Jacob Effertz ’25 was announced as one of the elite handball players in the country, being bestowed the honor of a selection to the U.S. national team. Effertz is continuing the line of incredible Riordan athletes; however, there is much more to Effertz than his incredible skill on the handball court.
Effertz is one of the boarding students here at Riordan, and he appears to have already made himself at home.
“Since I transferred to Riordan for my senior year, I really enjoy our strong community here in school, which is very different to what I experienced back in Germany. I’d like to give a special shoutout to my boarding community that has become an amazing extended family to me,” Effertz said.
Effertz is an incredible athlete, only complimenting his prowess as a student. Being an effective student is a key part to sports at any level, and Effertz knows that better than anyone.
“It is definitely very different from my German education. I’ve really enjoyed Riordan’s 4×4 schedule where I can really dig deep into my favorite subjects instead of having 12 different classes with limited class time. In short, I’m certain I made the right decision transferring to Riordan, to experience a more in-depth learning environment with the same classes every day.”
One of Jacob’s teachers, Jackie Grealish, said, “Jacob is great to have in class! I’m so happy he’s in my class not only for his academics but also because he wants to be there.”
Throughout his handball journey, Effertz has experienced bumps and curves, but that still doesn’t stop him or his love for the sport.
“I started playing handball when I was 9 years old, right after I moved to Germany in 2017. Since most of my friends at elementary school played the sport as well, I joined them at my local club soon after,” said Effertz.
With handball not being as big in the United States, Effertz sees this as an opportunity to make a true mark on Riordan and the entire country.
“Going forward, I think the sport has lots of potential to grow in the U.S. Since handball is still a predominantly European sport, I think it is important to make the game more global. Because of my experience playing in Europe, I’m sharing my love of the sport with local high school players at San Francisco CalHeat, one of the premier U.S. Handball clubs that focuses on promoting the game starting at the middle school level.”
He continued, “I’m currently preparing for the first ever U17 World Cup, which will take place in Morocco in October this year where I will hopefully be able to represent my country once again.”
