Monday, June 27, 2005
Tennis player looks forward to competing in 'Jewish Olympics'
Stanley Kleckner, 78, is going for the gold.
Next month, he will compete in the 17th Maccabiah Games, an international athletic competition held in Israel every four years and featuring 7,000 of the best Jewish athletes from more than 60 countries competing in 25 sports.
The Maccabiah Games, named after Judah Maccabe, a Jewish warrior who fought against the ancient Greeks, were created in 1932 as a "Jewish Olympics." Today, they help foster fellowship as well as athletic excellence.
"The most important part of playing in the Maccabiah Games is meeting other Jewish athletes from around the world," said Joe Friedman, 75, of Wayne, N.J., who will be Kleckner's doubles partner.
Kleckner played in the games twice before: In 1989, he won the gold medal in doubles tennis in the 60-and-over division, and in 1993, he won a silver medal in doubles tennis in the 65-and-over division.
After sitting out the games in 1997 because of concerns about the Palestinian uprising and in 2001, when he had a bleeding ulcer, Kleckner is back. He expressed optimism about his chances of winning when he takes the court in Tel Aviv on July 12 in the doubles division for players 70 and older.
"I'm certainly hoping to win a gold medal," Kleckner said.
Friedman, who has played with Kleckner in other tournaments, said competing in the games is a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for him.
Two days after the partners make their Maccabiah Games debut, on July 14, Kleckner will be inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in Netanya, Israel. To be so honored, Kleckner said is "terrific."
Especially since he didn't start playing tennis until he was in his late 30s.
Kleckner was on vacation with a friend in Puerto Rico in the mid-1960s. The two grew tired of playing cards, and his friend suggested tennis. Using rackets borrowed from their hotel, the duo volleyed until Kleckner misstepped and sprained his ankle.
Despite being temporarily sidelined, Kleckner vowed to learn the game. He joined a tennis club on the third floor of Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan in 1965. He won his first tournament in 1970.
Today, he regularly plays in doubles tennis tournaments at Burning Tree Country Club and Innis Arden Golf Club in Greenwich.
The basement of his home in northeast Greenwich is adorned with numerous trophies, certificates and framed newspaper clippings from the approximately 150 tennis tournaments he has won.
President of Polar International Brokerage Corp. in Manhattan, Kleckner draws a parallel between his work and play on the court.
"I'm a very competitive person," he said. "I am competitive on a tennis court, and I am very competitive in my insurance business."
He also plans to keep going in both.
"I'm never going to retire," said Kleckner, who has worked for Polar International for 55 years.
Though this is his third Maccabiah Games, Kleckner said he still looks forward to the tournament. Eleven family members and friends will accompany him to Israel this year.
"It's exciting," he said. "It's the experience of a lifetime."
In spite of the ongoing violence in Israelis and Palestinians, Kleckner said he is confident that the game's athletes, trainers and spectators will be safe.
"Security is very, very tight," he said, noting that identification will be checked carefully at the opening ceremonies at 41,000-capacity Ramat-Gan Stadium. "You can't get into the stadium unless you not only have a ticket but other identification."
http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/local/scn-gt-kleckner3jun27,0,3174692.story?coll=green-news-local-headlines
Stanley Kleckner, 78, is going for the gold.
Next month, he will compete in the 17th Maccabiah Games, an international athletic competition held in Israel every four years and featuring 7,000 of the best Jewish athletes from more than 60 countries competing in 25 sports.
The Maccabiah Games, named after Judah Maccabe, a Jewish warrior who fought against the ancient Greeks, were created in 1932 as a "Jewish Olympics." Today, they help foster fellowship as well as athletic excellence.
"The most important part of playing in the Maccabiah Games is meeting other Jewish athletes from around the world," said Joe Friedman, 75, of Wayne, N.J., who will be Kleckner's doubles partner.
Kleckner played in the games twice before: In 1989, he won the gold medal in doubles tennis in the 60-and-over division, and in 1993, he won a silver medal in doubles tennis in the 65-and-over division.
After sitting out the games in 1997 because of concerns about the Palestinian uprising and in 2001, when he had a bleeding ulcer, Kleckner is back. He expressed optimism about his chances of winning when he takes the court in Tel Aviv on July 12 in the doubles division for players 70 and older.
"I'm certainly hoping to win a gold medal," Kleckner said.
Friedman, who has played with Kleckner in other tournaments, said competing in the games is a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for him.
Two days after the partners make their Maccabiah Games debut, on July 14, Kleckner will be inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in Netanya, Israel. To be so honored, Kleckner said is "terrific."
Especially since he didn't start playing tennis until he was in his late 30s.
Kleckner was on vacation with a friend in Puerto Rico in the mid-1960s. The two grew tired of playing cards, and his friend suggested tennis. Using rackets borrowed from their hotel, the duo volleyed until Kleckner misstepped and sprained his ankle.
Despite being temporarily sidelined, Kleckner vowed to learn the game. He joined a tennis club on the third floor of Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan in 1965. He won his first tournament in 1970.
Today, he regularly plays in doubles tennis tournaments at Burning Tree Country Club and Innis Arden Golf Club in Greenwich.
The basement of his home in northeast Greenwich is adorned with numerous trophies, certificates and framed newspaper clippings from the approximately 150 tennis tournaments he has won.
President of Polar International Brokerage Corp. in Manhattan, Kleckner draws a parallel between his work and play on the court.
"I'm a very competitive person," he said. "I am competitive on a tennis court, and I am very competitive in my insurance business."
He also plans to keep going in both.
"I'm never going to retire," said Kleckner, who has worked for Polar International for 55 years.
Though this is his third Maccabiah Games, Kleckner said he still looks forward to the tournament. Eleven family members and friends will accompany him to Israel this year.
"It's exciting," he said. "It's the experience of a lifetime."
In spite of the ongoing violence in Israelis and Palestinians, Kleckner said he is confident that the game's athletes, trainers and spectators will be safe.
"Security is very, very tight," he said, noting that identification will be checked carefully at the opening ceremonies at 41,000-capacity Ramat-Gan Stadium. "You can't get into the stadium unless you not only have a ticket but other identification."
http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/local/scn-gt-kleckner3jun27,0,3174692.story?coll=green-news-local-headlines
Comments:
Post a Comment
