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Bowling Tournament Headed To Detroit

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

H

oward Waxer confidently calls
Detroit the center of Jewish bowl-
ing in the country.
There’s a fact to back up his bold state-
ment. Forty-two teams are competing this
season in the Metropolitan Detroit B’nai
B’rith Bowling Association’s two leagues.
“We have to be the largest Jewish bowl-
ing association in the U.S.,” said Waxer, the
association’s president.
Detroit’s Jewish bowling community
will temporarily grow larger in March
when the 76th annual International B’nai
B’rith Bowling Association Sectional
Tournament comes to the Motor City.
About 35-40 four-man teams will par-
ticipate.
In addition to 16-18 teams from
Detroit’s Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson
and Downtown Fox-MLZG leagues, teams
from places like New Orleans, Pittsburgh,
Chicago, Kansas City, Hammond (Ind.),
Lansing and Hamilton (Ont.) will come.
Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson expects
to have 12 teams. Downtown Fox-MLZG
should have four to six teams.
Waxer and David Little are co-chairs of

who had been killed in the
the March 24-26 tournament.
Challenger disaster.”
Competition will be held
That astronaut was Judith
starting at 9 p.m. March 25 and
Resnick, the first Jewish
10 a.m. March 26 at the 300
American in space. The
Bowl in Waterford, which has
Challenger space shuttle explod-
52 lanes. There will be singles,
ed Jan. 28, 1986, just 73 seconds
doubles and team events using
into its 10th mission, killing all
handicap scoring plus side
seven astronauts on board.
games.
Waxer said he and Little orga-
Tournament headquarters
Howard Waxer
nized the tournament previously
and site for registration, social
when Detroit hosted it “and
gatherings and the 5:30 p.m.
we’ve pretty much got it down to
March 25 tournament ban-
a science. We know what we need to do.”
quet will be the host hotel, the Radisson
The main decisions, Waxer said, are
Detroit-Farmington Hills.
establishing tournament dates and find-
“The tournament is competitive, espe-
ing a bowling center and host hotel.
cially for the better bowlers, but it’s also a
“We think everything will go smoothly
wonderful social event,” Waxer said. “It’s
an opportunity for Jewish bowlers to meet with 300 Bowl and the Radisson,” Waxer
said. “They’re only about a half-hour
Jewish bowlers from across the country
drive apart, especially when you’re driving
and Canada.”
Waxer has bowled in the tournament at Saturday night and Sunday morning.”
Two teams of bowlers that include
least 30 years and says he enjoys the com-
Waxer, Little and others working on the
petition and camaraderie.
“You never know whom you’re going to
tournament will bowl their tournament
games at 300 Bowl on the weekend before
meet,” he said. “Many years ago, I bowled
the tournament.
with the father of the Jewish astronaut

“We’ll be on the same schedule at 300
Bowl, only a week earlier,” Waxer said. “It’s
too difficult to bowl at the tournament
and make sure everything is running
smoothly. I think this is done with orga-
nizers at most tournament sites.”
The tournament was held in Columbus
last year. Next year’s tournament is
expected to be in Las Vegas.
Waxer said fewer numbers of B’nai
B’rith bowlers and rising transportation
costs have reduced the tournament fields
through the years.
The tournament used to be held in two
bowling centers in previous years that
Detroit was host.
In 2012, the tournament was at Country
Lanes and Drakeshire Lanes. In 2006, it
was at Novi Bowl and Drakeshire Lanes,
for example.
The tournament was first held in
Detroit in 1941 at the Detroit Recreation
Center on West Lafayette Boulevard.
For information on the tournament, go
to jewishbowler.com. •

Send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

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February 2 • 2017

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