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Breakthrough!

Steve Stein | Contributing Writer

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34 February 11 • 2016

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he Frankel Jewish Academy
boys tennis team had to over-
come more than its opponents
last fall to compete in the Michigan
High School Athletic Association
Division 4 state finals for the first time.
It also took negotiations between
school and MHSAA officials to come up
with a schedule that allowed the Jaguars
to participate and not conflict with
Shabbat.
The state finals originally were sched-
uled for Friday, Oct. 16, and Saturday,
Oct. 17, at Kalamazoo College’s Stowe
Stadium.
Frankel players competed Thursday,
Oct. 15, and Friday, Oct. 16. None
advanced to the semifinals and champi-
onship matches scheduled for Saturday,
Oct. 17.
MHSAA Executive Director Jack
Roberts told the Jewish News he had no
comment.
Frankel Athletic Director Rick Dorn
said, “We worked closely with the
MHSAA associate director in charge of
tennis to determine the best way for our
students to participate that would not
interfere with the practice of Shabbat.
“We had experience working with
the MHSAA last June when our boys
golf team qualified for the [Division 4]
state finals. The process made it easier
to develop a plan in regards to boys
tennis.”
In that earlier instance, Frankel golf-
ers played Wednesday, June 3, and
Friday, June 5. The rest of the field
played Friday, June 5, and Saturday,
June 6. That was the first Frankel team
to play in a state final. The boys tennis
team was the second in the school’s
15-year history.
Dorn praised the cooperation the
school receives from the MHSAA when
there’s a schedule conflict with Shabbat.
“I notify the MHSAA office as
soon as we know we’ve qualified for a
regional or state tournament,” he said.
“It starts the process of determining the
path of least resistance for our students
and students from other schools. We
work very well with the MHSAA to
determine the best way to allow our
students to experience the excitement
of competing in a regional or state
event.”

It hasn’t always been that way.
A four-year Oakland County Circuit
Court battle between Frankel and the
MHSAA that started when the MHSAA
wouldn’t reschedule a district baseball
championship game ended in 2008
with a 32-page ruling by Judge Rae
Lee Chabot that said the MHSAA must
make “reasonable efforts” to schedule
state tournament events around the
Jewish Sabbath and holidays.
Chabot’s court order remains in
effect.
While the MHSAA’s Roberts didn’t
comment to the JN about the tennis
scheduling decision, MHSAA commu-
nications director John Johnson spoke
about it with a Kalamazoo Gazette
reporter just before the state finals.
“We’ve taken some steps to start the
tournament on Thursday and we’ll
play it by ear after that point,” he said.
“It’s a situation that requires a lot of
good communication, cooperation and
patience to be able to accommodate the
court order.”
Frankel tennis players scored nine
points in the state finals and finished
in ninth place among 27 teams. Jaguars
players won at least one match in seven
of the eight flights.
No. 4 singles player Jed Weinstein
and No. 4 doubles team Carter Altman
and Noah Kahan each advanced to the
quarterfinals.
Getting to the second round were
Garrett Smith (No. 2 singles), Solomon
Kahn (No. 3 singles), Jon Grey and Seth
Kahan (No. 1 doubles), Illan Elrom and
Jacob Martin (No. 2 doubles) and Justin
Shulman and Craig Tarnopol (No. 3
doubles). Jacob Bean (No. 1 singles)
was eliminated in the first round.
First-year coach Larry Stark’s team
earned the required 18 points to qualify
for the state finals in an Oct. 8 regional
at Ann Arbor Greenhills.
Frankel’s players don’t only excel
on the tennis court. The team earned
Academic All-State honors from the
Michigan High School Tennis Coaches
Association for its overall 3.8 grade
point average.
The Frankel boys golf team finished
in 12th place among 15 teams in the
state finals at the Meadows at Grand
Valley State University in Allendale.

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