PHOTOS BY DANI EL LIPPITT
Left: Charles Gevirtz tries to block a David Kam basket.
Top: Event co-chairs Teri Cohodes and Sandy Rockind.
Above: Charles Gevirtz tries to block a David Kam basket.
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Young adults take a
"spring break" in
Shelby Township.
JENNIFER FINER
LU
6
STAFF WRITER
he days of spring break are long gone for post-col-
lege young adults.
The memories of week-long trips to Florida, Mex-
ico and other warm-weather venues are just that
— memories.
For those 20-something and 30-ish spring-break
deprived, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit's Young Adult Division hosted an evening
of beach volleyball, basketball, shmoozing and danc-
ing at Joe Dumars' Fieldhouse.
The event, called "Mazatlan in Michigan," at-
tracted 250 young adults to Shelby Township last
Saturday night. While some beachcombers took off
their shoes and socks for a game of sand volleyball,
others dressed down in sweats to shoot hoops.
Those who consider being a spectator a sport
mingled in the upstairs bar while watching the
events below.
Steve Rotenberg, the co-chair of YAD outreach
and education, said the goal was to do something
different, yet casual, and incorporate a theme for
the night.
Sandy Rockind, 24, helped plan the one-night
spring break. She said YAD wanted to do some-
thing different from their monthly bar-night event.
The committee also wanted a weekend function
to draw those who cannot attend the group's week-
night activities.
"This is interactive without being intimidat-
ing," Ms. Rockind said. "It's a lot easier to meet
people here because this setting enables people
to turn to the person next to them."
Ms. Rockind coaxed her friend Scott Bender,
30, of Royal Oak to the event. The somewhat-re-
luctant-to-attend Mr. Bender said he had a good
time.
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