sports beat

by Ben Eilender

spectacular season

WBHS's tennis champ Andrew Cahn succeeds on the court and off,

igh school sports are something that every
teen athlete dreams about. What is better
than having the opportunity to compete in
the sport you love against other skilled high school-
ers from around the area while also having fun with
friends on your team and friends from opposing
teams?
For local Jewish teen Andrew Calm, this energizing ex-
perience happens when he is on the courts just off Orchard
Lake Road, playing for his high school tennis team.
Andrew, 15, and a sophomore at West Bloomfield High
School, not only had a great time playing on WBHS'
tennis team with his teammates this year, but also had a
spectacular season on the court.
His game is unorthodox and very hard to play against.
He presents his opponents with a mix of finesse and pow-
er, bringing heavy topspin to ground strokes, along with
a strong net game and a versatile serve. Andrew posted a
22-1 record at the very challenging two singles position.
With his killer serve and consistent ground strokes, many
of the top players in the state had trouble competing with
Andrew. Not only did he have a great record, but he also
was the No. 1 seed at the Oakland Athletic Association
League tournament, No. 1 seed at the Division 1 regional
and, after a tough three-set match, the eventual regional
champion.
Although Andrew had an unbelievable win-loss tally,
he did not fall short in providing the rest of the team with
good entertainment. He had plenty of three-set matches

Andrew Cahn, regional high school singles

champion

that lasted close to three hours.
Unfortunately for Andrew, his West Bloomfield Varsi-
ty team played in one of the toughest districts in Division
1, which included state champion Birmingham Brother
Rice High School and 5th-place state finisher Troy High.
The WBHS Lakers finished third in the district and fell
three points short of qualifying for the state tournament.
"Although it was disappointing not to make the state
tournament, it was still a really good year," Andrew said.
"I had a ton of fun with my teammates and had a fine
season. But there still are a lot of things I need to improve
on for next year."
In addition to Andrew being a great tennis player, he's
first and foremost both an unbelievable competitor and a
true stand-up guy. He always has a positive attitude, even
when the team is not playing well; and he is always the
first one rooting the rest of his teammates on.
His future — as both a person and a tennis player — is
bright as he will now have to carry his team as a No. 1
singles player next season.
Andrew attended Hillel Day School of Metropolitan
Detroit in Farmington Hills through eighth grade. He is a
member of Congregation B'nai Moshe
in West Bloomfield with his family, par-
ents, Marla and Mark, and younger sis-
ter Sara, 12.

Ben Blender, 17, is a senior at West Bloom-

field High School.

opportunities

by Emily Goodman

US/ returns

Motor City chapter has big plans for this year.

ast year, dedicated teens
took the initiative to revive
United Synagogue Youth
(USY) in our community. Thanks
to these teens, supportive parents
and committed Jewish profession-
als, USY is back and better than
ever in the Motor City!
MCUSY, or Motor City USY, is
a youth group of teens in grades 9-
12 from synagogues all over Metro
Detroit. The youth group is affiliated
with the United Synagogue of Con-
servative Judaism and ATID: Alli-
ance for Teens in Detroit.
MCUSY's members can organize
and attend events with the chapter
as well as go to Central Region USY
(CRUSY) functions and meet people
from the Midwest. Moreover, mem-

hers can run for positions on the
chapter board. The cost of joining
MCUSY is only $36 and comes with
the benefit of paying reduced rates at
events and functions. Double Chai,
double the fun!
Though new, MCUSY has already
positively affected local teens.
"Motor City USY is a great way to
be able to have fun with my friends
and feel like I'm making a difference
at the same time," said Allie Lich-
terman, a current executive board
member. "I think we've been able to
formulate some great ideas that will
really impact Jewish teens in Metro
Detroit and our Jewish community as
a whole."
Since last year, MCUSY has
grown rapidly. There are now more

TT2 teen2teen November 19 • 2009

MCUSY board: Annie Jacobson, Marni Jacobson, Shira Wolf and Ted! Dorman, all 15 and of

West Bloomfield; Mlle Lichterman, 15, of Huntington Woods; Ayelet Shapiro, 16, of West

Bloomfield; Emily Goodman, 15, of Franklin

functions, more members, a full ex-
ecutive board and a developing gen-
eral board. Some successful MCUSY
events included delicious Shabbat
dinners, pool parties and limo scaven-
ger hunts. All Jewish teens in grades
9-12 can attend any MCUSY event.
Try out MCUSY from 3-5 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 13, for a Battle of the
Bands at Congregation Shaarey Ze-
dek, Southfield. This will be followed
by a "Pyrtotechnic Chanukiyah Light-

ing." If you have a band that wants
to battle, contact Marni Jacobson,
MCUSY president, at marnijacob-
s on @ frankelj a. org.
For more information, check out
the MCUSY Face-
book group. { 1

Emily Goodman, 15,

Is a sophomore at the

Frankel Jewish Acade-

my In West Bloomfield.

visit JNt2t.com