Five Octogenarians Carry on the Handball Tradition at the Downtown Asheville YMCA

While games in which the player strikes the ball with the hand have been around for thousands of years, the modern game of handball took root in this region at the Asheville YMCA in the late 1960’s. Dozens of handball players at the Asheville Y have come and gone over the decades, but the numbers have dwindled in recent years as a result of moving, injuries, aging, and death. But five stalwarts remain, all men, now all in the eighties, who play with enthusiasm and determination every week.

John Curry, Bruce Mulkey, Oscar Wong, Jay Pintacuda & Bob Riddle

Oscar Wong
The ringleader of this spirited bunch is Oscar Wong, eighty-four-year-old founder of Highland Brewing. Oscar is sometimes referred to as the Godfather of Craft Brewing since he kicked off the brewing boom in Asheville in 1994. He began his career as an engineer specializing in nuclear power plant waste and worked at various sites around the country. In 2023, Oscar was awarded the Order of The Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor granted by the governor of North Carolina to individuals who have shown extraordinary service to the state.

I began playing handball in high school in 1952 in Kingston, Jamaica. I continued playing when I was a student at Notre Dame and then around the country prior to moving to Asheville in 1994. From that time on, I’ve been playing at the downtown Asheville YMCA.

I continue playing this game because it’s fun, it helps me maintain my strength and agility, and because of the great camaraderie with my fellow players. I guess I should also mention our semi-regular field trips to the brewery. The first round is on me, guys!

Bob Riddle
Bob Riddle, age eighty-nine, arrived in Asheville in 1960, and spent fifty years in his private law practice while serving a term on the Buncombe Couty Commission.

I moved to Asheville after earning my J.D. degree at Wake Forest. I joined the Y as a runner shortly after arriving here and added handball to my training regimen in 1962. I continued to run until I was eighty when I switched to biking. Along with several other old guys, we biked to Marshall (forty-mile round trip) an average of four days a week until recently. In good weather I’m still biking in the Black Mountain area.

As the elder of this group, I’m glad to be able to continue playing with my fellow devotees and hanging out with them after our matches. Even as we age and our level of proficiency wanes, we still keep on serving.

Jay Pintacuda
Jay, the youngster of the bunch who just turned eighty, has been playing handball for about fifty years. He began his professional career as a forensic chemist for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, then joined the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation in 1985 where he worked until his retirement in 2010.

When I was twenty-five, I was attracted to handball after watching my uncle play at the West Palm Beach Y in the mid-Seventies. In1985, I moved to Asheville, and I played at the Sports Club until it closed in 1992, then I joined the downtown Y.

I continue playing handball for the love of the game and because it’s vital to my physical and emotional wellbeing. I have played with some great handball players, including those who have made my life much more interesting and enjoyable.

John Curry
John, eighty-two years of age, had a fifty year legal career, from 1970 until 2021. During that time, he served on many nonprofit boards related to environmental protection and was appointed to a term on the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission.

I started playing handball when I was a student at Davidson College during the Sixties. After that I played at the University of North Carolina when I was in law school and continued playing at the Chapel Hill YMCA for a while after that. The high point of my handball career came when the handball pro tour was in town. We were hitting the ball around with the pros, and somehow, I managed to serve an ace to one of them. Needless to say, I was delighted and amazed!

When I moved to Asheville in 2001, I discovered the twice-a-week games at the downtown Y and have, over the last couple of decades, been accepted into the local handball brotherhood despite my mediocre ability. The jovial camaraderie afforded during and after every session has created many fond memories for me, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got a few more years left.

Bruce Mulkey
Bruce Mulkey, age eighty-two, has had a varied professional life—teacher, building contractor, communications consultant, and political organizer before finally settling into his true calling—writing.

In the early seventies, our log cabin construction crew—my brother Art, my then brother-in-law Harry, our buddy Bob, and I—would knock off mid-afternoon each Friday and play handball at the University of Tennessee courts, mixing up doubles teams each week. After the match, the two on the losing team were obliged to buy the first pitcher of beer at the Roman Room. I continued playing in Knoxville for a decade or so, then Baton Rouge, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Austin, and beginning in 1998, Asheville.

I enjoy this game because it uses all of who I am—intuition, anticipation, strength, coordination, and concentration. On a good day, when I’m in the flow, nothing exists beyond the four walls of the court. The doubles matches with Oscar, Jay, Bob, and John are really enjoyable. We still play to win, but even in the midst of spirited competition, great sportsmanship and good-natured attitudes always prevail.

While this group has been playing handball together for a few decades now, newcomers are always welcome to join in. So, if you’re a former handball player or someone who would like to learn the game, don’t hesitate to give a holler. Being an octogenarian is not a prerequisite!