not big enough So, if
there's a wheel, there's a way. So, just give it a try
and, You may even surprise yourself as
as a small player. Like, I'm also not the biggest player, but,
I still found my way. And, yeah, Bevan
(10:16):
a crack. Yeah. Totally. That's what, you know, yeah, we talk
about Hamill, you know, you pick up someone on the street, Tory, but, yeah, the
school pickup line, you talk about, you know, you know, handball and what sort of
sport it is. And they go, well, well, who plays this sport? Yeah. I said,
look, it's it it's not Look at me because I'm I'm I'm
fairly broad. And they said, well, yeah, they all shaped like you. I said, no.
(10:36):
Yeah. There's one percentage which is where it's kind of useful to be that size,
but other positions, no, so look, you got backs can
be tall skinny guys. They can be short guys. You got wings who are just
just speeds and agility and, you know, cunning. And they go, ah,
so it's, yeah, and then then they start thinking about their
kids and where they may fit into another sport and,
(10:59):
that's something which we're having fun. I mean, Chris is having fun identifying town with
with some of the the Sydney THW players. and they're gonna, you know, begin
conversely there. Yeah. Yeah.
so yeah, we're talking about the skills and we're talking about
sort of the pathway you went on. I mean, at what point did you go,
okay, this is some I wanna make a, I guess, a career of this or
(11:20):
a life out of this.
yes. Oh, yeah. It's pretty funny to say, but I
just pretty much fell in love with the sport as soon as
I started playing it back in in high school. Like,
even remembering back to my first, knock
(11:40):
on a tournament. It was just I had so much fun
with this game and,
It was just something also totally,
totally different, and, it just help write
for me. And, that's why it was just
(12:01):
quite easy for me to to discover the next step or to go with the
flow. you know, go find a
a a club where you can play regularly or or train
regularly or if someone's offering, a
kind of, advanced training where anyone,
from the region wants to join in and just, not pitch in 5 bucks, and
(12:23):
you can come as I was always looking for
for the next, the next step,
for for the game. So it was
just, yeah, pretty much, with the first touch with
the first experience. It was something that I wanted to,
to get involved with. I
(12:47):
kind of wanted to take in
to the Eva and a late Bevan, is when I
started really, getting into the performance levels of of
humble and just thinking, okay.
If I want to Get better,
then I need to be in a better place that I can, raise my
(13:10):
level. Then, of for us, as we say in Australia or not,
it's a European hand ball. Well, I need to go to Europe.
Yeah. And as I said, we had that luck that,
the the Danish based, coach set of pay I want you
to Denmark. I'm like, yeah. You can have me.
(13:33):
That's great. That's great, Bevan. Yeah. You just mentioned
Denmark. on THW, you started the big journey going
overseas, playing European hamples.
Tell us a little bit about it. How how were the first steps in Europe,
how to play hamper? What what's the difference is? So just give a little bit
insight. Yeah. Yeah.
(13:56):
well, it was just, a big
wake up Kiel. just from
from skill Bevan. and and
this, knowledge of Campbell
without thinking about it. they they know how the ball
is moving. They know how their their teammates are moving.
(14:20):
especially in in Denmark, I I find Danish Hamble a
very, beautiful,
kind of playing style. now there are
always a a a very, tempo,
Hi, Denver country, which to the rest of the the the
(14:40):
countries have picked up and, hamble in general is very fast
now. but, especially the skin
in Scandinavia, I find the that they're that the that the
plays are are more of a a main factor in their
in their tactics. and,
of course, you've got your your individuals there, but it's more about the the
(15:03):
team play, having to focus on that.
but, getting integrated, over there on
a I had the advantage that I had, 2 Australian
mates also that came over. so
that factor of of being alone and,
maybe having that worry, okay, if I if
(15:26):
I don't find someone or if if the team kinda
doesn't accept me then that could be
that, get home sick or something like that. But, with
those 2, us
together also in the in the same apartment, you know, we we all
wanted to to to strive for something better and we pushed each
(15:47):
other. outside of of
the team, to to get to the level
that was required, to, to be
there. but, yeah, the Danes being
the Danes, they just welcomed us.
