This week's achievers in sports

CAROL R. COHEN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

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40

Senior Division

Senior Division

TEAM: The Traveling Wilburys
LEAGUE: West Bloomfield 35 and
over softball
DEED: The Traveling Wilburys re-
cently won their league champi-
onship. The team breezed
through the double-elimination
playoffs without losing a game.
The Traveling Wilburys won
the championship game
5-4. The team finished in
second place during reg-
ular season play with a
14-4-1 record.
THE SKINNY: Since the
team's inception in the
late 1980s, Dr. Mark
Levin has been play-
er/manager. Levin, 44, a
dentist and West Bloom-
field resident, plays out-
field and catcher for the
Traveling Wilburys.
He named the team after a
musical album that came out in
the mid-1980s featuring Roy Or-
bison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and
George Harrison.
Levin says the banding to-
gether of the musicians remind-
ed him "of the softball guys
coming together from all differ-
ent backgrounds to form a team
and play a sport they all enjoy."
The players range in age from
35-45; the average is 42.
According to Levin, Phil
Norvil's spectacular fielding at
shortstop and the timely hitting
of third baseman Ron Tini real-
ly contributed to the team's suc-
cess.
Left fielder Bill Berris left cen-
ter Harold Friedman and the
whole team effort carried them
to victory says Levin. Other play-
ers are Mark Chicorel, Robert
Hollander, Tim and Mark Iovan,
Mike Zipsee and Steve Weiss.
QUOTE: "The reason we have the
team is not to win all the time; it
is because all the guys truly love
baseball," Levin said. "Also,
every season we can come out to
play is another year we are able
to keep old age away."

NAME: Bob Gershman
TEAM: Berkley School District's di-
rector of health, physical educa-
tion and athletics
DEED: Gershman, 45, is embark-
ing on hislOth consecutive year
as Berkley's athletic director. He
has been with the school system
for 24 years.

Gershman worked as a physi-
cal education teacher during his
initial 14 years at Berkley and
also coached several school sports.
He is the only Jewish athletic di-
rector the city has ever had and
one of only three in the metro-
politan Detroit area.
Berkley High School used to
belong to the Southeastern Michi-
gan Athletic Association but is
now in the newly formed Oakland
Activities Association.
In 1994-95, the varsity football
team made it to the state playoffs
for the first time in school histo-
ry. Berkley also won divisional
championships in men's golf and
tennis, and women's volleyball
and gymnastics.
THE SKINNY: Gershman has
worked with the Berkley Schools
since he graduated from Wayne
State University in 1972 with a
degree in physical education and
athletic administration. He also
received a master's degree in the
same field in 1978 from WSU.
Gershman says he had out-
standing coaches when he was
younger who motivated him. He
adds, 'This career path was a way