Sports

Determination!

Esther Frank's
six months
of training
has led
to a berth
in the
World Maccabiah
Games.

RUTHAN BRODSKY

SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

4

1-

2

'

Esther Frank Is one of six on the U.S. women's team.

n late January, on an
outdoor court in Florida,
Esther Frank competed
for a spot on the women's
masters tennis team for
the 14th World Maccabi-
ah Games to be held in
Israel this summer. She
was one of nine tennis
players from the Detroit
area (two women and
seven men) who made it
to the Florida event.
Under hot, humid condi-
tions — between periods of
drenching rains — Frank
matched her tennis skills
against other Jewish women
55 and older from all over the

country. She earned a spot as
one of six women in that age
group to represent the U.S.
"The thought of playing a
game that I love, in Israel, as
an American and as a Jew is
wonderful and thrilling," said
Frank. "My intent is to keep
training, to stay fit, to work
hard at playing a lot of good
tennis and to come home with
a gold medal."
Esther Frank is a deter-
mined woman. She began
playing tennis when she was
10 years old and hasn't quit.
"I always made time for ten-
nis. On weekends when the
kids were young, my husband

Harvey used to play tennis in
the morning, come home and
watch the kids while they
napped so I could run out and
play for a couple of hours."
Last summer, Frank began
a physical training program.
She took up aqua jogging at
the Maple-Drake Jewish
Community Center pool at
least twice a week and claims
it's one of the best workouts
you can get. "After running
around in the water, running
around on a tennis court is
easy regardless of the weath-
er," said Frank.
"I'm going to need all the
stamina I can muster to play

8

in Israel, which means work-
ing out for endurance and
flexibility as well as on my
game."
According to Detroiter Max
Sheldon, board member of the ,
World Maccabiah Games,
more than 4,500 athletes from
43 countries are expected to
participate in the 1993 games
in Israel.
That's a far cry from the
first games in 1932 when 14
countries sent a total of 390
athletes. Back then, opening
ceremonies were held in the
Ramat Gan Stadium, Israel's
first sports stadium, which
was completed the night be-
fore the start of the games.
The U.S. team traveled two
weeks by boat to participate.
It won't take that long to
get to Israel for Bob Friedman
of Huntington Woods and
Norm Pappas of Bloomfield
Hills, who still have a chance
to make the U.S. masters
team for men 45-49. Both
men play out of the Detroit
Tennis and Squash Club.
"The finalist and semi-fi-
nalist of the consolation
rounds make the team but
our matches were rained out
and will be rescheduled some-
time in the spring," said
Friedman. "It certainly would
be an honor to make the
team, to walk through the
stadium door with thousands
of other Jewish athletes from
all over the world. There's
even a team coming from In-
dia."
Pappas said the caliber of
play in the men's divisions
was phenomenal.
Al Gross of West Bloom- 0;
field and Harvey Frank, also
members of Detroit Tennis c
and Squash, competed in the
men's 60 and older division. 2
Both played fairly well but
wished they could have 49
played better.