A few anecdotes from the airport/departure

• The humidity continued to rise as we drove from Teaneck to JFK International Airport. As we were getting close to the curb at Terminal 4, it starts to pour and I had four bags (suitcase, bowling equipment, briefcase, and backpack) to navigate. I make my way inside and the terminal has now become a quasi-sauna -- even the birds flying around were seeking refuge somewhere. Oh what a start ...
• I got through the interrogation with no problem and approached the check-in counter. My ticket is printed and the agent (Anna) asks how many bags I'm checking; I reply two. She asks me to put the heaviest bag on the scale, which is my equipment bag. When the scale registers 31kg (which is about 65 lbs.), Anna says the words you hate to hear in any situation: I need to call my supervisor. Really?!? This wasn't even security and already my bowling balls were creating an issue! Anna's supervisor said I would have to pay the overweight baggage fee; I explained that we had worked out with Gil Travel that we can bring bowling equipment that exceeds the standard weight limit. Anna then called her supervisor again, who comes to the counter, goes back to his station, and then gives his approval. Whew!
• Athletes are gathering at the gate along with other passengers who are lucky enough to be on our flight. When boarding begins, it's every man and woman for themselves as we just queued up and made our way to the front of the line. No greeting over the intercom and no boarding by row or section. I just saw someone wave their hand and say "it's time, let's go." It was probably more chaotic as the "line" flared out but I bypassed the pack on the right side and made my way through the checkpoint. Next destination, seat 52D (a coveted aisle seat, for those keeping score at home).
• Finally, we were scheduled to depart at 7 p.m., which comes and goes and we have not moved from the gate. 7:10, 7:15, still nothing. Finally we start moving, but we're talking inches (ok, maybe feet, this is a 747 after all). Around 7:30 p.m., the pilot gets onto the intercom and announces, in Hebrew, that we're number 25 in line to depart. I react and then the pilot remakes the announcement in English, at which time most of the plane reacts. Even though the flight attendants asked us to remain seated, it was a lost cause as athletes got up to get something from their bag or chat with one another to pass the time. Finally, around 8:05 p.m., we take off ... no announcement or warning for flight attendants to be seated and prepare for take-off. We just get to the front of the line and go ... "hurry-up-and-wait" is in full effect. Now it's time for the Maccabiah!

I'm leaving for Israel in less than 24 hours ... wait, what?!?

Over the past few weeks, I've been accumulating a bunch of stuff for this experience. When the UPS or FedEx delivery person, or even our mail carrier, would stop by our office with a new package, I couldn't wait to tear into it! Whether it was bowling balls, our team and competition apparel, a box of assorted bowling accessories (shoe covers, tape, etc.), or the American flags I got to help decorate the hotel, the items kept coming and the pile o'stuff at my apartment kept growing.

Between all the packages, all my equipment, and all my clothing, I had amassed a nice "wall of fun" in my apartment. Various boxes and bags lined the wall, soon to be replaced by various piles of all the contents. Somehow, it all fit in my bags, though I wouldn't be surprised if my suitcase is over the weight limit (N.B. it was,  but not enough for El Al to charge).

The evening began with me stopping in every store I could think of to buy a very important accessory -- a personal fan to use at the bowling center during competition. When you bowl, especially in warm conditions, your hands tend to swell, a lot. While there is an air vent on the ball return, it's not practical to stand there the entire time. Not only does it prevent those who are actually taking their turn from using the vent, but when bowling with nine others on the lanes, if everyone crowded around that little vent, it would be the most sought after location in the entire center.

I had wanted to get a small, AA battery-operated fan. Turn it on and the blades spin around. Should be easy, right? WRONG. Of all the stores I went to (about a dozen in all), I found only one and the blades looked like they would rip off at any time for almost no reason at all.

Finally, I made my last stop before going to the bowl for a final few games before departure. This store wasn't producing anything either, but I finally found a small-ish, table-top, D battery-operated fan. Hopefully it will work well and will be worth the hassle. I guess it will be fun for the whole family (or at least whoever is bowling near me).

