ty, he says.
Physical Culture.
Sandler's main
In 1989, he
problem
was get-
attended a stunt-
ting his charges to
driving show.
understand him.
Although he'd
He kept a note-
never driven a car,
book with transla-
Sandler wanted to
tions of technical
join the team.
phrases from
It was a crazy
Russian to English,
idea, completely,"
items such as,
he admits. "But I
"You're keeping
said, 'Guys, what-
your head too low,"
ever it takes, I will
Renee Dhar, 9, gets a Bandaid for her or "Keep your fin-
learn how to drive. finger from Alex Sandler.
gers together." He
You want me to
eventually took
wash your cars, I
charge of the club's swim team, which
will wash your cars. You want me to
soon grew from five to 18 members,
take care of the mechanical part, I
and included his son Roman. Two of
will do that. But let me just do any-
his swimmers became state finalists
thing' ... and they took me."
and one competed in a zone meet in
Sandler, who eventually became
Indianapolis.
the team leader, traveled the USSR
This summer, Sandler was
with his squad. "We were like gyp-
approached by Bloomfield Hills
sies," he says, calling it "an excellent
School District representatives. They
time," even though he suffered
sought advice for their new swim pro-
numerous injuries, including broken
gram and wound up offering Sandler
bones and a spinal problem.
the head coaching job.
Meanwhile, Sandler's parents and
Sandler guides team practices and
sister emigrated to New York and
its particpation in USA Swim meets,
invited him to join them. He consid-
teaches classes for aspiring competi-
ered his options for awhile, then
tors and works with special education
decided that, to make a living in the
students in the Bloomfield Hills dis-
now-former Soviet Union, most ath-
trict.
letes had to "become a criminal guy
"I have 31 kids on the team,"
or get out of here." In 1995, Sandler
Sandler explains. "I love every single
decided to get out. He, Oksana and
kid, no matter what ability they have.
son Roman left for the U.S.
I don't care about their physical
The Sandlers didn't like New York,
potential because I do believe that's
so he and Oksana grabbed a map of the
going to be my problem, how to put
U.S. and were immediately attracted to
them into the right place and make
the state surrounded by water.
them athletes.
"We both took a look at
"What I care about is their behav-
Michigan," Sandler recalls, "and we
ior, their attitudes and their habits."
said, 'Look at those lakes, all around
The swimmers, ages 7-14 "are
the state, large and small. They have
friends of mine," Sandler says. "I ask
to have either a national rowing team
about their needs. I ask about their
or scuba diving team. So both of us
having boyfriends and girlfriends, etc.
will find a place to work.'" They dis-
— maybe because I did not have
covered that no such teams existed,
much of a childhood.
but still found work.
"It was sport-sport-sport, (training)
Oksana is employed at the
camps-camps-camps, competition-
Fleischman Residence in West
competition-competition."
Bloomfield. Roman, now 11, attends
Today, Sandler is happy where he
Greenfield Elementary School in
is. "If one lucky day I will find myself
Beverly Hills. Alex took longer to find
being 60 years old and still on the
his niche. He performed various jobs,
(pool) deck with a bunch of happy
from auto mechanic to dish washer,
kids,
I'll say, 'Well, my life is all set.'
then became a valet parking attendant
"I will try to go higher. Maybe I'll
at the Beverly Hills Athletic Club.
coach college kids. But so far I'm
That job included workout privileges,
happy with the age groups, younger
and Sandler's swimming ability drew
kids. Probably it's just a matter of my
immediate notice.
vocabulary — we speak the same lan-
He was offered a chance to teach
guage, and I'm comfortable. And I'm
swimming lessons, returning him to
capable of putting some kids on the
the athletic atmosphere he craved.
Olympic stand." I 1
"I'm still grateful" for that opportuni-
Maccabi Games
Sites Are Set
The 2000 Maccabi Youth Games will
be held Aug. 13-18 in Cincinnati,
Ohio, and Richmond, Va., for all
Detroit teams except in-line hockey,
which will compete Aug. 20-25 on
Staten Island, N.Y.
