Al Sandoval (b. 1958) attended Westmoor High School, where he played varsity baseball, basketball and football. At 21, Sandoval started playing handball at the historic courts in Golden Gate Park; The Olympic Club recruited him in 1980.
Besides winning many regional tournaments and numerous Olympic Club in-house titles, Sandoval is a four-time national handball champion: YMCA singles (1994), YMCA doubles (1994), USHA Masters doubles 35+ (1995) and USHA Masters doubles 40+ (2000).
November 2006 Olympian cover.
In the 1994 Chicago YMCA 35’s Nationals doubles finals, he was matched up against a team with a year-long streak of holding all opponents to under 10 points per game. Facing match point, Sandoval scored 6 straight points to send the match to a tiebreaker, and a rout of the shocked defending champs. The following year, in North Carolina, he followed up with a 35’s National doubles championship upset win over the former No. 1 player in the world.
His fellow handball players remark on his legendary intensity on the court, where he lived “in the zone” — an intermittent, hyper-focused, sometimes spiritual state of mind where anything is possible. Sandoval’s intense focus is contagious, elevating his doubles partners’ games above their skill level. He refuses to concede that a higher ranked player could beat him.
In the early 1990s Santa Rosa pro stop, Sandoval drew Vince Munoz, then the No. 3 handball player in the world. Sandoval was in his mid-30s and working full time, while his opponent, in his early 20s, wasn’t working and had been playing handball since he could walk. Munoz’s résumé mattered little to Sandoval and the outcome reflected that: 21–20, 21–20.
Today, Sandoval is one of OC handball’s best ambassadors, always promoting the benefits of his sport and generously spending time teaching younger players. He is a member of the Northern California Handball Association Hall of Fame.
