Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/757002
000000 Hey Kids! Get your art supplies out and gather your favorite colors. It's the annual Chanukah Cover Art Contest! Enter Now! ALL WORK MUST BE RECEIVED BY NOON, Wednesday, DEC. 7, 2016 at The Detroit Jewish News /PSUIXFTUFSO)XZt4PVUIåFME.* "UUO+BDLJF)FBEBQPIM *OPSEFSUPCFFMJHJCMF 0OMZPOFFOUSZQFSDIJMEt"GVMMZDPNQMFUFEFOUSZGPSN NVTUCFUBQFEUPBSUXPSL "DPMPSQIPUPPGUIFBSUJTUNVTUBDDPNQBOZBSUXPSL &OUSZ'PSN Child's Name:_______________________________ Age:_______ Parents' Names: ________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________ City: ________________________State:________Zip:__________ Day Phone: ________________________Evening Phone:________ Email:________________________________________________ School: ___________________ Religious School: ______________ Send to: The Jewish News Attn. Jackie Headapohl 29200 Northwestern Hwy. #110, Southfield, MI 48034 Sponsored by (248) 543-3115 3947 W. 12 Mile Road Berkley, MI 48072 www.DollHospital.com .BUFSJBMT "OZUIJOHUIBUTIPXTVQCPMEBOECSJHIUTVDIBTNBSLFSTDSBZPOT QBJOUPSDVUQBQFSNO PENCILS, LIGHT BLUE CRAYONS, GLITTER OR COMPUTER-GENERATED ARTWORKNVTUCFIBOENBEF Size: XJEFYIJHIWFSUJDBMGPSNBU "HF$BUFHPSJFT 6QUPBHFt"HFTt"HFT Grand Prize: $100 and the artwork on the Dec. 22, DPWFSPGUIFJewish News! First Prize: JOBMMBHFDBUFHPSJFT )POPSBCMF.FOUJPOT'JOBMJTUTJOBMMDBUFHPSJFTXJMM CFGFBUVSFEJOTJEFUIF$IBOVLBIJTTVF%FD 1JDLVQFOUSJFTBUUIFJewish News VOUJM+BO 7PUJOH(PUPPVSXFCTJUFUIF+&8*4)/&84DPNGSPN%FD %FDUPWPUFGPSZPVSGBWPSJUFFOUSJFT7PUJOHDMPTFTPO%FD December 1 • 2016 59 Old-School Coach Steve Stein | Contributing Writer T he clock is approaching 5:40 a.m., and Rick Kaczander is on the phone with a reporter. It's the best time for him to be interviewed that day because he has basketball practice at 6 a.m. and family commitments later. Wait, basketball prac- tice at 6 a.m.? And it was a practice requested by the boys varsity bas- ketball team he coaches at Farber Hebrew Day School (formerly Akiva Hebrew Day School) in Southfield. The team practiced the previous day, but it was looking at three days without practice before it played an exhibition game against school alumni. "So a few of the guys texted me and asked to have a practice," Kaczander said. "I said fine, but they'd better be at the school by 5:55." Kaczander stepped down this year as athletic director at Farber after serving in that role since 2001. Matt Gasparotto is now the A.D. Kaczander has coached the boys varsity basketball team since 2011. He's also coaching the Farber girls varsity basketball team this season. "The kids keep me young," said Kaczander, 66. "I've known most of the boys and girls I'm coaching this year since they were in kindergarten. I'll keep coaching on a year-to-year basis." Coaching at a small private school has its challenges, Kaczander admits. "Sometimes it's difficult for the kids to get to practice because they have other activities or they need to study," he said. "And there's not a lot of gym time available. That's why we're prac- ticing at 6 o'clock in the morning." The advantages outweigh the chal- lenges. "They're good kids and I enjoy working with them even though they want to play all the time in practice, and I'm an old-school guy who wants to focus on basics and fundamentals," he said. "Plus, everyone at the school has accepted me and supported me even though I'm not an Orthodox Jew." Farber plays basketball teams from other private schools. A highlight most seasons for the boys varsity team is Yeshiva University's Red Saracheck Basketball Tournament in New York City. Farber won its division there last year, a first for the team, "and the kids were thrilled beyond belief," Kaczander said. Unfortunately, Farber wasn't chosen in an annual lottery to participate in the 2016 Yeshiva tournament, but Kaczander hopes the team will travel to play the Fuchs Mizrachi School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, this season. Kaczander was a member of the inaugural group of Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation Pillars of Excellence Award win- ners in 2012. Winners are honored at the foundation's annual Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame induc- tion ceremony. "It's a nice recognition. I certainly didn't expect it," Kaczander said. He was honored for his three decades as a high school basketball, football and softball coach and official that include officiating league and state championship games. In addition, Kaczander was the state squash doubles champion and singles runner-up in 1981, and he was the assistant coach and coach for medal- winning Detroit basketball teams in the 1992 and 2005 JCC Maccabi Games. MACCABI MEETINGS Here's a final reminder that important information meetings for prospec- tive Detroit athletes and artists and their parents for next summer's JCC Maccabi Games & ArtsFest will be held this month at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield. Team sports meetings will be from 1-2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, and 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15; individual sports meetings will be from 2-3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, and 7-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15; ArtsFest meetings will be from 3-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, and 8-9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15. It's necessary to attend just one meeting. Coaches will be there, tryout/ audition schedules will be distributed and questions will be answered. Detroit will participate in Maccabi Games held July 30-Aug. 4 in Birmingham, Ala., and Aug. 6-11 in Miami, Fla. ArtsFest will be in Miami. For more information, call (248) 432-5482 or send an email to jccmaccabi@jccdet.org. * Send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com. sports » Rick Kaczander