|
|
March 14, 2003/Adar2 10 5763, Vol. 55, No. 29
Religion and sports collide in 'Coaching Ira'
JESSICA BARBER
Staff Writer
An eclectic group of teenagers on a United Synagogue Youth basketball league may not be the traditional filling for a modern-day sports novel. But Adam Shandler's book, "Coaching Ira," weaves nail-biting games, fierce competition and the power of teamwork to create a novel that forces Judaism and sports to collide.
"I wanted to write a sports novel, but I didn't want to write about a hero that overcomes insurmountable odds," says Shandler. "That has been done to death already."
The New York City resident will visit Beth El Congregation in Phoenix on April 6 to discuss his first novel, as well as give a presentation on the history of Jews in sports.
"There is a whole landscape of the Jewish sports experience that people don't know about," he says. "Stereotypically, (Jews) have been considered bookish people ... sports is an area where we've been considered a minority. But there was a time when Jews were prime players in the world of sports, especially during the times of big immigration."
"Coaching Ira," however, does not focus on prime players, but rather on a group of teenagers growing up in white, affluent suburbia with no viable connection other than their USY basketball team. Added to the mix is their reluctant Coach Ira Korbman, who missed the pivotal points in his 1979 USY championship game, and has allowed the disappointment to get the better of him.
"People can come together from different backgrounds and as long as they are unified, they'll eventually achieve their goal," says Shandler. "That's really the core of the book."
The book also touches on the sensitive subjects of anti-Semitism, interfaith dating and ideological differences among the different denominations of Judaism.
Shandler took on the idea of combining religion with sports because he felt it "makes for a wild and interesting read."
"When you combine something like sports, that's not totally necessary in life, and add religion, which is life and death to many people, you end up with a pretty interesting story," he says.
Shandler, who has been on a "grassroots tour" including synagogues, radio and television stations and Jewish organizations throughout the country, plans to weave his Jewish sports history lesson with excerpts from his novel, which is loosely based on his own experiences playing USY basketball in high school.
"(Our team) all came from different cliques and we all had different interests and long-term ambitions," remembers Shandler. "But when we got on the court, game by game, we started to gel and come together to achieve a common goal."
Shandler, a native of Livingston, N.J., earned a bachelor's degree in radio and television production from Hofstra University in 1996. He has been employed as a deejay at an Oldies radio station, a traffic reporter and an executive recruiter. Currently, he "pays the bills" by marketing a young men's hair care line.
"I had this novel in me and it had to be written and now is the time because (my wife and I) don't have a lot of attachments," says Shandler. "I said, 'If we're going to take a gamble, it's got to be done now.' "
Before coming to Phoenix, Shandler discussed Jews and sports and his book at the United Jewish Communities conference in San Francisco. He hopes that the tour will encourage book sales and add to a lifetime of writing.
"The long term goal is to write full time," he says. "I guess my perfect happy ending would be that this book does very, very well."
Shandler and his wife Michelle are members of Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City.
Details
- What: "Jews in Sports"
- Who: Adam Shandler, author of "Coaching Ira"
- When: 10:30 a.m.-noon Sunday, April 6
- Where: Beth El Congregation, 1118 W. Glendale Ave., Phoenix
- Call: 602-944-3359
|