I was happy with my last games of practice. I've been subbing the past few weeks on Tuesdays in a doubles league (4 games) at T-Bowl. The first three weeks, I shot 959, 921, and 834 (mostly because it took me until the last game to actually get my game in order). I knew I wanted not only good scores but a night of quality shots to complete my at-home practice on a high note. 237-239-241-228 / 945. I was throwing the ball well, getting good reactions on the lanes, and was pleased that the IQ Tour Pearl finally started reacting well for me (I had my doubts based on the few times I used it but knew I'd figure it out, too).

Ok ... now I'm ready ... to finish packing (but you already read about that!)

6, 11, but no 12 1/2

Friday was my last practice session with Uri. True to form, he had bowled about 10 games before I even got there. Understand that he asked me to come by around 2:30 p.m. but I told him I couldn’t get to the bowling center until about 4:30 p.m. He said it wouldn’t be a problem and that he’d keep the lanes warm for me.

I threw a game of practice, getting loose and trying to focus my head. I did anything but as I sprayed shots all over and could barely through the ball correctly. I certainly didn’t look like someone getting ready for competition.

As I’m throwing my practice shots, I’m getting more and more aggravated. Uri just watched, added a few words of “encouragement,” and let me get it out of my system. I’m usually pretty collected when I bowl, but sometimes my emotions – and my mouth – get the best of me. So let’s just say I wasn’t myself that first game of practice.

I settled down and focused as Uri and I began bowling a few games together. Still, I didn’t feel quite right; my timing was a little off and I my shots weren’t lining up how I wanted. I managed to squeak out a 200 game but wasn’t happy. My last few frames, though, I realized that I was opening up my shoulders rather than keeping more square as I needed to on the condition. From there, things clicked back together and the scores reflected it: 265 and 245.

Overall, I’ve been bowling well the past few weeks and months, which gives me a lot of confidence as we enter the final week before journeying off to Israel. It’s the basics I need to keep in mind, the foundation of my game. After that, everything will fall into place.

I’ve got one more opportunity to bowl here in the U.S. this Tuesday, and then we’ll be on the lanes Friday morning for our first practice session in Israel. Looking forward to our first team practice session together in Israel … hopefully they’ll be a lane 6, lane 11 and no lane 12½!

Happy Independence Day!

Today’s a strange day for me … both times I’ve competed with the Maccabiah, we’ve celebrated July 4^th in Israel (complete with fireworks, which must have unsettled the neighbors around Kfar Maccabiah). So being home for Independence Day in a Maccabiah year is not such a familiar experience.

So let me finish bringing you up to speed on how we assembled our Men’s Team. Disappointed that we lost three qualified bowlers from our applicant pool, we continued our efforts to recruit … and then Hurricane Sandy hit. On top of everything else, we had planned on naming our team around November 1, which was obviously delayed as life here in the Northeast was anything but normal. When things got back on track in mid-November, we appointed six men and four women to the Open Ten-Pin Bowling Team for the 19^th World Maccabiah Games. Think the task was complete? Sadly, you’d be wrong.

In a matter of weeks, two men had withdrawn their names and we immediately replaced one spot, with the second replacement soon to follow. For awhile, we had our six men in place as we tried to complete our women’s roster. But one by one, our women were withdrawing their names, as well, leaving Meryl as our only female competitor. That’s when the top Maccabi Team USA leadership made the decision not to send a Women’s Bowling Team. Though that was certainly the biggest blow we had been dealt to date, we continued to forge on.

The final obstacle was when one of our men withdrew from the team in mid-June. By that point, trying to find a replacement was nearly impossible, and through we tried to find someone last minute, our efforts were futile. So, we’ll be travelling to Israel with a five-man roster.

