In
2005, we are proud to announce that our youth program resulted in an important
achievement:
The Maccabi Games at the Jewish Community Center
Team
Dallas won 16 table tennis medals during summer Jewish Community Center (JCC)
Maccabi Games 2005 in Dallas, Texas !
The
Dallas JCC in cooperation with the DFWTT through Donna Chen's leadership
provided all the logistics and support before and during the summer games. In
addition, Yaser Salah, an active member of DFWTT, plus the Maccabi Games Table
Tennis Chairmen Bob Weinfeld and Matt Pizette provided additional help to ensure
a smooth run of the tournament, including draw designs, score keeping and
information, which exceeded Maccabi Games expectations. The Dallas JCC with the
invaluable assistance of DFWTT has raised the bar for what table tennis is and
should be at the Maccabi Games! The tournament was run on 8 tables total (6
Stiga and 2 Butterfly) and used 3 star orange Butterfly balls all provided by
DFWTT.
The
coaching and training was provided by Daniel Rutenberg, USATT Certified Coach
and a DFWTT Coach, with the assistance and help of an excellent table tennis
player Lance Rosemore. Team Dallas worked very hard for well over 7 months with
practices twice a week between January and August of 2005. All practices and
invitational exchange tournaments were conducted at the JCC in Dallas.
From
an initial group of 47 young players, ages 12 through 16 who tried-out, Team
Dallas ended with a roster of 17 talented players (6 girls & 11 boys)
representing the sport of table tennis during the Jewish Olympic style summer
games.
During
the 4-day table tennis competition there were more than 1,000 games played and
well over 12,000 points scored, represented by 46 players from 15 cities from
Canada , Israel , Mexico and the U.S. This was the experience of a lifetime
for these talented athletes! They also earned stories of athletic success,
camaraderie and sportsmanship.
The
table tennis Team Dallas included the following athletes:
GIRLS: Zoe Zalta, Natalie Weltman, Julie Weltman, Nicole
Danielewitz, Samantha Subar and Carly Rosemore.
BOYS: Bennett
Aaron, Adam Bates, Ryan Bates, Bryan Cytron, Sahar David, Michael Genecov, Zac
Moskowitz, Lee Perkins, Jeffrey Stulmaker, Danny Weiner and Sol Weiner.
At the
Olympic-style Maccabi Games, more than 1,400 Jewish athletes ages 13-16 from all
over the world tested their skills in baseball, basketball, bowling, dance,
golf, NFL flag football, soccer, softball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track
and field and volleyball. Aside from the competition, the games also featured
social, educational and spiritual programming that aims to offer a unique Jewish
experience for the delegates. Each team also participates in a program titled
the Day of Caring and Sharing, in which the athletes engaged in social action
projects dedicated to improving the communities that they visit.
For
the first time ever, Dallas hosted the 2005 games and showed its hospitality
with opening ceremonies at the Resitol Rodeo Arena, which included a performance
by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and opening remarks by Mark Cuban - owner of
the Dallas Mavericks Basketball team. The American Airlines Center was used for
the closing ceremonies - with other opportunities to visit local sights!
