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November 14, 2003/Cheshvan 19 5764, Vol. 56, No. 8
U.S. Maccabi gymnastics team rife with Valley representatives
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
While any community would be proud to have a representative in the Pan American Maccabi Games, the Valley can feel that pride threefold - of the six-member gymnastics team, two of the gymnasts and the head coach all hail from the Valley.
Brina Weissman, a 17-year-old senior at North Canyon High School and Shelby Kahn, a 16-year-old junior at Chaparral High School, will head to Santiago, Chile, on Dec. 24, along with coach Dan Witenstein, owner of Arizona Sunrays Gymnastics Center.
Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel, the sponsor of the games, was founded mere weeks after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The Pan American Games feature Jewish athletes from North, Central and South America, Great Britain, Australia, South Africa and Israel.
In addition to competing in the games, which will be held Dec. 28 through Jan. 4, athletes will participate in sightseeing and social and cultural events.
Weissman, a member of the Arizona Sunrays Gymnastics Team, began doing gym-nastics 11 years ago and has been competing since the age of 8. She has competed all around the country, but this will be her first international experience.
Weissman practices five days a week for more than 20 hours per week, but says she doesn't mind the hours.
"I like the challenge and I have a lot of friends (at the gym)," she says. "It's a lot of work, but it's fun."
Weissman doesn't spend all of her time at the gym - she's also a member of National Honor Society at her high school and is a teacher's aide at Temple Chai's religious school.
Weissman lives with her mom, Terrie; dad, David; and her 13-year-old brother, Ethan.
Kahn, a member of the Xtreme Gymnastics Team, has been a gymnast for 12 years. She practices 28 hours per week, and when asked what she does during her time off, she says with a laugh, "homework."
"I like the discipline and I try to be really organized," she says. "It definitely keeps you focused on your goals and it teaches you responsibility, and leadership and social skills."
Kahn's excited about the opportunity to participate in the Maccabi Games, her first international event.
"I've never been to Chile and I'm looking forward to seeing the other gymnasts and the other competitors," she says.
Despite her success as a gymnast, Kahn does not plan to continue competing after high school. She broke her back two years ago, and it took her a year to recover, and she has also broken an arm. While she says she'll miss gymnastics, she "definitely will not be doing it in college."
Kahn lives with her parents, Nanci and Rick Kahn, in Scottsdale.
To Witenstein, inter-national competition is not a new experience - in addition to coaching his own athletes in various international competitions, he was the head coach for the U.S. women's gymnastics team in the Maccabiah Games in Israel in 1989.
Witenstein says that 15 girls applied for the six positions on the team.
He will travel to Chile with his wife, Julie, co-owner of Arizona Sunrays. The family, including son, Matthew, 9, and twins, Ilyena and Flori, 6, are members of Beth El Congregation.
Recently David Weissman became unemployed, and the family is looking for financial sponsorship for Brina Weissman to attend the games. To contact the Weissmans, e-mail dmwtjw@juno.com.
For information about the Pan American Maccabi Games visit www.maccabiusa.com.
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