Undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty from the German Studies Department come together to practice their handball skills under the tutelage of UNC-Chapel Hill's handball team. (Photo courtesy of the German Studies Department)
Rivalry challenged: Duke German Learns from UNC's Handball Team
On October 6, 2025, undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty from the German Studies Department came together to practice their handball skills in Brodie Upper Courts on Duke’s East Campus in an event organized by Carolin Jolitz, Lecturing Fellow of German Studies. The UNC-Chapel Hill handball team was generous enough to travel to Duke and teach the department the basics of the sport. This unique event allowed students and faculty to spend quality time together away from the classroom, get moving, and learn something new about German culture.
The event began with different stations where Duke students could learn the various aspects of handball in turn. In the defense station, they learned how defense works, including body positioning, blocking and intercepting. They also learned the dos and don’ts of body contact in handball. After the UNC players demonstrated different techniques, Duke students practiced their new skills by playing defense against the UNC team. In the offense station, participants practiced offensive positions shooting from various positions (wings, back, pivot) and tried out the jump shot (it’s as difficult as it sounds!). The last stations gave an overview of the rules of the game as well as proper dribbling techniques.
After everyone had passed through the three stations, the scrimmages began! The UNC team demonstrated a game and slowly switched out players with lay participants. Everyone got an opportunity to put theory into practice and play handball. After tiring out students, faculty and experienced players alike, everyone got to unwind outside, while enjoying pizza from Enzo’s.
This event was truly unique as it not only brought the Duke German community together but it even challenged the longstanding UNC-Duke rivalry by bringing both schools onto the same (handball) team. A special thank you to Carolin Jolitz for organizing, to the UNC handball team for making this event possible, to Lecturer of German Studies April Henry for providing tired players with pizza, and finally to everyone who showed up and got moving!
This event was supported by the German Embassy, whose funding allowed us to rent the gym and pay for the goals. The pizza was made possible thanks to contributions from both the Embassy grant and the German Studies Department.
