Two Decades Later, Gary ‘Hangtime’ Hines Is Still Chasing His Olympic Handball Dream
The 39-year-old Hines and the U.S. team are gunning for an Olympic berth at this month’s Pan American Games.
Athlete Bio#
Height
6'4
Age
36
Hometown
Jupiter Beach, FL
Education
Jupiter High School University of North Florida (B.A.), Auburn University (M.Ed. & Ph.D.)
Quick Facts
- Has applied his unique athleticism to Xtreme Sports participating in sports such as, Surfing, Skateboarding, BMX, Skimboarding, Aggressive Inline, and Wakeboarding
- Competed as a basketball player throughout high school
- Decided to focus solely on academics in college, which led to graduate studies at Auburn University
- Met former Men’s National Team head coach Javier Garcia-Cuesta and 1984 Team Handball Olympian Reita Clanton while pursuing his Master’s degree
- Began training for Team USA (Team Handball) in September 2013 and was named to the Men’s National Team Athlete Pool shortly thereafter
- Competed in the 1st Annual American Open Beach Handball Championship in Gulf Shores, Alabama
- Immediately felt connected to beach handball from his previous experience competing in beach sports
- Was named to the Team USA Beach Handball Athlete Pool in 2019.
Career Highlights
- 2019 North American & Caribbean Handball Confederation (NORCA) Championships - 1st (Alternate) (Trinidad & Tobago)
- 2019 Copa Internacional de Balonmano Playa Volcán - 3rd
- 2018 North American & Caribbean Handball Confederation (NORCA) Championships - 5th
- 2017 Handball Super Series - 3rd (Quebec, Canada)
- 2016 Pan American Championships - 7th (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- 2016 Aquece Rio International Handball (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- 2015 American Open Beach Handball Championship - 2nd
- 2014 American Open Beach Handball Championship - 3rd
