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Ryan Heller - A Voice Crying In The Wilderness For The Integrity Of Clean Sports
By Lacy J. Banks
Like most dedicated athletes, Ryan Heller longs to compete and he loves to win.
But unlike most, it’s the method that matters most to Heller, a 20-year-old junior, a psychology major and one of the top players of the University of Michigan’s tennis team.
So don’t confuse him with today’s rising legion of Machiavellian, amoral athletes, who will stoop to anything and stop at nothing to post a "W."
"He’s not one of those guys who is out to win at all costs," said his father, Jay Heller, a Chicago attorney.
Rather, the junior Heller prefers to come by his victories the old-fashioned way. He chooses to work hard for them fair and square with real blood, sweat and tears, and earn them on the field of competition honestly, with no help from cheap shots, under-handed tactics or artificial, illegal, performance-enhancing additives.
"I don’t believe in cheating the game," he said. "So much of that--like people using steroids and looking for a dishonest edge--is ruining sports at every level. There have been rumors that up to half half of baseball’s stars use steroids. That’s terrible. They’ve got to clean up sports. I believe in honest, committed preparation. I believe in getting into top shape, eating right, sleeping right and working hard."
He’s got big dreams for this upcoming tennis season, when he’ll be trying to lead his Wolverines to perform well in Big Ten competition. And he could not have asked for a better springboard in terms of confidence and positive momentum than the gold medal he and fellow Wolverine teammate Steve Peretz won in the Open Doubles event of the 17th Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem this past summer.
He did not do as well in singles. He made it to the main draw, then lost. But that’s good because he prefers accomplishing things collectively anyway.
"It’s nice to get wins as an individual," Heller said. "But I like winning as part of a team effort even more. I’ve always been like a leader. So I like to have teammates pick me up when I’m down, and to do the same for them when they’re down."
Likewise, Heller looks at life and at humanity the same way. He believes that if humanity is to thrive and survive, it must do so as a team, with each individual caring and sharing with each other, respecting, helping and loving one another.
Heller was a member of the 700-member U.S. team that ended up winning 71 gold medals, second only to the 227 golds won by host Israel, which also fielded the largest team. The Maccabiah Games are a form of Jewish Olympics staged every four years to promote fellowship, world peace, spiritual and social solidarity throughout mankind in general and the Jewish nation in particular through the agency of sports. The well-organized program is a 12-day event where athletes from around the world compete in various age divisions of 34 different sports.
For seven years, Heller had longed to make some form of aliyah, or pilgrimage to the cradle of his faith, Jerusalem, and compete in the Maccabiah Games.
"I competed in the Junior Maccabiah Games in Detroit when I was 13," he said, and "Although I lost in the quarterfinals in tennis, I still started dreaming of going to Israel at the time. But the situation was rough over there at that time. But finally I got my chance to go this year when things were a little more calm."
He could not have picked a better time though tensions remain bitter in that region of the world where Palestinian terrorism threatens at every turn. But he and thousands of other athletes braved the dangers to make this 17th Maccabiah Games the best to date.
While organizers were expecting 6,000 athletes at the most, a record 7,700 athletes from 64 different countries competed.
"This was by far the best, most organized and successful Maccabiah Games held in Israel," Tal Brody, a 60-year-old American basketball player, told the Israel New Agency.
Sure, they competed in defiance of terrorist threats.
"But the security was outstanding everywhere," Heller said. "So it was really safe. Our American team arrived a week before the Games started and toured much of the region. I toured Masada, the Old City and floated in the Dead Sea. I tried to sink and it didn’t work. I rubbed mud on my body and some old mosquito bites were instantly healed. So there must be some truth to the medicinal powers of the Dead Sea. I also prayed before the Wailing Wall."
He said he prayed for prosperity and peace for the world and for his family.
Those prayers were answered when his visit was enjoyed without one speck of trouble.
"Competing in the Games was great," he said. "But visiting Israel was even more important to me because part of being Jewish is wanting to visit Israel. So the Games enhanced my enjoyment of the visit. [Our Israeli hosts] looked up to us like they knew who we were [more as family members] than as tourists or foreign athletes. It was cool. They approached us rather than us going up to them."
It was, in effect, like one global, holistic family reunion for Heller, where sports was used as the agency of common affection. But sports in general, because of his old-school values and inspirational upbringing by mother, Lori, and father, Jay, adds refinement to Heller’s life and prepares him to achieve his most valued life’s ambitions.
Heller, whose sisters Stephanie, 17, and Lindsey, 13, are also rising tennis sensations, says he got his athleticism and competitive prowess from his father, and his speed and good looks from his mother.
"Sports help me to be very competitive," he said. "They help me to develop the drive to be successful in whatever I endeavor. It inspires me to develop a solid work ethic, to prepare for success and to be disciplined in implementing plans for success. Fitness is also important as well as time management. Sports at school takes up five to six hours a day. So I have to make sure I also set aside the time necessary to do my academic work, too. Then when I’m ready to go into the real world full-time, I will have developed the work ethic and discipline and fitness to be successful in my job."
Heller doesn’t expect to earn his living playing tennis. It would take a miracle for him to become that good at this stage when most pro athletes already have been determined by age 20. So you’re not likely to see much of him on TV unless he leads Michigan to the Big Ten title in tennis. He will earn his living in real estate, which interests him, or some other profession. Nevertheless, he is determined to be forever a dedicated athlete, competing for the fun of sports and staying in shape for the love of life like his 77-year-old grandfather, Melvin, a retired attorney who still plays tennis almost everyday.
As such, he will be an unsung credit to sports. And his support and participation will be at least as important as that of any more storied pro superstar.
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