That wasn't, really a factor after 1 week we were
(16:09):
pretty much a big family and we're,
now we we met before training. We did, we would did the
gym together before training, after training,
it wasn't about, yeah, just leaving. we took our
time on the quad maybe doing here in Bevan meter competitions
with each other or, just talking, generally,
(16:34):
more even staying after training, looking at the
at the the women's team, training a bit,
yeah, Danish ladies and and such.
also very beautiful. It's more to look at.
but, yeah, that
(16:55):
quite a lead to to even being more motivated,
to get, to get a foothold,
in in the team, to say, okay. I wanna be
one of the starting, players in that team
and which, was Kiel of successful
(17:16):
in my in my first season there. Great. It's from here. Yep.
You just mentioned, like, the family THW. And Steve and I, we always say,
Hample is like a big family all over the world. So It means not on
the court. So also off the court, you say you've been watching the women's team
and you did something together with the gym. I think you can agree. It's like
it's anywhere in the world. Yeah.
(17:38):
that's pretty much, anywhere where you can
get can handle, and the team is pretty much a a
second family. and when you're getting
what I find in with a with Australian Campbell is that
That that is a big humble family.
(17:59):
And I've fond memories of, No. When you
when you're involved in Campbell, then you just kinda know everyone
there. And, It's really,
like, a familiar setting. even if you
go to the Australian nationals, then you're meeting people from
Queensland, Victoria, again and again and again. And it's just
(18:21):
it's just great, atmosphere to be involved
in. And we can only
highly recommend others to experience it. Right.
Yeah. So with the other the obvious question. So you said the Danes
were very welcoming. How were the Germans when you got there?
(18:43):
could help myself.
yeah, they do have a reputation, but,
I I have absolutely no problems at
all. they are a bit stricter. There were
rules Need to be on
(19:04):
time. Don't you dare be Kiel.
but Again, they were just
they were just family for for me. They they they took care of
me. I had no German
knowledge, and they said, okay. No. We speak
(19:25):
English. We understand you. But after 3 months, you
gotta start talking German. Like, oh, shit. I'm like,
yeah, shit. Good. Then I have to get myself THW in that
aspect. but of course, after THW months,
you're not gonna be fluent in anything. And, but
they just appreciated that I was trying,
(19:48):
like, I would say my sentences. If I didn't know THW in
German, I would throw out the English word, or if a the sentence
was totally wrong, they would say, hey. Yeah. That was okay, but this is
how you say it properly.
So that was also very encouraging,
for my development personally,
(20:10):
just getting settled there. was that was
really flat. Maybe the, first experience where I was
Kiel of by myself and needed to do it, by myself.
But, the support that are saved
from the team and also from the,
support and officials from the club.
(20:33):
yeah, it's like they just want you to be, to be
happy. And, And
they know if if, if the player is happy, then that's when they'll,
deliver, the best handle that they can. Yeah.
Perfect. do you have a a favorite,
career moment?
(20:58):
Yeah. that's a tough one. I mean, you
can mention a few if you if you're a company. I I can
mention a few because, I'd I don't wanna have,
just one pinnacle where I just say,
yeah, that's it. my
first major memory was
(21:21):
getting my first, world championships,
cap in in Tunisia. It's, it's
THW I'll I'll never forget putting the the the green and gold on.
and, and hearing the THW and then, getting involved
in such an an honored,
(21:42):
opportunity to represent the country at the the
highest level.
unfortunately, of course, we didn't, you know, the the win that we were looking
for, but, being there also
took my handle to another level realizing, okay, so this is
the world I need to need to get myself to.
(22:06):
And,
Not to mention, you know, TIAVI Kiel,
one of the best clubs, in the world, if not the
best in in the world. just
being being able to train with that with that
(22:26):
team is, a dream come true and then,
being involved with the with the
with the daily business, playing, the
first mundas League, game,
scoring THW goals in the in the THW, Derby against,
Fensburg. being a
(22:49):
German, champions,
it was such a a wonderful
and crazy season, also hit with Corona
and and everything else, but, Yeah. You just
gotta be a little bit lucky sometimes and
Bevan the right time and take the right opportunity.
