B

urt Hurshe ended his 
decades-long career as a 
high school sports official 
this spring. It wasn’
t the swan 
song he wanted.
The cancellation of high school 
spring sports across the state 
because of the COVID-19 pan-
demic meant Hurshe couldn’
t be 
an umpire at a few dozen base-
ball and softball games.
And he didn’
t get to be hon-
ored for 50 years of officiating 
by the Michigan High School 
Athletic Association at an annual 
banquet May 2 in East Lansing.
The Waterford resident pre-
viously was honored by the 
MHSAA for 20, 30, 40 and 45 
years as an official, but the latest 
award is extra special.
Hurshe, 74, was going to ask 
his wife of 40 years, Donna, to 
accept his 50-year award at the 
banquet to thank her for all the 
sacrifices she made through the 
years to allow him to pursue his 
passion for officiating.
When he was honored by the 
MHSAA for 45 years as a high 
school official, Hurshe received 
a gold-plated whistle in a Lucite 
case. He’
s awaiting his 50-year 
memento.
“I’
m heartbroken and sad 
about this last season,
” he said. “I 
didn’
t officiate high school sports 
for the money. It was about the 
commitment made by the ath-
letes and the respect I had for the 
coaches.
”
Hurshe officiated high school 
football, boys basketball, girls 
basketball, baseball and softball.
He did state championship 
games in girls basketball and 
softball and a state semifinal 
game in boys basketball. Four 

Detroit Public School League city 
championship games in football 
and two each in boys basketball 
and girls basketball also are on 
his resume.
The biggest high school game 
he officiated, in his eyes, was a 
1998 PSL semifinal boys bas-
ketball game between Detroit 
Pershing (ranked No. 1 in the 
nation by USA Today) and 
Detroit Cooley (ranked No. 2 in 
the state) in front of 11,000 fans 
at Joe Louis Arena.
Every game was important to 
him, not just the big ones.
“You have to go out each time 
with the mindset that this is the 
last game you’
re going to offici-
ate,
” he said.
Hurshe said he changed his 
approach to officiating about 25 
years ago, and it made a big dif-
ference.
“I stopped taking things 
personally,
” he said. “People do 
things and say things in the heat 
of the moment. You need to 
focus on the game, not what peo-
ple are saying.
”
Hurshe received a Michigan 
Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Pillars 
of Excellence award in 2012.
Earlier, he was inducted into 
the Detroit PSL Hall of Honor, 
Detroit Catholic League Hall of 
Fame and Cooperstown Youth 
Baseball Hall of Fame.
He was a teacher for 31 years 
at Southfield Public Schools and 
five years at Waterford Public 
Schools, and he’
s still a substitute 
teacher in Waterford.
He was the Southfield High 
School girls basketball coach for 
two seasons (1979-81). 

His Career
Is Officially 
Over

28 | MAY 21 • 2020 

sports HIGHlights

tures a slew of games on 
Sundays at Drake Sports Park 
and Keith Sports Park in West 
Bloomfield, was supposed to 
have had its opening day May 
3 and finish its playoffs Aug. 
23.
Seventeen teams, represent-
ing temples, synagogues and 
shuls across the area, are still 
hoping to play this summer.
Steve Achtman, one of the 
league’
s organizers, said he’
s 
not confident a season will be 
held, but he has some ideas 
about how the season can be 
salvaged.
The options are dependent 
upon executive orders issued 
by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer 
and social distancing and 
other safety measures that 
are put in place in Drake 
and Keith parks by the 
West Bloomfield Parks and 
Recreation Commission.
Achtman said there could 
be a summer/fall softball 
season with the 17 teams, the 
same number of teams as last 
season.
Or there could be a sum-
mer/fall season with a fewer 

number of teams pieced 
together by league organizers. 
That would be similar to the 
league’
s six-week fall season, 
which normally begins the 
Sunday after Labor Day.

FORE!
There’
s no uncertainty sur-
rounding the B’
nai B’
rith golf 
league’
s eighth season.
A dozen two-man teams are 
expected to compete for 16 
weeks. There were 10 teams 
and 22 golfers (two substi-
tutes) last year.
Weekly play in the nine-
hole league usually starts in 
late April. Opening day was 
scheduled for April 30 this 
year.
League organizer Gary 
Klinger said he delayed the 
start a couple weeks “because 
we could and it’
s usually 
cold, but mainly because of 
COVID-19.”
Only one golfer is allowed 
in a golf cart at the Links of 
Novi, and there’
s a limit of two 
carts in a group. Flag sticks 
must stay in and there are no 
rakes to smooth sand traps. 

BY STEVE STEIN 
quick hits

The secret is finally out.
West Bloomfield High School 
freshman Ryan Krauthamer won 
one head-to-head race and lost twice 
in an episode of American Ninja 
Warrior Junior taped last summer in 
Los Angeles and did not advance in 
the ages 13-14 division of the com-
petition.
Episode 11 of the show’
s second 
season aired May 1 on the Universal 
Kids channel. Krauthamer and his 
family members were not allowed to 
discuss the episode publicly until it 
aired.
“I was disappointed that I didn’
t 
move on to the next round, but I 
had a blast out there, and I’
m proud 
that I finished all three of my races,” 

Krauthamer said.
“It was a little difficult at first not 
being able to talk with anyone about 
how I did, but after time it didn’
t 
become much of an issue,” he said.
Krauthamer flew across the coun-
try to compete in the show. He was 
attending Surprise Lake Camp in Cold 
Spring, N.Y., the nation’
s longest-run-
ning Jewish sleepaway camp, at the 
time of the American Ninja Warrior 
Junior taping.

COURTESY OF KRAUTHAMER FAMILY

Krauthamer

continued from page 27

Burt Hurshe worked football, boys 
basketball, girls basketball, baseball 
and softball games during his 50-year 
career as a high school official.

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

DONNA HURSHE