It's Party Time!

The highlight of today was the hugely insane welcome party for all the athletes and team staff. Though it took forever for us to leave our hotel (we were told to be ready in our lobby at 6 p.m. and actually departed around 7:30) and there was mass chaos about which busses to take, we got to Kfar Maccabiah and instantly knew that we were among friends.

It was such a moving experience – not only to see so many other Jewish athletes but also to feel the sense of family and openness that exists when Jews come together. The atmosphere was absolutely electric and the entertainment was over-the-top. There were stilt-walkers, drum circles, a karaoke stage, and a concert by Donna International, who won the Euro-Pop contest a few years ago. Here are some pictures from our night…

The best part, though, was interacting with people from all over the world. All the USA athletes, and most of the athletes from other countries, brought pins and assorted national items to exchange. I traded for some great pins, including one from India that is gorgeous. I’ll try to take a picture of it and post it soon. I also had a chance to speak with athletes from Finland, South Africa, Brazil, Ukraine, Argentina, and so many more countries. Unfortunately, there were not many Israeli athletes – from what I’m told, the Israeli athletes are not very friendly with the athletes from other countries (and in some cases, they are not friendly amongst themselves).

With some of the athletes, English is not the first (or second) language they speak. Somehow, though, we managed to get around the small hurdle and find a way to communicate with people from around the world, just through a handshake and a smile. That is Maccabiah – even though we’ve been saying that it is the people and the energy that are most important, NOW we have really felt that, and it will only be heightened at tomorrow night’s opening ceremonies.

After we returned from the Welcome Party, I had a chance to speak with one of the other athletes – Alain from Belgium. Sam and I sat up with him for a while, just shooting the breeze and sharing stories. He has convinced me that when I get a chance to visit Europe, Belgium must be on my list. It is conveniently located to many of Europe’s major cities yet is homey and fun. And, the next time he is in New York, we’re going to try to meet up. Those new friendships – that is Maccabiah, too.

I also had a chance to get in a little more practice today. There was a better shot than on Friday, though it was still very tight and precision is key. I did open the lane up again toward the end of the set and was able to move inside. I’m trying to be cautious with that shot, since I’m not sure how many of the other competitors will then be in my track area. Even though we’ve been sneaking peeks at the other bowlers who are practicing at the same time that we are, it is difficult to really get a sense of what they can do, since we are all doing just that – practicing.

As I said, tomorrow is the opening ceremonies. Make sure to catch it on the webcast – beginning at 8 p.m. Israel time (that’s 1 p.m. on the East Coast) by going to http://www.maccabiah17.com/. Oh yeah, keep sending those comments, I love hearing from you.