Community

AROUND TOWN

Sticking Together

Floor hockey reunion brings hundreds back to grade school.

Patti Fracassi Taber and Ed Krass, both of Southfield, Kathy Hack of Farmington Hills and Leslie
Kanar Blatnickoff of West Bloomfield

E

d Krass of Southfield remembers the first slap shots and goals like it was yes-
terday. The longtime gym teacher at Leonhard Elementary School looks back
fondly on the days in 1968 when he started a popular children's floor hockey
program that lasted for decades. And, it's clear he's not alone! As many as 600 former
students and their families flocked back to the Southfield school
Nov. 29 to relive memories of those carefree days.
"We started out making the nets out of old volleyball nets;'
Krass recalled. "Then it got really big. We formed a league. At one
point, we had 18 teams for boys and girls. In 1977, the Parent
Teacher Association gave me an electronic scoreboard. Back
then, we were the only school around with a scoreboard like
the
Generations of Leonhard grads from as far away as Los
Angeles, Texas, Chicago and New York came back to play in exhi-
bition games during the reunion. The event, which raised $5,200
for the school's PTA, also included magic shows and puppet
shows for the children and a catered lunch.
"Leonhard floor hockey remains to this day as one of the

Jon Kasoff of Troy, Rhondi Keller of Southfield, Joanna Lubes

Stephanie Amster and her brother Matt of West Bloomfield

greatest parts of not only my childhood but my entire life;' said Michael Nathan of West
Bloomfield, who attended from 1969-1976.
"I remember coming to school on Monday mornings and seeing the updated team
standings on the wall in the front lobby. Also posted were pictures of students who were
named the stars of the game selected by Mr. Krass. In sixth grade, being named one of
only eight captains was huge. Just ask any former player, and I'll bet they can tell you the
name of the teams they played on!"
Cyclones, Rangers, and Sharks were Nathan's teams. At the height of his hockey hey-
day, Krass says about 60 percent of students at the school were Jewish. He believes the
children's direct involvement is what made the program so successful.
"They picked their own teams, made lineups, kept stats and refereed:' he said. "I found
it's a team sport that one person cannot dominate. Anybody can be a valuable part of the
team; everybody had equal playing time."
Those hockey-stick wielding students grew up to do some pretty impressive things;
the room was packed with doctors, lawyers, CEOs, politicians and other professionals. As
he watched them play, the 44-year veteran teacher was as proud as he has ever been.
"I'm 67 now and I was 23 when I started:' Krass said. "As long as my body will hold up,
I'll be here. I really enjoy working with the kids." ❑

Liz Pensier Rottner and David Goldfaden, both of
Tuttle of Huntington Woods and Ben Kasoff of Washington, D.C. Southfield, and Steve Singer of Seattle

CEI

December 11 • 2008

Shoshana Sprecher, 4, with her mother,

Danielle Hack Sprecher, of Macomb