Mannheim Middle
School Falcons'
Team Handball Program
Team Handball Program
Coaching Staff
Mr. Mariusz Wartalowicz
Mr. Wartalowicz graduated from the Academy of Physical Education (Warsaw, Poland) in 1986 with a Master of Physical Education degree and Team Handball Coaching Certificate. While at the Academy, he simultaneously played handball on his collegiate team competing in the Men's First Division and head coached one of the local top junior teams - MKS "Agrykola".
After graduating from the AWF, Mr. Wartalowicz served in the Polish Armed Forces and continued his handball coaching career as the Head Coach for the military based Men's Third Division team - "WKS Zegrze".
Upon returning to civilian life in 1987, Mr. Wartalowicz was hired by the Academy of Physical Education where he taught Theory and Methodology of Sports in the Department of Sport Science until 1989. In addition to teaching responsibilities, he also coached his alma mater's collegiate handball team which competed in the Men's Second Division.
In 1989, Mr. Wartalowicz moved to Chicago with a goal of developing team handball "grass roots" in the Metropolitan area. He established an international adult handball team called "Cracovia" which grew from two players in 1990 to over 30 in 1997. Under his leadership, "Cracovia" advanced form 12th place finisher in the USA National Championships in 1991 into capturing the bronze medal in the USA Team Handball Championships' Elite Division in 1997.
In 1998 Mr. Wartalowicz received his M.S. in Sport Science from the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama.
Between 1998 and 2001, Mr. Wartalowicz served both the role of physical education teacher and athletic director at Chicago Waldorf School. During that time, he founded the school's first handball program in grades 6
through 12, traveling with his school's teams to various competitive events such as the Cumberland Cup in Atlanta, Georgia (1999), the USA Junior Championships (2000), and the Texas Open in Dallas, Texas (2001).
In 1999, he traveled to Egypt as the USA Men's National Team's representative for the Handball World Championships and was appointed an assistant coach for the Handball Men's National Team. He participated in the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada in 1999, and the Pan American Championships in San Paulo, Brazil in 2000. In 2000, Mr. Wartalowicz became the head coach for the Men's National Team and lead the USA National Team during the 2001 Handball World Championships in France. Furthermore, he served as the technical director for the 2001 Junior Pan American Championships in Atlanta, Georgia. He was appointed chairmen of the Coaching and Methods Committee for the USA Team Handball Federation.
In 2001, Mr. Wartalowicz was recognized as the Coach of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee.
Since assuming a faculty position at Mannheim Middle School in 2001, Mr. Wartalowicz has been developing team handball in grades 6-8. Last year was a historic one as his teams competed against junior clubs from Indiana and Texas in the 1st Annual Mannheim Falcons Team Handball Challenge Tournament hosted by District 83. The event was a great success and students look forward to playing in consequtive editions of Falcons Challenge in the future.