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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