Philadelphia, PA, December 1 – Maccabi USA has fielded a Team of over 113 athletes, coaches, medical support and managers to compete at the 2nd Maccabi Australia International Games (MAIGs) December 26, 2010 – January 2, 2011. All competition, with the exception of Golf and Tennis will take place at the Olympic Park in Sydney, Australia, home of the 2000 Summer Olympics. Golf will take place at the Monash Country Club in the Northern Suburbs and Tennis will take place at the White City Tennis Club in the Eastern Suburbs. The USA MAIGs Team is Co-Chaired by Drs. Jodi and Ricky Reff of Rockville, Maryland.
The Team is 113 members strong and includes 94 athletes, 9 coaches, 3 medical trainers and 7 managers. There will be 10 Teams competing in five sports including Basketball – Open Men’s Red Team, Open Men’s Blue Team, Open Women’s Team, Masters Men’s Team and Youth Men’s Team; Soccer – Open Men’s Team, Youth Men’s Team; Golf – Open; Swimming – Open; and Tennis – Open. Team USA is comprised of 17 women and 96 men.
Team members live across the United States in 19 states and Ontario, Canada. The Team members come from Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington. They are currently students or alumni of over 70 Universities and Colleges across the USA.
Team USA includes six families on the Soccer and Basketball Teams. Preston Goldfarb is the Head Coach of the Open Men’s Soccer Team and his daughter Aly is Manager for the Team – both residents of Birmingham, AL. Jacob and Samuel Kind, brothers from Huntingdon Valley, PA are members of the Open Men’s Basketball Blue Team. Paul Loube is Head Coach for the Open Men’s Basketball Red Team and his son Richard will be competing for the Team – both residents of Gaithersburg, MD. Peter and his daughter Jacqueline Lowy of Beverly Hills, CA are both Basketball athletes. Peter will compete for the Masters Men’s Basketball Team and Jacqueline will compete for the Open Women’s Basketball Team. From Houston Texas, siblings Zachary and Rebecca Yoshor are also Basketball athletes. Zachary will compete for the Youth Men’s Basketball Team and Rebecca will compete for the Open Women’s Basketball Team.
Co-Chairs Jodi and Ricky Reff have been working with their Management Team for the last 20 months. They both have high expectations for the Team to have a great experience. “Our hope is for Team USA to experience the hospitality and beauty of Australia and to so by competing with other Jewish athletes from around the world in their sport of choice,” commented Jodi Reff.
About the organization:
Maccabi USA (MUSA) has 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, the Pan American Maccabi Games and the Maccabi competitions in Europe and Australia, as well as a co-founder 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 the world over 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.