(23:12):
And, Of course, together with chili,
you know, another world stage, Super Cup,
that, we were able to pull off such,
come back from minus 10,
to So drawing, such
(23:35):
such a tight game. And, of course, when you're minus 10,
it does feel like a win. And,
that was just a a testament that we had such a team that
did not have any kind of experience together. And what we what
you guys put together in in such a short time frame was
just, yeah, impressive.
(23:58):
And, it was great to be involved in such
a such a cool experience. So, yeah,
it's Yeah. Many many,
great, memories. Yeah. Awesome. I didn't say
the, I would so that I know the bundes League is, it's it's
got underway this week. and look, there's actually
(24:20):
some streaming out here. There's a few online things which we've been we've been posting,
but Well, what's it like going to a bundes League a game or being, I
mean, look, you've been, you know, from a fan's perspective, but also being in the
middle of that field, what's it what's it like and, you know, say the THW
It's, it's it's intense.
Like, it's not intense, from from being afraid
(24:41):
or something. It's just They're so passionate.
So you maybe you can compare it to, not going to a rugby
game back in Australia. just that the fans
are, they're living this moment, living this
this team, giving that full support behind this
team. It's and something really, really special.
(25:03):
So, if you are joining in
Europe, I want to recommend, going to earth
handball game. If you're in East Europe,
definitely go to a handball game. I was there
crazy.
maybe you would probably classify it as,
(25:26):
that the entire fan base is ultra there But,
it's all in good fun and in good
spirit. I don't think I've ever been
afraid or intimidated of of fans at a
humble game, very passionate but,
(25:47):
it's not at the level where you think Culligan's at the at a football
game. Of course, maybe you have maybe one,
kind of, outlet there, but, that's
what I find special with Hamble in general. It's just that, it's
very, I'm Monica, also
from from the fan side of things that that,
(26:10):
for example, in one of the opening games in the
bundes League, Hamburg, against Lansburg
that, Hamburg got a red card. And even the the
friends, my friends were just like, what? Why?
There was THW. Let him play. And it
(26:30):
says cool things like that. this,
this culture that, that a
revolves around the the handle here. It's, it's
quite special. It says, so what's
So you're playing, TIV Kiel. Yeah. It was a division 2 this year. What are
your what are your hopes? What are your aspirations for the season ahead?
(26:54):
Yeah. That's the the Bevan team, of of tier v Kiel.
And, we're playing in the,
In the 4th leagues, we're playing, Ashlene
Street in Hamburg League.
And we want to we
(27:14):
haven't set our goals yet. We still need to have our team meeting about that.
We're we are still in the in our pre season.
But, with the team that we've put together, I'm
hoping that we'll be We'll
be above, above average in the in the
in the in the in the table. So while Not
(27:37):
exactly going for promotion to the 3rd
leak. we want to be
pretty, aggressive, going up the table. So that means
you're playing or just coaching?
No. I'm actually, not coaching. So I'm, I'm a
full player at the moment. perhaps,
(28:00):
just but personally, passing our knowledge to
to players, in in situational,
moments. that's kind of why I'm there with a couple of
older players in the team, just to
give the younger players a bit of, a
solid, base,
(28:23):
to to build around,
because, Kiel of,
I felt that through pre season and a couple of the, the training
games that I'm no longer a 60 minute player.
Yep. I think you also realize that at, at super
(28:46):
the superglobe. while I'm not a 16 minute player. If the coach
wants me on the field, then I'll I'll die on the
field. Yeah. I remember
that in my own, yeah, category.
It's At the moment, the coaching is,
(29:07):
coaching role is on on hold. still looking into
the licenses, but, this season, I'll be a a player
again. Okay. Great. Great. yes.
Also really interesting for our young guys, especially also for our
young talents in Australia, Bevan, what what is your advice
or what can you recommend young players to be like a
(29:30):
good tempo player and be like, is it chest talent,
or what would you re recommend like, young kids or especially young,
young plays here in Australia to do this, one
day into Europe, maybe. Just,
just get involved and, and ask for help.
