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Perfect game bowler
Mitch Lefton will
be installed in May
as president of the
International B’nai B’rith
Bowling Association.
VS.
Sweet Perfection
Steve Stein | Contributing Writer
T
he Brotherhood-Eddie
Jacobson B’nai B’rith Bowling
League is in its 58th season.
Mitch Lefton has been around a
little longer. He’s 65. He’s now the old-
est bowler to roll a perfect 300 game in
league play.
It happened Feb. 8 at Country Lanes
in Farmington Hills. Lefton bowled 186-
245-300—731.
This was the second 300 game of his
bowling career. The first was Feb. 27,
2011, at Drakeshire Lanes in Farmington
Hills in the now-defunct Suburban Lakes
League.
Lefton said he was surprised and
pleased to learn about his place in
Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson history
from league secretary Gary Klinger.
“But it needs to be put in context,” he
said. “Throwing a 300 game is somewhat
easier in these days of high-tech bowling
balls than it used to be. Really.
“We’ve had some very fine older
bowlers in the league through the years.
Throwing a 300 isn’t easy by any means,
but it’s not as rare as it was in years past.”
Lefton made it look easy on the night
of his latest 300. He had solid pocket hits
on 11 of 12 shots.
“I sent one shot a bit wide to the right,”
he said.
He said he was quite nervous in the
final frame even though things were
going well.
“Anytime you get nine or more strikes
in a row, it becomes nerve-wracking,”
he said. “My last shot was tough. My
approach steps were a bit awkward, but it
ended well.”
Some sage advice he was given by a
friend years ago helped him down the
stretch.
“I was told to move to the left a bit
because I’m right-handed and the last
shots are always slower than normal,” he
said. “Moving to the left gives the ball
a bit more room to hook back into the
pocket.”
Lefton began the night with a 199 aver-
age in league play. He finished last season
at 207.
“I was struggling a bit this season until
about six weeks ago,” he said. “I changed
my approach timing and that’s helped
considerably.”
He’s a member of the Yogi’s Rollers
team.
“The name goes back quite a ways. The
team was named for a previous captain’s
dog,” he said.
His teammates are Howard Waxer, Stu
Zorn and Larry and Corey Slutsky. Zorn
and Corey Slutsky weren’t there to see
their teammate’s perfect game.
Lefton said he knew it was true when
Klinger told him he was the oldest bowler
to roll a 300 in Brotherhood-Eddie
Jacobson League play. There was no
doubt in his mind.
“In addition to being a great league
secretary — one of the best I’ve seen and
I’ve been one — he’s also the league histo-
rian along with his father, Mark,” he said.
Lefton lives in Farmington Hills and
is vice president of Packaging Services
Corporation in Madison Heights.
He’s heavily involved in B’nai B’rith
bowling besides competing each week in
the Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson League.
In May, he’ll be installed as president
of the International B’nai B’rith Bowling
Association. He previously served as the
IBBBA’s tournament director for eight
years.
The tournament director runs several
in-league tournaments for the IBBBA’s 25
member leagues and presides over the
annual sectional tournament that’s usu-
ally held in an affiliate league’s city.
This year’s sectional tournament will
be March 18-20 in Columbus, Ohio.
ATHLETES WANTED
Maccabi USA is seeking Jewish athletes
who would like to represent the U.S. at
the 20th World Maccabiah Games this
summer in Israel.
About 7,500 athletes from more than
70 nations are expected to compete
in more than 40 sports July 5-17. The
Maccabiah Games is the third-largest
international sports event and the largest
Jewish sports event.
The U.S. delegation is expected to top
1,200.
For information, go to MaccabiUSA.
com or contact Shane Carr at scarr@mac-
cabiusa.com or (267) 627-5647. *
SUN, FEB. 28
6:00 PM
All kids receive
a Pistons drawstring
backpack courtesy of
T I C K E T S AVA I L A B L E AT
PISTONS.COM | 248-377-0100
2073820
DETROITERS
10 TH Annual JCC Michigan- Florida
Reunion Dinner, Golf Classic and Games
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
HONORING
Renée & Earl Ishbia
Indian Spring Country Club - Boynton Beach, FL
NOT A GOLFER? NO PROBLEM!
Come play bridge, mahjong, canasta and other card games!
To register call Mort Plotnick 248.210.8494
For more information, visit www.jccdet.org/miflgolf
Proceeds will benefit the JCC Day Camps, the Sarah & Irving Pitt
Child Development Center and programs for children and teens with special needs.
The Jewish Community Center
of Metropolitan Detroit
Please send sports news to
stevestein502004@yahoo.com.
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February 25 • 2016
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