While it could be worse, the lack of a sixth man does prevent us from maximizing our medal opportunities. Our competition is made up of five disciplines: Singles, Doubles, Trios, Five-Man Team, and Masters. During Singles and Teams, everyone will compete in the day's discipline while also accruing scores for their All-Events total (which is its own medal opportunity and is used to determine who will compete in the  Masters competition). During Doubles and Trios, some bowlers will only accrue scores for their all-events and will not be eligible for a medal opportunity because we cannot field the full roster of entries into those competitions. Ideal … not really. But at the end of the day, this is the hand we’ve been dealt and we’ll certainly make the most of it.

The struggle to get to this point has only made us all stronger – cliché, yet true. You can now see how there were moments of great joy and periods of sheer frustration throughout this entire process. But there will be more enjoyment to come as we make our way to Israel and to the competition, that’s a guarantee!

Ok, enough about the past. With each passing day, I’m more and more excited to be spending three weeks in Israel with my teammates – Jared Goldschen, Jim Lewis, Uri Peled, and Marc Scherlis. B’Shavua Haba’a B’Yisrael – I can’t wait to greet you all next week in Israel. 

Who We Are, What We Do

Some background …

Maccabi USA is the governing body which coordinates the participation of Jewish athletes from the United States in the World Maccabiah Games, as well as the Maccabi Australia International Games, the European Maccabi Games, and the Pan American Maccabi Games. As our mission statement proclaims, “Maccabi USA endeavors, through sports, to perpetuate and preserve the American Jewish community by encouraging Jewish pride, strengthening Jewish bonds and by creating a heightened awareness of Israel and Jewish identity.”

In total, Maccabi Team USA is more than 1,130 members strong, the largest delegation EVER to travel from the U.S. to compete in an International Olympic Committee-sanctioned event. We’ll also have the support of more than 300 friends and family that will travel to Israel to cheer us on, along with all our friends and family back home. It’s truly awesome to be part of this delegation.

I’m proud to be affiliated with Maccabi USA as an athlete and Board Member. But as anyone who has volunteered their time knows, volunteer work is inspiring, energizing, and exhilarating and challenging, demanding, and exhausting, all at the same time. For this year’s Maccabiah, I was named chair for the Open Ten-Pin Bowling Team, which gave me the responsibility of selecting this year’s six-man roster and raising some additional funds in support of our efforts. While I never thought it would be all roses and daisies, there were days and weeks it was tough to even find a petal.

Every time the Maccabiah approaches, the joke among bowlers (especially from the U.S.) is that we need to find bowlers … who are Jewish … who are competitive … who can commit to a three-week experience … and who can meet the financial commitment. Each additional requirement reduces the potential talent pool exponentially. And while I’m sure all sports face these challenges in their own way, I can only tell you from personal experience how comical and frustrating this really is.

There were a lot of ups and downs, and there were times it really seemed the ups would never come. For example, in October 2012, as we were reviewing and interviewing applicants, we thought our Men’s Team was in very good shape as we had a strong pool of top-flight bowlers. Unlike other delegations, our bowlers don’t usually have the chance to get together in advance of the Maccabiah. For various reasons, we did away with on-site tryouts after the 2001 Games and have relied on other means of evaluating interested bowlers. So when the talent pool presented us with many bowlers who could ably represent us in Israel, we felt were in very good stead. And then the bottom started to fall out.

As I mentioned, representing the U.S. in the Maccabiah is a three-week commitment. Many of the athletes are at a point in their life where they are on break from school or have other flexibility in their schedule and can take this time away from home and work. Historically, though, bowlers tend to be at a point where they are into their career, have a family, and are not able to commit three weeks away from those responsibilities – that’s one of the requirements that reduces our potential talent pool. And so it went that in a matter of days, three athletes all removed their names from consideration because they couldn’t commit the time. Then the bottom continued to fall out…

I’ll finish our brief walk down memory lane (get it, lane) in my next post. But I can’t continue without mentioning my dear friend, Meryl Romeu, who for most of this experience was my co-chair and was set to be an athlete for these Games, as well. Since we met eight years ago, prior to competing together in the 17^th World Maccabiah Games, we’ve become close friends and great supporters of one another. When the opportunity to co-chair the Ten-Pin Bowling Team for the 2011 European Maccabi Games in Vienna came along, we both jumped at the chance and jumped even faster to serve as co-chairs again for these Games. In April, when the decision was made not to send a Women’s Bowling Team (more to come on that in my next post), I assumed responsibility as chair for the Men’s Open Ten-Pin Bowling Team. Since that time, it is has been my goal to lead this team with the same sense of commitment, respect, and love Meryl demonstrated. While I’m truly saddened to complete this experience without Meryl as my partner, she is always part of our Maccabi Bowling Family. Always.

