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January 8 • 2009
& Fitness
Akiva students journeying to Israel
via laps in the gym.
Jay Towers
Lost 63 lbs.
"It is impossible
not to loss
weight in
this program"
A36
It
A
_ bout 120 first- through fifth-
grade students at Yeshivat
Akiva in Southfield are
running and swimming all the way to
Israel.
Not really, of course, but that's the
premise of a creative competition
between grades concocted by Akiva
athletic director and physical education
teacher Rick Kaczander.
Here's how it works: Each time a
student runs around the school's gym
during a two-minute period, his or her
grade is credited with one mile on the
approximately 6,000-mile trip from
Detroit to New York to Paris and, finally,
Jerusalem. As students reach milestones
on their journey on a map, Kaczander
gives them a short geography lesson.
As the 2008 portion of the school
year came to a close, all the grades
were crossing the Atlantic Ocean. To
represent swimming across the ocean,
students do their laps on scooters.
Akiva's third-graders were leading
the competition as 2009 began. They
had traveled about 1,800 miles, putting
them approximately halfway across the
Atlantic. Kaczander estimates the first
class will reach Jerusalem by the end of
April. There will be a prize for that class,
but Kaczander hasn't worked out the
details yet.
Kaczander organized a similar
competition last school year, with Los
Angeles as the destination. The second-
graders (now the third-graders) were
the winners.
"The kids are really getting into this
year's competition, probably because
it's longer and the destination is more
relevant to our school;' Kaczander said.
"They're always asking me where they
are on the map and how many miles
they've traveled. We have a lot of broth-
ers and sisters who attend our school,
so we have some friendly sibling rival-
ries going, toe
Maccabi Meeting
An important meeting for teens ages
13-16 (as of July 31) interested in repre-
senting Detroit at the 2009 JCC Maccabi
Games and their families will be held
at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Jewish
Community Center in West Bloomfield.
Tryout dates and times, coaches, host
communities and other details will be
discussed. This year's games will be
held Aug. 2-7 in San Francisco, Aug.
9-12 in San Antonio, Texas, and Aug. 16-
21 in Westchester, N.Y.
For more information, contact Karen
Gordon at (248) 432-5482 or
kgordon@jccdet.org, or go to the Detroit
JCC Maccabi Web site,
www maccabidetroit. org .
Hoop It Up
The winter season for the Kenny
Goldman Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Basketball
League at the Jewish Community Center
in West Bloomfield is just around the
corner. League play will begin Jan. 19
and continue through March 22.
Divisions include 6-and-under,
8-and-under, 10-and-under, 12-and-
under, 14-and-under and 16-and-under.
Games are officiated by Michigan High
School Athletic Association-licensed
referees. Coaches, parents and players
must sign a code of ethics to partici-
pate.
Players are using new jerseys this
year. Cost is $15. Parent coaches are
needed, and scholarships are available.
For more information or to register, call
Bruce Wineman at (248) 432-5498 or
Lee Greenwald at (248) 432-5404.
Best In Baseball
Jewish Major Leaguers, a not-for-profit
educational organization, has named its
first Jewish Major Leaguers of the Year.
Boston Red Sox infielder Kevin
Youkilis is the JMVP (Jewish MVP)
for the 2008 season. Pittsburgh reliever
John Grabow is the JML Pitcher of
the Year and Milwaukee outfielder
Gabe Kapler is the winner of the JML
Comeback Player of the Year award.
Youkilis hit .312 with 29 homers and
115 RBI. He also set a record with 238
consecutive errorless games at first
base (the streak began in 2006). The
Cincinnati native beat out fellow All-
Stars Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee
Brewers and Ian Kinder of the Texas
Rangers for the JMVP honor.
Grabow was 6-3 with a 2.84 ERA in
74 games for the Pirates. Kapler, who
had retired and managed in the minor
leagues in 2007, hit .301 in 96 games for
the Brewers. CI
Please send sports news to
sports@thejewishnews.com.