“Quick, what is your partner’s Starbuck’s order?”

“If your partner could be one superhero, which one would it be?”

Those were two of the questions posed to contestants at a mock “newlywed” game, featuring siblings as well as actual married couples, on the first-ever Flag Football Shabbaton Oct. 25 – 27 at Loma Linda Academy in Redlands, about 70 miles east of L.A.

And while the newlywed game might have had nothing to do with football, it had everything to do with why the teams were at Loma Linda.  Every other team at the tournament was from a school that was Seventh Day Adventist, belonging to a sect of Christianity that believes that the Sabbath is on Saturday, and one must refrain from work on that day.

That meant there were no games for anyone on Saturday – just recreation, prayer, and in the case of the Adventist students, community service.  Shalhevet was able to compete in the entire tournament – its first since its teams were formed in spring 2012 (girls’ team) and this fall (boys’ team).

“The main reason that we play Adventist schools is because they play with the rules that we like, with blocking,” said both teams’ coach, science and math teacher Mr. Christopher Buckley. “The fact that they won’t play on Shabbat also helps us with scheduling.”

Seventh Day Adventists take the SATs on Sunday – the way observant Jews do.  The Loma Linda tournament was set up so games were played only on Friday afternoon, Saturday night and Sunday morning.

According to the Loma Linda Academy, “The name “Seventh-day Adventist” refers to two core beliefs. Respecting the fourth of God’s Ten Commandments, Adventists worship on Saturday, the seventh day of the week. ‘Adventist’ refers to Jesus Christ’s promise to return and take his followers home to heaven. Adventists believe in the imminent advent, or return, of Jesus Christ.”

“One of the founding principles of the Adventist church is a healthy lifestyle—a balanced combination of exercise, diet, and trust in God. Adventists are generally vegetarian, and do not smoke or drink alcohol.”

Aside from Shalhevet, every school that participated in the tournament was Seventh Day Adventist, and schools came from all over Southern California, including as far away as San Diego.

Shalhevet still had to organize its own Shabbat for the weekend, however.  The trip included 30 students, Mr. Buckley, Athletic Director Mr. Eli Schiff and his wife Shari, and Judaic chaperone Rabbi Schwarzberg and his wife Nomi.

For Shabbat, a block of rooms and a conference room were reserved at a nearby hotel.  Davening was held in the conference room, along with meals that were brought up from LA.

Mr. Schiff stopped at Chabad of Riverside on his way to the tournament and borrowed a Torah, from which Mati Hurwitz and Rabbi Schwarzberg read the parsha on Shabbat morning.

Students from the Adventist schools attended religious services and community service activities at Loma Linda University.

Over the course of Shabbat, Shalhevet students and chaperones also had a chance to relax – hence the newlywed game.

On Saturday, students from the Adventist schools attended religious services and community service activities at Loma Linda University.

Winners of the newlywed game were a tie, between sisters Rachel and Rebecca Sentchuk and Rabbi Ari Schwarzberg, and Nomi, both teams acing both the Starbucks and superhero questions.