MACCABI USA ANNOUNCES THE OPEN TAEKWONDO TEAM FOR THE 20TH WORLD MACCABIAH GAMES
Philadelphia, PA, May 2, 2017 – The Maccabi USA Open Taekwondo Chair Mark Lesly along with Head Coach Scott Meyer, is pleased to announce the Open Taekwondo Team for the 20th World Maccabiah Games, which will take place July 4-18, 2017 in Israel. Maccabi USA will bring a team of 1,100+ athletes who will be part of the 10,000 Jewish athletes from 80 countries, participating in 43 different sports.
Coach Meyer is a USA Taekwondo Level 2 Coach. The athletes are Amber Avroya of Coral Springs, FL. Florida Virtual School; Jamie Drescher of Raleigh, NC, Montclair State University (’14); David Gibson of Torrance, CA, University of California-Davis (’16); Rachel Meyer of Tucson, AZ, University of Arizona; and Isaac Weintraub of Sarasota, FL University of Central Oklahoma.
“It is both an honor and privilege to be selected Head Coach for Team USA’s Taekwondo team. This year’s squad is made up of athletes with great accomplishments” said Meyer. “Avroya comes with two wins against former national champions at the USA Taekwondo 2017 National Team Trials; Drescher and Gibson have tremendous local success and are ready to move up to international competition; Meyer comes with a win over former national champion at the Taekwondo Collegiate National Championships and looks to defend her 19th World Maccabiah Games gold medal; and Weintraub comes with two national championship wins at the 2017 National Collegiate Championships and the 2016 USA Taekwondo National Championships. We are all looking forward to competing in the Games!”
Since 1932, over 62,000 athletes have participated in the Maccabiah Games, in a celebration of Jewish Strength and Solidarity. Team USA’s success is not only measured by the medals won, but by the impact that the Maccabiah experience had on their lives as well as the friendships they formed.
Maccabi USA builds Jewish pride through sports, generating the emotional intensity, high ideals, and powerful camaraderie of competition. We connect athletes, volunteers, and supporters with the global Jewish community. Our athletic, educational, and cultural experiences build Jewish identity, perpetuate Jewish continuity worldwide, and strengthen support for the State of Israel.
For more information, please contact Maccabi USA Program Director Shane Carr at 215-561-6900 or by email at scarr@maccabiusa.com.
About the organization:
Maccabi USA (MUSA) is a federally-recognized not-for-profit 501(c)(3) Organization with an extensive history of enriching Jewish lives through athletic, cultural and educational programs. The Organization is the official sponsor of the United States Team to the World Maccabiah Games, and the Pan American and European Maccabi Games, as well as a sponsor of the JCC Maccabi Games for teens in North America. As the official Maccabi representative in the U.S., Maccabi USA supports Jewish athletic endeavors, enhanced by cultural and educational activities in the United States, Israel and throughout the Diaspora.
MUSA develops, promotes and supports international, national and regional athletic-based activities and facilities. It strives to provide Jewish athletes all over the world the opportunity to share their heritage and customs in competitive athletic settings. MUSA supports programs that embody the Maccabi ideals of Jewish Continuity, Zionism and Excellence in Sport. Maccabi USA Builds Jewish Pride Through Sports.
Maccabi USA has been selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) as a Multi-Sport Organization (MSO). The nonprofit Organization becomes one of 35 MSOs nationwide to be recognized by the USOC for its ability to cultivate a national interest in sport and increase opportunities for participation internationally, nationally and at the grassroots level.
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