HaKarat haTov: Finally, it’s a great opportunity to “recognize the good work” of Maccabi USA. Recently, Maccabi USA was selected by the United States Olympic Committee as one of 35 Multi-Sport Organization partners for its ability to cultivate a national interest in sport and increase opportunities for participation internationally, nationally and at the grassroots level. And, just this week, in pursuit of using sports to create heightened awareness of Israel and Jewish identity, Maccabi USA recently raised money to ensure that the Bulgarian and Romanian teams – who are both dealing with major financial issues – are able to participate in the upcoming Maccabiah. Kol HaKavod to us all!

Acquiring the Tools and Keeping my Sanity

It’s hard to believe that 16 months of planning – including hundreds of phone calls and e-mails, countless conversations, numerous disagreements, and tons of laughs along the way – will soon reach its zenith. During these 16 months, if you’d have asked me if I thought I’d actually make it to this point, the answer would have changed by the day – sometimes by the hour! Yes, it’s been that kind of ride but I’m so glad to be along for the fun.

Before I get into the history, let me give a snapshot of the present and paint a road map for the next month. The final leg of this adventure begins on July 10 and I’m slowly acquiring all the tools I need for my three weeks in Israel as part of the 19th World Maccabiah Games, sometimes referred to as the “Jewish Olympics.” I’ve received my team and competition apparel, I’ve drilled my new equipment (thanks Storm Bowling for your support), and I’m gathering all the odds-and-ends I’ll need to keep my sanity (which is more “odds” than “ends,” in case you are keeping track).

I’m also trying to get in as much quality practice as possible – subbing on Tuesdays at T-Bowl; practicing with my teammate, Uri Peled, roughly once a week; even trekking up to Connecticut to bowl a NEBA stop with my friend and competitor, Paul Loberman of Great Britain (though he is now a proud U.S. resident, just saying). And I’m trying to get all the details in place to be away from my beloved Congregation Beth Sholom in Teaneck for three weeks – while our rabbi and executive assistant are in Israel, as well (talk about great timing). To say there is never a dull moment is the ultimate understatement.

What can you expect in this blog over the next month? Well, you’ll get a play-by-play of what we are doing, where we are going, and how we are faring in competition. Along the way, you’ll meet my Maccabi Bowling Family and will get a bird’s-eye view into what life is like when we get together. Above all, you’ll have a chance to experience the highs and lows of the Maccabiah from the comfort of your office/living room/bedroom, etc. Though it won’t nearly be as much fun, I hope you’ll have a lot of good laughs (mostly with us, sometimes at our expense) as we experience all the Maccabiah has to offer and throws our way.

A quick disclaimer: while I hope you check back daily to read this blog and keep up with all the activities (and the hijinx that ensue), please know in advance that some posts (or parts, thereof) will be written in “bowler-ese”. This blog will not only serve as a means to connect everyone to what is taking place in Israel, but will also be my diary to capture what happens on the lanes. Some of that will be technical and I promise I’ll try to not bog you down with too much jargon. If you come across a blog post that is filled with references about “angles,” “axis rotation,” “carrydown,” “pin carry,” or some other unfamiliar terms and your eyes start to glaze over as you stare at the screen, push through and, I promise, you’ll come across something funny or stupid that will entertain – and maybe inspire – you.

More to come … there is still plenty to share about all that transpired which got us to this moment. Get comfortable and keep your favorite snack handy. We’ve got a great month to come and I’m glad you are coming along for the adventure.