Sports PAGE 6 Athletic Vacations


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3)


players. When asked about his opinion about the issue, Singer said “I don’t hold it against a player if he misses practice or games during vacation.” Instead, Singer believes that if students are going out of town for vacation, he will allow them to leave just like he would excuse them from an illness or from overwhelming schoolwork. He explained that “Vacation is like schoolwork or illnesses. If they feel that they can not perform, I will not hold it against them, and there will be no punishment.” However, Coach Singer does not want his players to miss practice whenever they want to, “ I want them to treat practices like a game. If they are missing multiple practices then they will start to lose their posi- tion in the starting lineup.” Vacation is a time when


students can relax from their nor- mal schoolwork. Before a student leaves for vacation, obviously, his teacher is allowed to give him homework to do over vacation, but the teacher can not make the student come to school. So too, in athletic departments, the coaches should not be able to keep their kids back from going on an out of town vacation. Teachers ex- pect their students to review dur- ing vacation, and may give them some work that doesn’t restrict them from going out of town. Similarly, the coach can give the athletes “homework”, such as working on fundamentals, drills, reviewing the playbook, or other assignments that don’t require the athletes to show up to practice, but still keeps them involved with the team.


During vacation, stu-


dents get a break and are able to refresh from their work. This means that after practicing three times a week, the basketball play- ers should be able to rest and re- lax their bodies, while still not getting too out of shape. Some- times, it is not good to overwork a student’s body for such a long period of time. Every student’s body needs to rest, so it can be fresh and ready to go for another workout when he comes back. As the famous quote “Less is more” states, sometimes it is better to not overwork your body, but rath- er to relax, have lighter drills, and have less of a workout during va- cation. Lastly, being a professional ath- lete is different then being a stu- dent athlete. Student athletes do


Editor-in-Chief Jacob Magid


Asst. Daniel Jacoby


Op-Ed Editor Yacov Greenspan


Features Editor Aliza Grant Asst. Sophia Weisberg


Business Managers Matan Geller Miles Wolmark


Varsity Lady Aces Name Captains


Daniel Jacoby Asst. Editor-in-Chief


As Ida Crown’s Lady


Aces take the floor this season, they will be led by their recently named captains Aliza Grant, Ari- ana Maeir, and Courtney Rosen- field. The three captains are in their senior year, and have been playing for the Senior Varsity lev- el since their sophomore. While sophomores typically play on the Junior Varsity squad, Grant, Maeir, and Rosenfield demon- strated that they were able to step up to the challenge of playing on the Senior Varsity team a year early.


Rosenfield plays both


guard positions and is a dynam- ic offensive threat: she has the speed and quickness to score on fast breaks and is also a lights out three point shooter. Maeir plays power forward and is one of the best rebounders and defenders on the team. Grant is the team’s cen- ter, and at five foot ten, she excels as a scorer in the low post. The three girls were


glad to be named captains by Coach Mark Wax. Maeir said “I was happy and excited. I think I was chosen as a captain because I have been on varsity for three years and have proven that I can be leader and a team player.” The Lady Aces’ leaders


understand that they will now as- sume new roles as official leaders of the team. Grant said, “Being


captain means being responsible not only for myself and how I play and act on the court but also for my teammates-to encour- age them and boost their morale, hopefully set a good example, and show that I care about the team. I think our role is to stay optimistic and also focused on and off the court. We must show the rest of the team that we are serious and excited about playing so that they will feel the same way. I think we do have a certain power… in the sense that we can potentially help our team have a negative or posi- tive experience based on our at- titude and how we approach play- ing the game.”


Rosenfield said, “On the


court, I plan on making sure ev- eryone is pumped up and gives their best. Off the court, I will make sure that everyone knows the plays, is prepared, and really acts like a unified team. ” The captains have high ex-


pectations going into the season. Maeir said, “Being a new team, we still need to get used to play- ing together. But, I do think that we will be able to step it up each and every game.” Grant said, “I expect a really fun season, and I think we are really going to grow as a team and as friends. I am so excited to see that happen.”


