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44 April 6 • 2017 jn 2117430 MEL DRYMAN Raised in Detroit, Experienced in Arizona Your Professional & Dedicated ARIZONA REALTOR Mobile: (480) 239-8686 mel.dryman@azmoves.com Each Office Independently Owned and Operated 78 TH ANNIVERSARY SALE RUG CLEANING CARPET CLEANING RUGS CARPET UPHOLSTERY LEATHER WOOD TILE & GROUT HAGOPIAN CLEANING SERVICES Oak Park | Birmingham | Novi | Plymouth | Utica | Ann Arbor Serving our customers for 78 years 3 ROOMS $ 78 some restrictions apply Expires 04/15/17 2 FOR 1 Bring your rugs to any of our drop-off centers and we'll clean every other one FREE! Expires 04/15/17 1-800-HAGOPIAN (424-6742) Schedule your cleaning online at www.OriginalHagopian.com OR Expect the Best... Expect the Purple Truck! BEAUTIFUL LAKEVIEW CONDO IN BOCA RATON 1,680 sq. foot, 2nd fl oor, 3 br, 2.5 bath. Skylights. Remodeled kitchen, granite counter top, tumbled marble back splash with newer appliances. Brand new washer and dryer. Mostly furnished. Magnifi cent country club with 5 star restaurants,4 signature golf courses and 31 tennis courts. Golf and tennis memberships available. State of the art fi tness center. Brand new golf activities center. $70,000 equity. Price $82,900. Colby Berchin, 561-213-7300. G ood news and bad news some- times go hand-in-hand. That's the case with power- lifter extraordinaire Jeff Ellis, who is sidelined by an injury once again after adding to his impressive resume. This time, a partially torn tricep tendon in his right arm suffered about a month ago isn't allowing the West Bloomfield resident to lift weights until probably the end of April. Last year he was sidelined for three months because of a right shoulder injury. In each case, the recov- ery regimen has been rest and physical therapy. The latest injury came shortly after Ellis won a gold medal in the Michigan Senior Olympics Winter Games in February with a 300- pound bench press. It was his 12th Senior Olympics gold medal to go along with one silver medal and one bronze medal in his eight years competing in the event. Ellis competed in an American Powerlifting Federation meet in December and broke his own APF state record with a 290-pound bench press. That qualified him for the APF nationals in May, but for the sec- ond straight year, he won' t be able to make his first appearance in the nationals because of an injury. "I won' t be ready for nation- als," he said. "The last time I was injured, I had dropped about 70 pounds in the bench press when I started lifting again." With his 58th birthday coming up in May, is Ellis thinking of putting an end to his powerlifting career? He' s not ready to toss in the towel just yet. "It' s come up in conversations with my wife and parents, but I hope I can continue," he said. "I'll admit it' s frustrating. Weightlifting has been a major part of my life for 40 years. I've had a lot of injuries, but these last two have been the worst. If I can' t compete anymore, I'll find something else to do." At the moment, Ellis plans to com- pete in powerlifting in the Michigan Senior Olympics Summer Games in August and try to qualify for the APF nationals once again this fall. He' s continuing to get into the gym as often as possible to do cardiovascu- lar workouts. "I've always placed a priority on exercise and finding time to do it," he said, even during income tax time, a busy stretch of the year for Ellis, a cer- tified public accountant. Here' s another bit of good news for Ellis concerning the Michigan Senior Olympics Winter Games. Ellis finally convinced his longtime friend Stu Bandalene to compete. "Jeff has been twist- ing my arm about it for a couple of years," Bandalene said. " When we were grow- ing up, Stu was the best athlete in our neighbor- hood in Southfield," Ellis said. Bandalene won three medals in basketball skills competitions at the Senior Olympics. The 57-year-old Sylvan Lake resident won a gold medal in "H-O-R-S-E" and silver medals in free throw and three-point shooting. "Basketball was my best sport when I was a kid, and I still love the game," Bandalene said. He played basketball at Southfield High School and basketball and soft- ball in B'nai B'rith leagues. Surgery on both shoulders and other physical ailments don' t allow Bandalene, who works in sales, to run up and down a basketball court any- more, but he can still shoot. He went 16-for-20 at the free throw line and 11-for-15 on three-point shots in his silver medal-winning efforts at the Michigan Senior Olympics. Royal Oak High School tennis coach Kevin Friesen made all 20 of his free throws and was 14-for-15 on three- point shots to win gold medals, but Bandalene beat Friesen in "H-O-R-S-E." "I've always been a good long- range shooter," Bandalene said. "Unfortunately, there wasn't a three-point line when I was in high school." • Send tips to stevestein502004@yahoo.com. Another Gold Medal, But Another Injury, Too Jeff Ellis has won a dozen gold medals in powerlifting at the Michigan Senior Olympics. STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER sports