sports Maccabi Games Kickoff Creates Buzz Your Celebration Destination STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER D Preview our newly renovated event space “Our Bar Mitzvah was executed professionally and with the utmost attention to detail. Everbody had a blast!” - The Weinsteins, Farmington Hills Create your perfect event (248) 352-8000, ext. 298 FranklinClub.com/Parties 22 December 27 • 2018 jn etroit will be hosting the JCC Maccabi Games & ArtsFest for the sixth time. That’s more than any other com- munity in North America since the inaugural Maccabi Games were held in Memphis, Tenn., in 1982. But the local organizers of the week- long extravaganza of athletic competi- tion, community service, cultural and social programs for Jewish teens had never held a kickoff celebration. The experiment was a success. “We had no clue how the kickoff would turn out,” said Maccabi Games co-chair Karen Gordon. “We had got- ten good feedback from people when they heard about it, and our social media posts had gotten a lot of shares, but you never know how something like this ends up looking, feeling and working.” The kickoff worked. A few hundred people came to the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield on Dec. 16 to get informa- tion about being a host family, volun- teering and participating as an athlete or artist during the Aug. 4-9, 2019, Maccabi Games, which has been given the Twitter hashtag #DetroitIsBack. “There were people of all ages at the kickoff. New Maccabi Games people and seasoned Maccabi Games people. It ran the gamut,” Gordon said. “I think the kickoff created the beginning of an amazing buzz in the community.” The key word in Gordon’s comment is beginning. “We’re in a really, really, really good place right now when it comes to host families, volunteers and interested ath- letes and artists, but we can’t get com- placent,” she said. “There’s a buzz out there, but there’s a lot more to do in the coming months. The work and preparation are never-ending for an event of this size. I can tell you this: If people are willing to be a host family or volunteer, we’ll find a spot for you.” More than 1,500 athletes and 300 coaches are expected to participate in the Maccabi Games and more than 800 host families are needed. As for volun- teers, more than 1,000 are needed. Tryouts have been scheduled next month for several Detroit sports teams. The schedule is included with this story. For more information on try- outs, go to Maccabidetroit.com. A meeting will be held from 7-8 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 10, at the JCC for Detroit athletes who want to compete in these sports and Detroit artists: Lacrosse (boys and girls 16U); swim- ming (boys and girls 14U and 16U); table tennis (boys and girls 16U); tennis (boys and girls 14U and 16U); golf (boys and girls 14U and 16U); and ArtsFest (all ages and specialties). To register to be a host family or volunteer, go to maccabidetroit2019. com. ■ Send news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com. Tryout Schedule Here’s the tryout schedule for Detroit sports teams that will compete next year at the JCC Maccabi Games. Most of the tryouts will be in the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield. • Baseball (14U and 16U): 6:30-7:45 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 8, JCC gym; 6-7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 17, JCC gym. • Boys basketball (14U and 16U): 7:45-9 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 8, JCC gym; 6-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 15, JCC gym. • Dance (boys/girls 14U and 16U): 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 13, JCC dance studio. • Girls basketball (16U): 6-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 15, JCC gym. • Girls softball (16U): 6-7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 10, JCC gym. • Ice hockey: 5:15-6:45 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 13, Novi Ice Arena; 4-5:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 14, Farmington Ice Arena. • Soccer (boys 14U and 16U and girls 16U): 5-6 p.m., Sunday, Jan 20, JCC inline hockey center; 5-6 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 27, JCC inline hockey center. • Volleyball (girls 16U): 4-5 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 20, JCC inline hockey center.