■
ffai r
From far left:
Shelly Jackier helps
Danielle Katz, left,
and Laura Langberg
with their Israeli
dance.
Daniel Novinson
warms up for the
Maccabi track team.
Monica Silvian sets up
a volleyball teammate.
Coach Steve Weiss
watches Ben Kaplan
dribble up court.
ketball; and Rick and David Zussman,
15-16 in-line hockey.
Add to that list veteran Maccabi
coaches Herb Bernstein and daughter,
Dena, coaching the Detroit swimmers.
Family ties can also be found in
neighboring delegations. Windsor is
sending 10 athletes and four adults to
Montreal, with Dr. Ron Polsky leading
the delegation and wife Joanne coach-
ing the tennis players.
The Ann Arbor team, in Omaha,
Neb., Aug. 4-9 for that city's Maccabi
Games, has several family pairs among
its 22 athletes and six adults: Jean
Christian is delegation head, her son
Ryan, a Maccabi veteran, is an assistant
coach and her daughter, Sarah, is play-
ing soccer; Steve Goldstein is coaching
son, Jonathan, in golf.
No area teams are competing at the
only other Maccabi site this year,
Memphis, Tenn. The first JCC
Maccabi Games were held 20 years ago
in Memphis, with several hundred
Jewish teenage athletes.
Maccabi came to Detroit for the sec-
ond games, in 1984, when participa-
tion jumped
to 1,000
athletes.
Detroit ho'st-
ed 2,200 athletes in 1990 and 3,200 in
1998, the last of the mega North
American JCC Maccabi Youth Games
to be hosted at one site. Since 1998,
five to six cities have hosted smaller,
more manageable JCC Maccabi Games
each summer.
Looking Forward
Not every athlete looks forward to
being coached by their parent. •
Stefani Silberstein, 14, is a softball
player whose dad has years of baseball
experience. "He has definitely helped
me improve my game over the years,
but he has never coached one of my
teams."
Stefani is-a bit apprehensive about
the experience. "I am a little excited
because I know he will be a great
coach, but I would rather be on my
own," she said.
Ron Silberstein believes his daughter
will work harder under his coaching.
He decided to volunteer after watching
Stefani and her teammates and coaches
enjoy the Maccabi experience last year
in Philadelphia.
Silberstein played college baseball
and coached at the high school and
college levels for four years. He has
played competitive softball for 25 years.
The certified public accountant is chief
financial officer and chief administra-
tive officer for Pro Golf in Farmington
Hills.
Two other members of the Detroit
Maccabi team can reassure Stefani
Silberstein that having a parent coach-
ing them is a plus. Brandon Yellen,
13, has been coached by his father for
five years in ice hockey and in-line
hockey. His reaction: "It's great having
my father coaching me. We learn a lot
from spending so much time togeth-
e r.
Brandon is looking forward to next
-
year when his brother, Jordan, can also
participate in Maccabi. "He's a great
athlete, and my best friend," Brandon
said.
Sheldon Yellen makes it a point to be
at all his sons' games, in spite of his
busy schedule. He's chief operating offi-
cer of Birmingham-based Belfor USA,
an insurance reconstruction company
with 51 offices in North America and
18 overseas. Hockey, he said, and
Maccabi give him a chance to meet
other adults who share his interests.
Dancer Laura Langberg has lots of
experience being coached by her mom,
who has choreographed several plays
involving Laur. a. "At times, its diffi-
cult," said Laura. "I mean, I don't want
her to do anything embarrassing in
front of everyone, but she usually gives
me my space and treats me the same as
the other dancers.
"I like that she is the coach because
she really helps out ... I don't know
many mothers who can help when I
have a dance question!"
Lois Langberg loves it when she can
share one-on-one with her four chil-
dren. "I think it is more of a thrill for .
me" than it is for Laura when "the two
of us work on choreography together.
She has great ideas, and I really enjoy
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