sports p Medals Of Honor Maccabi Is Coming Steve Stein Contributing Writer I D on't look now, but the 2014 JCC Maccabi Games & ArtsFest hosted by Detroit is just months away. Aug. 17-22, 2014, to be exact. Two kickoff meetings have been sched- uled for prospective Detroit athletes and artists, host families and volunteers. The meetings are at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the JCC in Oak Park. "It's time to make sure people know the JCC Maccabi Games & ArtsFest is coming to town:' said spokeswoman Sari Cicurel. This will be the fifth time Detroit will host the Maccabi Games, the most of any city, since the event for Jewish youth ages 13-16 began in 1982 in Memphis, Tenn. Detroit previously hosted in 1984, 1990, 1998 and 2008, but 2014 will be different. "We're hosting ArtsFest (which began in 2007) for the first time, so we're not just hosting the Maccabi Games again:' Cicurel said. More than 2,000 out-of-town par- ticipants, their families and coaches are expected. That means 800 host families are needed. More than 1,000 volunteers are needed to make sure everything runs smoothly. An estimated 15,000 will crowd into Joe Louis Arena in Downtown Detroit for the opening ceremony. There will be competition in baseball, basketball, soccer, flag football, volleyball, softball, inline hockey, lacrosse, bowling, dance, swimming, table tennis and tennis. ArtsFest categories include acting/ improv, culinary arts, vocal music/glee club, dance, forensics, orchestra, musical theater, rock band, star reporter and visual arts. Karen Gordon and Rick Zussman are the event co-chairs, Florine Mark and Joel Jacob are honorary co-chairs, and Ariella Monson is the director. Tryouts for Detroit Maccabi Games & ArtsFest participants will be held in December and January. For dates and times, visit www.2014detroit.org or contact Detroit delegation head Franci Silver at (248) 505- 9007 or soccerrcoach@gmail.com . More information can be found on the Maccabi Games & ArtsFest Facebook page. Winning isn't everything at the JCC Maccabi Games & ArtsFest. Sportsmanship, being a mentsh, displaying rachmones (compassion) and contributing to JCC Cares community projects also are important. This year, for the first time, medals were presented by delegation heads and coaches to participants who embraced those traits. Receiving the Midot (Jewish values) med- als were Detroit's inline hockey team and coaches, soccer player Emily Fisher and tennis player Brandon Solomon. Detroit delegation head Franci Silver said inline hockey coach Bryan Robbins, assis- tant coach Ivan Glasser and the team were honored for their sportsmanship. Fisher won kudos for taking the lead when her team played soccer with special needs children in a JCC Cares project. Solomon received a medal from another delegation for offering helpful tips to a ten- nis opponent, even though the opponent was prevailing in the match. Detroit's inline hockey and soccer teams played in Orange County, Calif. Solomon played in Austin, Texas. Double Time An ambitious recruitment campaign by the Downtown Fox B'nai B'rith Bowling League has paid dividends. * jcc maccabi* GAMES®& ARTSFEST® AUGUST 17-22, 2014 "Only seven teams from last year com- mitted to come back:' said Downtown Fox President Justin Kaplan. "Now we have 14 teams. That makes us one of the biggest B'nai B'rith bowling leagues in the area:' Kaplan said a kickoff party Sept. 17 at Drakeshire Lanes in Farmington Hills that featured free bowling and food attracted 30-40 bowlers. The league season has been shortened from 38 to 24 weeks and split into two halves to accommodate bowlers' busy schedules. The first half began Oct. 1 and will con- tinue every Tuesday until Dec. 17. After taking time off, bowling will resume Jan. 7 and continue weekly until April 1. A league banquet will wrap up the season. "We're still looking for bowlers, from subs to complete teams:' Kaplan said. "If someone wants to stop by Drakeshire Lanes at 7:30 on a Tuesday night and see what our league is like, bowling will be free:' For information, contact Kaplan at (248) 672-0818 or justin-kaplan@comcast.net . ❑ Send news to sports@thejewishnews.com. A Great Life begins at the... 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