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42

September 28 • 2017

jn

im Berk has done pretty darn
placed sixth in the 50 breaststroke
well in Michigan Senior Olympics (:37.21).
swimming competitions.
At 5-foot-4, Berk is shorter than
He’s swam in 15 races and won 15
many if not all of his swimming com-
medals. The cache includes 12 gold
petitors. That comes into play more at
medals, two silver medals
the national than state level.
ABOVE: Jim Berk
and one bronze medal in
Berk said longer races are
has made a habit
breaststroke events and the
his forte.
of winning medals
100-yard individual medley,
“That’s because longer
in swimming at the races require stamina,” he
which consists of butterfly,
Michigan Senior
backstroke, breaststroke and
said. “Starts and turns are
Olympics.
freestyle legs.
more important in shorter
Berk’s latest haul was four
races, and my height puts me
gold medals in four races in August at
at a disadvantage there.”
Oakland University.
Berk hopes to qualify for the
Swimming in the men’s 60-64
2019 National Senior Games in
age division, the 63-year-old West
Albuquerque, N.M., at the 2018
Bloomfield resident won the 50
Michigan Senior Olympics.
breaststroke (:37.89), 100 breaststroke
The National Senior Games —
(1:25.27) and 200 breaststroke (3:09.78) sometimes called the National Senior
and the 100 IM (1:26.18).
Olympics — is a 19-sport, biennial
His time in the 200 breaststroke
competition for men and women age
was faster than his winning time in
50 and older.
the 2016 Michigan Senior Olympics
A familiar face and voice to Detroit
(3:10.61) and beat the winning time
sports fans, Berk is a sports broadcast-
in the 50-54 age division this year
er who began his career in 1975. He
(3:11.06).
hasn’t put down the microphone. He
Berk swam in the 50-54 age division still hosts a cable television show that
in 2008. He returned to the Michigan
focuses on the Detroit Tigers.
Senior Olympics in 2014 and has
He’s worked for every local TV sta-
swam in the 60-64 age division since
tion except Channel 7, done morning
then.
drive-time sports broadcasts on WWJ
Winning all those medals is great,
Newsradio 950 and called play-by-play
Berk said, but it isn’t the only reason
for University of Detroit basketball
why he spends so much time in the
games on the radio.
pool.
Berk transitioned to a new career 17
“I swim for the pure joy of it, not
years ago. He’s a personal trainer and
only to win medals,” he said. “I also
exercise teacher, doing much of his
like to test my limits. That’s who I am.” work in retirement homes.
Swimming also is therapeutic.
“I can have a headache, go swim-
MACCABI AND SOFTBALL
ming, and when I come out of the
Here are a couple of notes to wrap up
water, I’m a new person,” Berk said.
previous sports column items:
Earlier in the summer, Berk com-
• Detroit had eight four-year partici-
peted in the 16th National Senior
pants in this summer’s JCC Maccabi
Games in Birmingham, Ala., after
Games. They were Caitlyn Finerty,
qualifying at the 2016 Michigan Senior A.J. Gilbert, Adam Gordon, Benny
Olympics.
Kirshner, Lily Kollin, Sloan Lemberg,
He took eighth place in the 200
Michael Umaniskiy and Evan Vine.
breaststroke (3:09.48) and ninth place
• Here are the teams and manag-
in the 100 breaststroke (1:24.57) in
ers in the InterCongregational Men’s
Alabama. The eighth-place finish
Club fall softball league: Jeters (Victor
earned him a ribbon and a spot on the Uzansky), Bad News Jews (Steve
podium for a top-eight placing.
Achtman), Homeruntaschens (Ben
Two years earlier at the
Watson), Kosher Ribs (Matt Bassin),
2015 National Senior Games in
Sandlot (Elon Friendman) and Marble
Minneapolis, Minn., Berk won a silver
Rye (Richard Jacobs). •
medal for a second-place finish in
Send tips to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.
the 100 breaststroke (1:22.02) and he