RETIREMENT LIVING SPORT "It's been one of the best years of my life." Juggling Act Lakers overcome a net full of difficulties to place at states. Steve Stein Special to The Jewish News F finishing in a tie for sixth place at the Division 1 state boys tennis tournament is an impressive feat in itself. Considering what the West Bloomfield High School team had to overcome this season makes the accomplishment nearly miraculous. One of their top singles players left the team early in the season. A doubles player played most of the year with a broken arm. A player suffered a seizure in practice. Another player lost a parent just before the state tournament. Through it all, West Bloomfield went 6-1 in Oakland Activities Association Division I matches, finished second in regionals, and tied with three other schools for sixth place at states. "We played our best tennis of the year at the state tournament. As a coach, you can't ask for more than that',' said Greg Kopec. The season didn't get off to a great start for Kopec. After No. 2 singles play- er Peter Rothstein played in a couple of matches, he told Kopec he wanted to sit out the year. "Peter told me his heart wasn't in high school tennis:' Kopec said. "He said part of the problem was not hav- ing a break because of the change of our seasons. We had just played in the spring. I'm confident Peter will be back with us next year." With Rothstein gone, Kopec had to shuffle his lineup. That's lethal for some teams. "Tennis isn't like, say, basketball, where you just substitute someone into a spot',' Kopec said. "When someone is out of a tennis lineup, you have to bump up players to higher flights. The kids who moved up for us really rose to the challenge." Alex Simmons jumped from No. 3 singles into Rothstein's spot at No. 2 singles, and Mike Brodsky went from No. 4 to No. 3. Brodsky made it all the way to the state semifinals. Ben Eilender moved from No. 3 doubles to No. 4 singles because Kopec wanted to keep his No. 1 and 2 doubles teams intact. Jordan Goodman joined with Eric Wu at No. 3 doubles. Goodman broke his left arm over Labor Day week- end. He was able to continue playing because he's right-handed, but his backhand suffered. "Jordan normally hits a two-handed backhand, so he had to go one-handed until his arm got better," Kopec said. "Once he was healthy, Jordan really played well:" Dustin Goldenberg played No. 1 singles for West Bloomfield and com- piled a 17-10 record against tough competition. Three of the defeats were inflicted by state champion Magnus Hallahan of Troy, who beat Goldenberg in the state quarterfinals. West Bloomfield's No. 1 doubles team of Scott Jurewicz and Matt Ruza advanced to the state semifinals before losing a three-set match to the eventual champions from Port Huron Northern. The Lakers' No. 2 doubles team of Joel Siegel and Josh Zeman got to the state quarterfinals. Scott Berlin and Spencer Schram made up West Bloomfield's No. 4 doubles team. Maccabi Meetings Two kickoff meetings will be held later this month for area youths who are interested in competing in next year's Detroit JCC Maccabi Games. The meetings are at 4 p.m. Nov. 18 at the JCC in West Bloomfield and 7 p.m. Nov. 19 at the JCC in Oak Park. Prospective athletes need to attend just one meeting. Youths ages 13-16 (as of Aug. 1, 2008) are needed for Detroit's boys baseball, basketball, in-line hockey and soccer, and girls basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball teams. Youths ages 12-16 (as of Aug. 1) are needed for Detroit's bowling, dance, golf, swim- ming, table tennis, tennis and track and field squads. The Detroit Games will be held Aug. 17-22. For more information, prospective athletes and their families can visit www.maccabidetroitorg or contact Lindsey Fox at Lfox@jccdet.org or (248) 432-5499. Li Please send sports news to sports@thejewishnews.com. "Living at The Park at Trowbridge has been a wonderful change for me. I've made a lot of new friends through fitness classes, crafts and other things going on here. It's like being with friends all day long. I never dreamed my life could be so much fun!" Letter written by Edith S. — resident For more information or to visit, call The Park today! (248) 352-0208 24111 Civic Center Dr. c '72 e a Southfield, MI 48033 www.horizonbay.com at Trowbridge A HORIZON BAY SENIOR COMMUNITY The Brightest Tomorrows Begin Here.° 1 ,18400 N Let Good Health Be Your First Priority at Any Age! 20% Off Entire Purchase 1 With coupon only. Not valid with I any other offer or discount. Valid I at West Bloomfield location only.' AL Expires 11/30/07 Ask for our expert advice for your health needs: vitamins, herbs, weight loss, body building. 6738 Orchard Lake Rd. • West Bloomfield Plaza • 248-851-4740 1314230 Your child's difficult behavior ma be.more than 'List behavior lin 150 children will be affected with Autism It may be Autis - Is your child: Register for Fall C la‘ses: social ski& Miviietho-Apy. 111101.' • Not responding to their name • Having little or no eye contact • Having difficulty with social interaction • Having trouble communicating • Resistant to change • Tantruming We offer Speech, Nutrition and Occupational Therapy Director, Sheryll. Rosin, Ph.D. CCC-SLP Speech-Language Pathologist 340 Old V. v‘ood. warci, Ste. 203 Birming-ham 248-723-4ASD (4273) 1 WNVW. cenerforasd.corn J111 Center for Autism ' Spectrum Disorders November 8 • 2007 B9 ;