Posted by Julie
As I’m sure many of you are aware, just as we’re settling into our new homes for the next few months in Metz, our entire home country is gearing up for the grand culmination of one of the most popular sporting events across America: the Super Bowl. Now, don’t cry; you can stream that in your dorm at 2AM.
Now, you’re in Europe – where sports are different. Football doesn’t mean kicking around the pigskin; here the widely used connotation (okay, everywhere else but the United States, so denotation?) of the term is the same as the word soccer in our culture. However, you’re now more specifically in Metz, France, where the women’s handball team is known to serve up victory since its establishment in 1967.
And now, the team is gearing up for the quarter finals – and possibly even the championship! No matter who plays in the Championship, though, it will be held in Metz, so we can go watch some intense sporting close to home. The quarter finals are next Wednesday, February 3rd at 6pm.
Before you write this off, check out the sheer intensity of the sport in this video of . Know also that we are in the presence of the masters of greatness, as Metz HB, the 2013 European Women’s EHF Cup runner-up, possesses basically all of the records:
- 19 French Championships (all time record)
- 6 French Cup Championships (all time record)
- 8 French League Cup Championships (all time record)[1]
No big deal, really. (Just kidding, I’m a bit star-struck, and I don’t even follow handball.)
The best part of all? The arena is less than 20 minutes away by car, and easily accessible via bus. Score – which is what the team will be doing during the match! Check out this website for the Metz bus system for instructions on which bus. For your information, the departure address is that of the GTL space, while the arrival address is the arena.
Check out not only the current team roster, but also when they’re hitting the field at the Euro Handball site. You can buy your tickets here. For 9€ (which includes the student discount), the high-level competition and energy is more than worth the trip. Who needs the college football playoff championship?
Okay, I still do, but this will certainly help me cope with the loss of the football season and prepare for the Summer Olympics in Rio.
A word of warning: the ticket website is in French, but Google Chrome can translate pretty accurately.
