Miami student combines athletics with academics during time in Luxembourg
Cooper Black had unique opportunity to play with handball team in Differdange
Miami student combines athletics with academics during time in Luxembourg
Cooper Black had unique opportunity to play with handball team in Differdange
For Cooper Black, what was once a pandemic pastime turned into a once-in-a-lifetime international athletic journey.
Black, a current senior at Miami University majoring in Kinesiology, studied abroad in Luxembourg in fall 2024. Additionally, he had the unique opportunity to play handball for a professional handball club based in Differdange, Luxembourg.
“I was super obsessed with the Olympics,” Black said. “During COVID, when they postponed the 2020 Games, I was constantly watching highlights, specifically handball. Which led me to wanting to try the sport.”
At the time, Black’s knowledge of the game had come from watching past Olympic games of handball. By combining his knowledge of handball and his athletic abilities, he became more confident in his abilities to succeed. He started out playing with the Milwaukee handball club.
“My first practice was bad. Like really bad,” Black said. “I kept telling myself, ‘If you keep doing it, the opportunities are way easier in handball to go abroad and play.’”
Getting to Luxembourg
For many Miami University students, the Luxembourg study abroad program is an exciting opportunity to spend a semester abroad learning about a new culture, traveling to new countries, and living in the heart of Europe.
“My whole reason to go to Luxembourg was actually to play handball. I obviously also wanted to travel Europe and learn about a new culture, but the deciding factor was the opportunity to play handball,” Black said.
His weeks looked a lot different compared to the typical MUDEC student. Going to class in the mornings with handball practice at nights, Black said it reminded him a lot of his schedule when he was in high school.
Beyond the Game
While Black learned so much about the sport of handball, the cultural differences and experiences proved to be just as important.
With his team being comprised of people from France, Luxembourg, Hungary, Czech Republic, Croatia, and Portuguese, Black was the only American and faced many cultural differences. The biggest challenge he faced was the language barrier. After arriving in Luxembourg, Black knew minimal French, which posed an issue as more than half of his team only spoke that language. Because of this, they had to resort to using hand gestures to communicate.
“But by the end of it, it was actually really fun. I felt very culturally diverse. And then also just, like, the little brother aspect is like anytime I messed up or even did something good,” Black said. “There was always something being said to me, and so it kind of helped me. too. They weren't slowing stuff down for me.”
Building a Community
Although the practice and game schedules were intense, Black said the people made his experience. Not only did the supportive members on his team aid his experience, but more importantly his Kinesiology professor, Helaine Alessio, supported him as well.
“Dr. Alessio was like my mom over there, constantly being there to support me,” Black said. “She came to almost every single game she could. The amount of support that came from the Miami people was overwhelming, and I was not expecting it at all.”
From an Olympic fanatic to competing internationally, Black is a great example of putting your mind and dreams into something so it can be your reality. His journey to playing handball in Differdange was not easy and had many challenges, but in his mind the positives outweigh all of the negatives.