Steve Stein Contributing Writer WEIGHT LOSS TEAM & I\ DIVID„AL 8 weeks of unlimited access to Franklin Athletic Club Before, middle and after measurements Team & Individual personal training sessions And SO much more Starting at just $240.00 SAY TO A HEALTHIER r u For more information, please contact Sarah Kuretzky (248) 352-8000 ext 506 Membership Services (248) 352-8000 ext 435 WWW.FRANKLINCLUB.00 29350 Northwestern Highway Southfield, MI 480341(248) 352-8000 36 January 12 • 2012 H arrison Miler's team didn't win a game in the Stars and Stripes Baseball Winter Wood Bat World Championships in Florida, but that's not what he and his father Larry Milen will remember most about the trip. "I had a great time, and I met a lot of guys from all over the country:' said Harrison, a freshman at North Farmington High School. "It was a great experience," Larry said. "In addition to playing baseball, the kids heard speakers on important topics ranging from training to deal- ing with college recruiters, and they got to know each other through activi- ties like a scavenger hunt." The facilities everyone used certain- ly weren't too shabby. Players and their families stayed at the Orlando World Center Marriott, and games were played at the Houston Astros' spring training facility in Kissimmee. Harrison earned a chance to play in the 141.1 age division in the late December tournament through a fall tryout held at Fraser High School. Because Michigan didn't have enough players to form its own team, Harrison and two others from the state were placed on the National Stars team with players from Arizona, California, Colorado, Kentucky and New York. There were eight teams in the divi- sion. The National Stars opened with an 8-0 loss to the Georgia Stars, but their next three defeats were all by one run. They fell 2-1 to the Riverview Rockets from Tampa and by identical 4-3 scores to the New York Stars and Carolina Stripes. The first two games were in pool play, and the latter two in a double- elimination tournament, which was won by the Orlando Assault. Games went seven innings or were stopped by a two-hour time limit. Harrison was the National Stars' catcher in just about every inning, and he hit .571. He went 4-for-7 at the plate with three walks. Among his hits were three singles and a double. Catcher isn't Harrison's top position, but that's where his team needed him. He considers pitching his forte. "To be honest, I'm disappointed I didn't get a chance to pitch:' he said. This was the first time Harrison competed in a tournament that used wood bats, but he's comfortable with them because he hits with wood bats during practice all the time. "It's more difficult to hit with a wood bat than a metal bat so that helps me when I use a metal bat in games:' hc. said. . Harrison plays a lot of baseball. He joined the Michigan Bulls travel baseball program last fall after several years of playing for North Farmington West Bloomfield teams. The Bulls are based at the Bullpen Baseball/Softball Academy in Novi. After playing on NFWB Panthers tournament teams as a 6- and 7-year- old, Harrison was on Cobras travel teams from ages 8 through 13. He played at the Cooperstown (N.Y.) Dreams Park near the Baseball Hall of Fame while he was with the Cobras, and he played in a tournament in Knoxville, Tenn., last summer with a Little Caesars travel team. Harrison plans to try out for the North Farmington varsity baseball team this spring. It won't be easy to make the varsity because he's a fresh- man, but he says he'll give it his best. The 5-foot-5, 130-pounder already has made a name for himself as an athlete at the high school. He played quarterback for the North Farmington freshman and junior varsity football teams last fall even though he'd previously played just one season of football, as a seventh- grader at what's now Warner Upper Elementary School. "I love playing football, but baseball is my No. 1 sport:' said Harrison, who turned 14 on Nov. 8. Harrison said he'd like to play for the Detroit 14U baseball team in this summer's JCC Maccabi Games. He sees it as another opportunity to make new friends while playing his favorite sport. The Milen family — Larry and Stacey Milen and son Harrison — lives in Farmington Hills. Please send sports news to sports@ thejewishnews.com .