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April 22, 2005/Nisan 13 5765, Volume 57, No. 34
Teen to compete in Israel
COURTNEY KREUZWIESNER
Special to Jewish News
Phoenix teen will soon join the likes of Sandy Koufax and Hank Greenberg as a Jew who's made baseball history when he plays for Team USA in the Maccabiah Games in Israel this summer.
Evan White, 16, will compete among thousands of other Jewish athletes from around the world July 10-21 in one of the top international sporting events. This is the first year that baseball will be a part of the Jewish Olympic-style competition since its inception in 1932.
"I am excited to be a part of an event with such great historical significance," says White, who plays outfield. "It is a great opportunity to be able to play with other Jewish athletes from around the world."
The 17th annual Maccabiah Games will bring together more than 6,000 athletes from 64 countries to compete in a variety of sports, including basketball, tennis, volleyball, golf, gymnastics, track and field, swimming and karate.
The Maccabiah Games have been a quadrennial event since 1957.
The United States, Canada, Israel and Mexico will be the only countries competing in the inaugural junior baseball competition, which will comprise players 15-18 years old.
White, a sophomore at Brophy College Preparatory, plays for the junior varsity baseball team and carries a 3.7 GPA. He is the son of Merri and Roy White, members of Temple Chai. He has two sisters: Mara, 18, and Leah, 11.
"We are very proud of Evan and know this will be an experience of a lifetime for him to travel to Israel and to play with all of these other tremendous athletes," says his mother, who will accompany him to the games.
Maccabiah Games alumni include swimmers Mark Spitz and Lenny Krayzelburg; gymnasts Mitch Gaylord and Kerri Strug; National Basketball Association stars Ernie Grunfeld, Dolph Schayes and Danny Schayes; golfer Bruce Fleisher; tennis pros Brad Gilbert and Dick Savitt; World Cup soccer star Jeff Agoos; and Olympic triathlete Joanna Zeiger.
White's journey to the Maccabiah Games began last August when he competed as part of the Phoenix delegation to the Maccabi Games in Austin, Texas (Phoenix will host in 2006). After that experience, he decided to pursue tryouts for the inaugural junior baseball team for the 2005 Maccabiah Games. In October, he traveled to the California Polytechnic State University campus in San Luis Obispo, where Jerry Weinstein, assistant head coach for the Cal Poly Mustangs, was holding tryouts.
"Evan impressed me with his defensive skills as well as his ability to put the ball in play," Weinstein recalls. "In just a short look, he seems like a good eye-hand coordination guy."
White was selected for the team, along with 14 others from across the country. Weinstein will be the head coach. "It is a great privilege to be going to these games and (to know) that I will be playing baseball under a Division I coach," says White, who has played baseball since he was 5-years-old. "It is going to be a great experience for me."
Through a new program known as Yachad ("together"), every member of the team that represents the United States will raise money in support of the projects of Maccabi USA and the Maccabiah. This shared commitment program has been implemented to ensure the continued success of the Maccabiah Games.
To support that effort, White is selling raffle tickets for $100 each. According to Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel, a raffle drawing takes place whenever 1,000 tickets are sold. Winners may choose from trips to the Masters Golf Tournament, Wimbledon, NCAA Final Four, Super Bowl, Hawaii, San Francisco, Broadway and Israel, or other prizes such as a Rolex watch, home entertainment center or even cash. Contact White at 602-953-2999.
Courtney Kreuzwiesner is a freelance writer based in Peoria.
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