(29:53):
because that's that's what's really gonna get you through.
there's enough experience
In Australia, actually, to give you
a solid base, to get
you set up for the higher levels So just ask the
experience, in your
(30:16):
local area, what you need to be working on, how you
can work on it, there's I'm sure they've
got a knowledge of exercises that they can
be easily done with or without a handle
now that's one thing in Australia. Now we have pretty
(30:37):
bad access to to handle facilities or
hamble friendly facilities.
so there's many other
options out there to to train for a handle
without a handle, and that's what I did.
when I was young, I was out and about to getting
(30:59):
my fitness up to up to a elite Bevan.
play a metric training, getting my jumping game as best as I
could. getting my,
getting my forearms up to game.
just, just getting all these, these
(31:22):
humble nuance,
muscle memory, and,
and techniques, in your head.
so that when the time comes to make the jump
overseas is that then you're ready or that
(31:42):
the country that you're heading to can see that potential and see that
talent on what you've been, building on.
Amazing, I've got, I've got one last question, and, then we'll probably
Calvert, call it night studio. I think it's ticked out at 1 AM for you
there and you can
(32:02):
probably guess who's asked this question to come through me is, do you think you'll
wear the green and gold again?
tape. I love you, mate. I love you,
mate. I'm
not gonna rule out a comeback.
(32:26):
but there are many
conditions that need to be fulfilled in order
for me to put on the greening gold again.
it's just, you know, unfortunately, our national
program is still, amateur oath
Bevan. and that just puts
(32:50):
a lot of pressure on the players. I know how it was So when I
was in my youth, I had a luck that,
my mom and dad, could always
stand up behind me and say, hey, do it. Don't worry about it.
But, yep, now
with the a house and, 2 kids
(33:13):
and a dog.
And with the bills to pay and inflation being a
bitch, there are certain things that
need to be calculated and
factored in before I'm able to make that commitment
again. Totally. Thanks. Thanks for being such a great sport with
(33:36):
that one, but, yeah, and I think, yeah, we're seeing a lot of change in
the country right now. you know, people are talking about Hamill again in
Australia I think with Brisbane and this being that shot in the arm
that a lot of the, the old guard who were in
Sydney and and and there's a around the time you're playing it back
as well. So, look, we we we do hope to see in the
(33:57):
green and goldie in one day, and I think, you know, it's a good reason
for us to all work towards something like that. So, mate, thank
you so much for your time. It's been absolute pleasure. And, maybe we
should check-in later in that season to see how the body's holding up.
Yeah. Another, yeah, THW for for the invite and having me on the on
(34:17):
the on the podcast. And, yeah, if you guys
are interested, then, I wouldn't say no to making
another appearance. It's been a lot of fun. Thanks. Awesome. Thanks, bit. Have a
good night. Thanks, Bevan. See you soon. See
you. See you. Alright.
So there we have it. We still had, a Bevan Calvert, walk through
(34:40):
his story. oh, or his
journey from from Australia THW Denmark into
Germany, and onto the world stage.
I really do hope you all enjoyed that. you
some great points there for for those who are getting started,
don't be constrained by, you know, what you think might be limitations
(35:03):
you can do a lot of strength and conditioning, you know, a
lot of hand ball without doing hand ball, I think. Yeah. And you
do need a little willpower. And then, yeah, at one day,
you can an upset, like, Bevan. So just believe in yourself, and then, yeah, you
can do it. He's he's taken a big leaf, and it's been a
great journey for him. So we're we're gonna Calvert there today, and
(35:25):
thank you very much for joining us. next time.
we're we're looking to have, a first lady on the podcast,
Sally Potaki, looking for it. Yeah. She had a very similar
journey to Bevan made her way from Australia to Germany,
and also leading gold score at at the World Cup,
a few years back now. So Yeah. It it's gonna be great to get
(35:48):
some more perspective from her, and we look
forward to speaking to you all again next week. Alright. Alright. Thank you
all. See you guys.
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