Each Detroit Maccabi team will be
selected by the Detroit Maccabi Club
to go to the city that has the best
competition for that sport.
Tryouts for Detroit teams will
begin Sunday, Feb. 27. The tryout
schedule will be published in the
Jewish News in January.
The Jewish Community Center
Maccabi Youth Games is an Olympic-
style sports competition held each sum-
mer and is the largest sports program in
the world for Jewish teens ages 13-16.
Swim Teams Set
n Enrollment
The Jewish Community Center of
.
Metropolitan Detroit will offer a
competitive and developmental swim
team for children aged 6-17.
The JCC Marlins holds develop-
mental practices 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Sundays and 4:30-5:30 Monday
through Thursday.
The competitive team practices on
3:30-5:30 p.m. Sundays and 6-8 p.m.
Monday through Thursday. Both
teams practice at the D. Dan & Betty
Kahn Building.
The swim team requires any child
age 8 and under to be able to com-
plete the length of the pool swimming
at least three of the four competitive
strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breast-
stroke or butterfly. Any child 9 and
older must successfully complete two
lengths of the pool swimming any
three of the strokes.
Cost for a 15-week session for the
developmental team is $145 for JCC
members and $180 for non-members.
Cost for the competitive team is $155
for members and $190 for non-mem-
bers. For information, call Debbie •
Kraft, (248) 624-5611.
%WC Hosts
Awards Night
The Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit will hold an
awards night for sports, aquatics and
tennis classes at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan.
16, in the D. Dan & Betty Kahn
Building in West Bloomfield.
All Winter I class participants and
their families are invited. A video of
classes will be shown and participants
will be recognized with medals.
Refreshments will be served.
For information, contact the Sports
and Recreation Department, (248)
661-7682.
Bowling Scores
Morgenthau L'Chayim/Zeiger-Gross
Dec. 6
Jerry Broida 244-203-247/694; Ryan
Lash 259-258/691; Steve Hoberman
280-218/651; Mike Diskin 245/615;
Larry Harwin 214/606; Lee
Weinstein 226-205; Don Rosenberg
221-200; Barry Kaplan 219; Sam
Rodd 218; Mike Berkowitz 215; Bill
Yaker 214; Al Yendick 213; Joel
Lankowsky 210; Jeff Zamler 202;
Allen Klegon 201; Bernie Goodstein
200; Carl Berlin 200.
Downtown-Fox
Dec. 7
David Lazarus 226-219/632; David
Little 241/629; Joe Shanbaum 222-
203; David Shanbaum 258; Larry
Frommer 247; Steve Kay 243; Steve
Woronoff 228; Jack Geer 211; David
Elbinger 201; Sy Zate 201.
Temple Israel, Dec. 12
Jerry Rubin 633/266; Neil Lefton
617/266; Keith West 608/231-201;
Charlie Federman 605/208-207; Jim
Weiskopf 214-221; Mike Schussel
266; Paul Wasser 225; David Marsh
222; Mitch Nelson 216; Bill Petek
213; Larry Kaluzny 213; Ron Klein
212; Howard Marsh 211; Brandon
West 211; Larry Rothenberg 209;
Eric Weiss 205; Fred Labelle 205;
Mark Richie 203; Amnon Reiter 202;
Rick Kirsch 202; Harold Lipsitz 200;
Zvi Shevach 200.
Galilee Monday, Dec 6.
Marlene Goldman 504; Cindy Moss
500; Paula Slomovitz 201.
Galilee Tuesday, Dec 7
Frayda Riger 509; Karen Minc
502/200.
Galilee-Centennial, Dec 8
Cheryl Feldman 518.
Israel-Zeiger, Dec 9
Janet Sigmon 507/200; Sharon Zabel
500.
12/17
1999
113