Happy Fourth of July!

Before the competition begins, Team USA participates in a pre-camp program to introduce athletes to the beauty and majesty that is Israel. For those who are making their first trip to Israel, it is a way to build a connection to our homeland beyond the athletic arena; for those making a repeat visit, it is a chance to get a quick “refresher” course about Israel and bond with other athletes.

The pre-camp schedule is packed. It starts with early morning practice; this year, the Maccabiah scheduler actually scheduled practice sessions for the Bowling team. So, after flying all day and some people working to get over jetlag, we left our base at 7 a.m. to get to the bowling center; Mind you, this isn’t the place where we’ll compete, but it was good to go out and get some shots in, loosen up (especially after the long plane ride), and get to watch the other bowlers so that we can work off one another and help each other line up. Even though bowling is an individual sport, when you need to work as a team – either in the five-man team event, trios, or doubles – you need to know a little about your teammates game so that you can offer some help in case they hit some trouble on the lanes.

The practice center is built into the stadium where the opening ceremonies are held. Nellie and Mickey, who work at the center, opened up early for us and were very gracious throughout our practice session, putting out two different shots that we may face during our competition. Mickey will be bowling in the competition as a pacer and has an idea what we’ll face at the competition site.

The bowling center, though, isn’t without its quirks. This is the first-time I’ve even been a 16 lane center that really had 14 lanes. How you ask? Well, in Israel, bowling centers are not located all over the country, so when they build a center, they build to the space available. This space has pillars and a wall that cut through a portion of the facility. So, it goes from lanes 1 through 5, then pillars, then 7 through 10 on one side; the other side, which is actually located behind the control desk, starts at 12 and goes through 16. The space is very well used, but lanes 6 and 11 exist only as a computer screen. Hence, you get 14 lanes.

When we began our touring, we made our way to Maale HaChamisha, where the rest of Team USA is staying during the pre-camp; I believe it’s primarily the youth athletes who are staying there. Our opening session consisted of the obligatory introduction of leadership and “rah-rah” stuff to remind us that the competition is important, but more so is the opportunity to build friendships with our teammates and Jewish athletes from around the world while connecting to Israel. In reality, it was similar to almost any opening session I’ve attended – just replace “USY” with “Maccabiah” and you’ve basically got the gist.

Our touring schedule consisted of lunch on the Haas Promenade in Jerusalem, overlooking the Old City, and a walking tour through the Old City. Our tour guide, Asher, is very thorough – he works for one of the archeological companies in Jerusalem, has a great perspective on the excavations and history of Jerusalem, and has an American accent so strong you’d think he was born and bred in the U.S. The accent is a shroud – the boy is Israeli through and through, born to Israeli parents but taught English by American teachers.

The Western Wall, the Cardo, the archaeological museums – we hit the typical sights along a Jerusalem walking tour. It was good to walk around Jerusalem again … I’ve attached a picture of the Kotel, a small piece of our trip but with huge meaning to so many.

Tonight, we’re on our way to a Fourth of July celebration with all the Team USA athletes. After a long day (a really long day), it’ll be nice to sit and relax together, and hopefully get to sleep early. Tomorrow is another long day of touring – Yad VaShem, the Dead Sea, Masada, and the Bedouin experience, all following a 7:30 a.m. practice session. Gonna be a fun one.

Happy Fourth of July to everyone in the states. Enjoy the picnic. :)