r :
feature: teen profile
Danny
Burnstein:
competitive
wakeboarder
by Avi Buckman
here can you find Danny Burnstein, 16, throughout
the year? Not always in a classroom — more often on
the water.
That's because Danny, a junior at the Roeper School in Bloom-
field Hills, does not do what the average Jewish teen does. He's a
competitive wakeboarder.
Wakeboarding is a relatively unknown sport. Danny describes
it as "going on a snowboard behind a boat and using the wake to
get air" to do tricks that involve going upside-down and rotating
more than 360 degrees, such as "inverts" and "stems."
Danny, son of Michael and Debby and big brother to Ja-
son, 13, and Andrew, 8, is in the Junior X Series on the Pro
Tour, a wakeboarding league made up of up-and-coming pro-
fessionals. Just nine points from third place, Danny is ranked
fourth in his league. No one expected a Midwestern boy
who doesn't practice all year to get so far in front of
kids from Florida who practice year-round.
"We pretty much travel around the world to do
what we love to do," says Danny, who was in British Co-
lumbia recently. Danny's father or his Florida or Michigan
coaches accompany him to competitions.
Competitive wakeboarding can be a costly sport, especially
with all the traveling. The better he gets, the more traveling he
does. A sponsor supplies him with boards — five or six annu-
ally — and also chips in for the family boat.
A member of Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield, Dan-
ny knows of only one more Jewish participant in his league.
It all started with a girl who invited Danny to a water-skiing
camp when he was 7. When skiing was unsuccessful, enter wake-
boarding. He started competing at age 9.
Practice is essential to being a top contender. In the summer,
he practices on Walnut Lake, which is very close to his home, or
Brighton Lake. During the winter, he trains in Orlando, Fla. Dur-
Danny Burnstein, 16, of West Bloomfield shows off his wakeboard in style.
ing practice, he goes through his runs for competition and tries to
learn new skills.
His practices last as long as his endurance can carry him. To
stay in shape, he weight trains. To learn skills, "you start a lot on the
trampoline and use the trampoline for muscle memory. You usually
tie a wakeboard rope to a tree [while on the trampoline] so you get
used to having the rope in your hand."
Then it's just a matter of guts when Danny speeds behind the
boat and does a new trick. If he gets hurt he gets hurt, he says. This
attitude brings success, but also a record of breaking his tibia, fibula
and ankle.
The Roeper School works with Danny around his competition
schedule. "My school just tells me that I have to have pretty much
a certain grade before they'll let me go, and I just have to do the
homework while I'm gone," he says.
t:77
Will wakeboarding be a new Olympic sport?
Danny says the committee is interested but unsure
because it's a motor sport and relies on a boat.
Avi Buckman, 14, attends the Frankel Jewish Academy,
West Bloomfield.
T2T torah: shoftim
intern insight
Aug. 18, 2007 — by Carly Cykiert
by Hadas Corey
When my parents sat me down and told me
who shall lead us?
Parshat Shoftim starts off with something people of
that I had to get a summer job, I was more
than unhappy.
rules, everyone would act like this.
all ages have to deal with — the need to have judges
For example, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton drove
and police officers in all our cities. People learn from
while drunk. Paris and Lindsay are both role models
a young age to follow the rules. They know that there
to teenagers around America. Both were given re-
are people who enforce these rules and are in charge
duced sentences for their actions. No one should get
of punishing anyone choosing to break them.
special treatment because they are rich or famous.
The Jewish people have a rule book of their own
When teenagers attempt to copy celebrities, they
— the Torah. The Torah tells us what to do in particular
could be putting themselves in danger and putting
situations and what not to do. The Jewish people don't
other people in danger.
choose to follow the rules because it makes sense; they
follow the rules because the Torah says to.
Some celebrities know the right thing to do. They
donate charity, adopt homeless children and help re-
In ancient days, judges, courts and officers en-
build destruction after natural disasters. Those celeb-
forced the laws of God, which formed a moral code
rities should be the ones we look up to. Other celebri-
for the Jews to live by. The judges interpreted the laws
ties need to feel the full weight of the law.
and also dealt with those who broke them. These of-
As Shoftim says, the system of leadership should
ficials formed a system of leadership the Jews could
be the judges, courts and officers of
look up to.
law. We need that system of leader-
In today's world, many teenagers look up to ce-
ship to teach us right from wrong.
lebrities. Every day, we see celebrities breaking the
Carly Cykiert, 15, attends the Frankel
rules, especially by drinking and driving or with drug
Jewish Academy in West Bloomfield.
possession. If we didn't have anyone to enforce our
2
This meant no more West Coast Adven-
ture with my best friend, Megan. I started to
imagine a summer full of stocking products
and ringing the register in my grandfather's
drugstore – until a great opportunity came
along.
This summer, I became the Detroit Jewish
News' first Teen2Teen intern. Meeting new
teens that all shared a passion for journal-
ism, I got the chance to write articles and
learn what it takes to work for a newspaper.
With plenty of help from Keri Guten Cohen,
T2T intern Hadas Corey helps style
a photo shoot with model Samantha
Chyette, 16, of Birmingham.
my editor and adviser, I had a summer full of
knowledge and fun.
The internship gave me experience that I will have forever; and after hav-
ing a cubicle at the office, it will be hard for me to return to my classes in
high school. I am extremely grateful to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit and all of the staff members at the Detroit Jewish News for giving me
the chance to learn and grow this summer. The education I received was
invaluable and I am eager to see the T2T staff continue to develop and grow.
Hadas Corey, 16, T2T intern, attends Birmingham Seaholm High School.