James Ridley

Age 16
Sport Played Handball
Years Played 6 years

Tell us about yourself

I play handball throughout the year starting at school level till March (club); March-September State (U18 June); and The a Australia in November. Last off season I trained with the Australian world cup team. I train every night. We train twice a week on the court then I train the rest of the days either at the gym or sprint sessions at the local park.
2004 Under 12s Australia Captain
2006 NSW Under 18 Team (youngest player to ever make the team) 2007 NSW Under 18 Team (captain youngest captain of all time for state level at 14)
2008 NSW Under 18 Team (captain: made competition all star team) (new inclusion) NSW Under 16 Team (Captain: Made competition all star team)
2008 Australia Under 17 Team Toured New Caledonia
2006-2008 Hills Handball Club Representitive
The NSWHA League is an open league with players from top divisions in Europe and current Australian Players.

Proudest Sporting Achievements

I have many proud sporting achievements in my career. One of the most proudest was singing the national anthem hand on heart in New Caledonia. The whole experience in New Caledonia was awesome. As handball isn't a huge sport in Australia, it was interesting to see how a foreign country who knows handball as handball (and not the one with the four squares) acting. They treated us like rockstars - locals would wave and chase after our team bus - it was just awesome.
Another great sporting achievement i would have to say was the school handball final. Scoring the winning penalty to win the final in 2006 was the greatest relief i have ever felt. I had just come back from injury (knee) and was a bit rusty but still managed to win the game. 60% of the school watched the game. Handball is "The sport" at turramurra high school. We are known for our handball.

What are you hoping to achieve

I would love to continue to play for Australia and extend my level including possible World Cup in the next 2-4 years for the senior team. I also wish to go overseas and play in top divisions in European countries including Norway Denmark and if I'm lucky the top leagues of Germany.

How does LineBreak help

85% of my handball games and training are played with LineBreak. They help me keep my muscles at a warm temperature so I can train for longer and at a higher intensity. They also decrease the chances of injuries allowing me more time to train and reach my potential.

My Blog

21/06/10
Just recently participated in the 2010 Junior National Championships held in Sydney from June 12th-June 14th for the NSW Under 18 team. I was elected captain for the NSW A team which won the title against QLD, ACT and NSW B team. I top goal scored in the tournament and was very happy that all that training paid off prior to the tournament. The team played very well and it was good to celebrate with a NSW win for the third year in a row.

I will now act as the Assistant Coach for the Under 16 team which will compete in the Youth Championships on the 10-11th July. Results to be posted in the future

NSW U18M's Team: James Ridley (bottom row 2nd from the left)

8/2/10
Received an invitation to attend the Senior Mens National Training camp in Sydney for the Australian Based Players.

13/2/10
Just got back from the camp. Very good experience. The camp was targeted at selecting a team to attend the tri-nations series against Turkey and New Zealand in Turkey to commemerate those soldiers that died for us. It was also to select a squad for the World Championships in Sweden 2011. Not expecting to make either but an invitation was good enough for me. Now back to the training ground.

16/12/09
i have recently returned from a tour to New Zealand for the Trans-Tasman Cup where the AHF Under 17 team played the NZHF Under 23 and the NZHF Under 18. To our success we lost to the Under 23 by only 6 goals in the total of two games which was a great success considering the amount of experience the NZHF team had, having 8 players playing at senior international level. We took out the series against the Under 18s with a win and a draw. I was named top goal scorer of the tournament averaging 10.5 goals a game (out of the four games) including 17 goals in one game. This was a great achievement for myself and the team. An average handball player scores about 4 a game so this on terms of a world scale was unbelievable. Now back to the various trainings i do including gym, sprint training, agility, plyometrics and court sessions for next year's busy schedule including trips to Italy for the Continent Cup (best country from each continent (Oceania) ) back to NZ for the Pacific Region Cup and potentially a position at the Youth Olympic Games 2010 in Singapore. All this busy training wouldn't be made possible with the help from Linebreak sustaining my fitness and reducing my risk of injury. Thankyou Linebreak Team!

13/12/09
currently in nz for the trans tasman clash with nz. We won the series!
Here is a photo:

6/10/09
I have been recently selected on the Australian Under 17 Team as the team captain which will travel to New Zealand and Tahiti to play friendly matches in December.