Now, as captains, it is up


to Grant, Maeir, and Rosenfield to help make the season a success.


Aces Upset Two Teams


at Cooper Invitational Natan Oliff Staff Writer


When the Aces were


seeded #7 in the Cooper Invita- tional, they had motivation to go to Memphis and prove that they deserved a higher ranking. They arrived in Memphis on Wednes- day 11-8-11, and they played their first game the following day. The Aces faced off against #10 RASG Warriors in the first round. The Academy built a nine point lead in the first half and never looked back, outscoring the Warriors 28- 14 in the second half. Kolya Miller led the team with 13 points, while Ezra Allswang added 9 points and 6 assists in the first game. Their first challenge


came in the second game when they faced #2 Frisch Cougars, who beat ICJA last year in the YU tournament. The game was close throughout, but the Aces were able to gain a little edge in the second half. They had a 7 point lead with about four minutes left; after that the game became a foul fest. Ida Crown won the game 59-45, and Daniel Macks led the team with 27 points, and Ari Lo- wenstein contributed 10 off the bench.


In the semifinals ICJA


faced #6 Magen David Warriors. In the beginning of the first quar- ter the Warriors sprinted out to a 6 point lead, but the Aces tied it up going into the second. The game went back and forth until Ida Crown went up six on two threes at the end of the 3rd. In the fourth the Warriors came back due to some missed free throws from


the Aces. Eventually they took a 2 point lead with about a minute left, but Macks hit a huge 3 from the corner off an in bounce play with thirty seconds left, to put the Aces up 1. The Warriors got a controversial foul call with 4 seconds left to go to the line with a one and one, but they missed the free throw and ICJA got the rebound. The Academy won after sealing the game with a couple of free throws. Macks scored 21 as the Aces won the game 45-43 to advance to the championship. In the championship The


Academy was matched up against the #1 seed and defending cham- pions YULA Panthers. The game was even throughout the first quarter, but at half YULA took an eight point lead. However, the game was not over yet, ICJA came roaring back in the third be- hind Ori Schwartz’s 2 three point- ers, and Mack’s corner three two cut the deficit to 2. YULA opened the fourth with two three pointers, and retained the lead from then on. The Academy lost 53-43. Even though the Acad-


emy finished in second, they had a memorable experience. They got to meet kids from all over the country and experience Mem- phis hospitality. Macks made the first all-tournament team, and Ori Schwartz was an all-star. Al- though they did not finish first, the Aces proved that they are force to be reckoned with. “We went into to Memphis and showed ev- erybody what Aces Nation is all about,” said Ori Schwartz.


Ariana Maeir, Aliza Grant, and Courtney Rosenfield Varsity Lady Aces Captains


(Photo Courtesy of Eli Bernstein)


not get paid to play, and likewise, it is not their job. Being a profes- sional athlete, means that sports are a full time job and therefore, the athletes may not randomly


News Editor Matthew Silberman


miss a big period of time; they have to be at work every day. However, student athletes have many other jobs and responsi- bilities in life, and being an ath-


Photography Manager Chanan Bell


The Varsity Aces in Memphis with their 2nd place trophy (Photo Courtesy of Mack Muller)


lete is not their one and only full time job. Therefore, they should not be required to practice every


Layout Editor Sam Baer Asst. Adina Schreiber Asst. Aviva Zimmerman Asst. Zehavya Stadlan


day, and even furthermore, they should not be required to stay at home during a vacation.


Senior Reporters Jackson Richman Hannah Otis


Advisor Ms. Goldstein The Crown Prints is the official newspaper of Ida Crown Jewish Academy written by and for its students. ICJA is located at 2828 W. Pratt, Chicago,


IL 60645. The Crown Prints is an open forum which welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be given to Ms. Goldstein in room 202 or to any member of the editorial staff. Letters must be signed and will not be printed anonymously. The Crown Prints is printed by Sons Prints Enterprise Inc. For information about advertising please contact Matan Geller.


Interested in advertising in The Crown Prints? Contact Matan Geller (847) 502-8757


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