to host the girls has been are
important part of the entire
Maccabi experience.
"It's a fun thing to do,"
Mrs. Sitron said. "But you
also have to make sure that
everyone is taken care of.
The kids have to be at cer-
tain places for competition,
so you are never stopping."
If the Sitrons were busy
pulling out of their driveway
to get their athletes to an
event on time, chances were
that their end of the street
was crowded with Maccabi
participants. Their next door
neighbors, the Mantels,
were hosting two male table
tennis players from Mon-
treal. Hedy Mantel is the
table tennis chairperson,
while her daughter, a one-
time Maccabi gold medalist
and nationally ranked
player, coaches the team.
"I really love having the
kids," Mrs. Mantel said.
"Especially since they are
table tennis players. They
can practice on our table,
and they can talk to
Michelle if they need any
help at all."
For Michael Joseph and
Robert Kavari, the main
concern on their mind was
not necessarily the Mantel's
28
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 1990
good hospitality, but instead
the teams they would be fac-
ing. When they found out
from Mrs. Mantel that there
would be no competition
from Israel and Australia,
they gave each other "high
fives."
"The Maccabi games are
more of a relaxed competi-
tion," Michael said. "I'm ex-
cited about being here and
competing. It was a long ride
(10 hours), though, from
Montreal, but we're anxious
to get started."
Relaxation seemed to be
the name of the game over
at Lonny and Gail Zim-
merman' s Huntington
Woods home where they
hosted Philadelphia rac-
quetball players, Michael
Zuckerman and Michael
Brody, both 14.
Both competitors said
there was a great deal of
time between matches,
sometimes giving them
plenty of time just to either
hang out at the Maple-Drake
JCC or come back to the
Zimmerman home and sleep.
Michael Zuckerman said
that it was fun for him to
play against competition
from other cities.
"I expected they'd be good
people as well as being good
players," Michael Zucker-
man said. "This was a big
deal for us, competing
against people our age.
"But what makes this
even more fun for us is that
we have a good home,"
Michael Brody said. "It's
just not a question of room
and board, the Zimmerman
family really cares for us."
For the Zimmermans, in-
cluding children Danny, 12,
and Julie, 9, hosting the
athletes made them feel like
they were part of the ex-
citement of the Games.
"I think it's great for our
family," Gail Zimmerman
said. "It's also very gratifying
to help our guests feel like
they are part of the Jewish
community here."
❑
Above:
Gail and Lonny
Zimmerman have
opened their Huntington
Woods home to
racquetball players
(back right) Michael
Zuckerman and (front
right) Michael Brody,
both of Philadelphia.
Danny Zimmerman
observes from the front
left while his sister,
Julie jumps up and
down on the bed.
Left:
Michael Zuckerman and
Michael Brody have
found plenty of time to
relax at the
Zimmermans' between
matches.