Eitan Force Complex Dedication Honors Namesake
Funding for the complex was provided largely by grants from the Marcus and Zalik Foundations.
On Sunday, Sept. 29, the second yahrzeit of Eitan Force, in front of a crowd of hundreds of people gathered in person, and hundreds more online, the Eitan Force Athletic Complex was dedicated in his name.
The complex, which follows the Tzadik Performing Arts Center as the latest expansion/renovation provided largely by grants from the Marcus and Zalik Foundations, has been open to students since the beginning of the school year. It’s been a major convenience for students, who in prior years, and especially during renovations, would have to use external facilities.
“We’d have to practice at different churches,” said sophomore Zaden Cohen, “so I’d be getting home at 8:00 every night just because we had to ride a 30-minute bus ride just to get to a gym. But this year it’s different – I get home at like 6:00.” “It’s so nice, everything’s in this one area now,” said junior Danya Naturman. “You just go through a door and you’re at the new gym. So, it’s very accessible, everything’s so easy.”
Prior to the renovations, the student weight room was in an area they called “the annex” – a space smaller than a classroom. The new weight room is more than five times that size, with a total of eight weightlifting racks.
”Years ago, we told teams ‘Come dressed already, we don’t have a locker room for you.’ Because of that we weren’t able to host any events, host any tournaments, games, or stuff like that. And since we’ve gotten all these things, we’ve hosted multiple tryout matches for our volleyball teams,” said Coach Anthony Baker, “We had nine games going on campus at the same time. It’s just crazy. We’ve never had the facilities, let alone the logistics and the people to do that – it’s just a testament to what this facility’s given us the opportunity to do.”
In addition to the new, regulation-size gym, weight room, lockers, and renovated auxiliary gym (which, prior, was the campus’s only gym), several outside facilities were renovated. A new student area, The Breezeway, was added between the main building and the new complex, and the track and fields were completely redone.
“I wish I was a freshman this year, because then I would have four more years at this amazing school, especially with the complex, the breezeway, the new theater, all of that,” said junior Daryn Mand, a member of the varsity volleyball team. Mand and her family were also very close to Eitan Force.
“Even walking in that first time, I got excited and also sad and upset because I know that, if he was here, he would have been beyond wowed, and he would have climbed the stairs, he would have done amazing out here,” said Mand. “I think the legacy that he left with the school very much translated to the complex, and I think they did a great job with how they built it and what they did with it.”
Mand was among the hundreds celebrating Eitan’s memory at the dedication, with Coach Baker discussing Force’s performance as a football player before his jersey was officially retired – as two of his friends, Ryan Lips and Isadora Watcher, revealed his banner.
“As the practices continued, Eitan’s fearlessness and tenacity began to shine,” said Baker. “Despite being smaller than most of his opponents, he quickly earned a reputation as the freshman corner you didn’t want to face. I remember one practice when he locked down our best receiver, I shouted ‘Y’all better stay away from Eitan Island!’”
“Eitan clearly understood what it means to be a leader, to value relationships and be involved,” said Jay Kaiman, President of the Marcus Foundation, on behalf of Bernie Marcus, “It is our hope that on the bleachers and stairs of this new facility, the students of the Felicia Penzell Weber School will make their own pacts with each other, live in the example set by Eitan, and together be the leaders for our future.”
David and Helen Zalik also commented on the dedication ceremony and their impact on Weber’s sports facilities.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to invest in Weber’s continued growth because of Rabbi Harwitz and the board’s commitment to excellence and his team’s ability to deliver. Excellence at Weber means all aspects of student life: academic, Jewish studies, athletics, STEM, leadership development, and arts. Weber is clearly committed to delivering world class facilities and teachers that produce the most admirable young Jewish leaders.”
The school’s rabbi, Edward Harwitz, was the last to speak.
“When you work hard, and you collaborate as a team with the goal to compete and to win, and to do so with the highest levels of sportsmanship, you exemplify the values of Eitan Force in his name.” said Rabbi Harwitz. “You ensure that our new athletic center will be more than a building. You will ensure that the Eitan Force athletic center will consistently reflect those values, and enable Eitan’s values to influence and inspire us and future generations, and in turn strengthen our community here at Weber, and our broader Jewish and general community writ large – now, and for years to come.”
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