Maccabi Star Reporter: Swim News

On day 2 of swimming, competitors disagree over difficulty of events

By Isabella Duzman & Barri Seitz

August 7, 2018

Picture this: an outdoor pool, surrounded by tents and chairs. Announcements from a megaphone are blaring, music is blasting from all directions. Scattered everywhere are teenagers and adults, socializing, strategizing, spectating and savoring.

In the mob of people, it is impossible to tell who is from which delegation. But to Laura Bransky, there is no place she would rather be. Bransky, a swimming coach from the JCC of Central New Jersey, is here for her seventh Maccabi Games. The OC swimming events are the biggest Maccabi meets that she has ever participated in.

Bransky spoke fondly of the program, which institutes mixed-delegation relay events. “It is the coolest event,” she said.

The swim commissioner assigned the groups, with no more than two swimmers from one delegation in each group of four. It was then up to the athletes to find the members of their group and decide who would swim which stroke and in what order.

One of Bransky’s athletes, Alyssa Rubenstein, said “it is a great way to meet new people and work together.”

Her teammates all agreed with her statement. However, when it comes to which event is the hardest, the Central New Jersey swimmers disagreed with each other.

Jay Slack and Maya Ben-Hor agreed that the 400 IM, where swimmers do a combination of a butterfly stroke, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle, is the most difficult.

Rubenstein and her teammate Sophie Braun concurred that the 200m breaststroke is the most complex. Subsequently, Zach Williams instantly decided that the 200m butterfly is the most complicated.

Although all the swimmers are aware and have potentially participated in all of the events, most of the swimmers said their weaknesses are not the same.

 

Interview with swimmer Sydney Hnatuk

By Ruth Seyoum

August 7, 2018

 

Swimmers Schraber and Connelly make a splash on day one of the Games

By Ruth Seyoum, Romy Benracassa & Agam Elbaz 

August 6, 2018

Erica Schraber, from Minnesota, will be going home a true champion. She won first place in the 500m race, placed second in the 100m and third in the 50m free style.
 
She has been swimming for about 6 or 7 years, she said, and it is her first time competing in the JCC Maccabi Games. She is happy she won and said she thinks her teammates will be proud of her.
 
When she is not swimming, Schraber plays ultimate frisbee. Her favorite athletes that she looks up to are USA swimmer Katie Ledecky and Mark Spitz, a former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic medal winner.  Although swimming is just a hobby to Schraber, she decided to dive into competitve swimming at the Maccabi Games and is already earning an impressive medal streak.
 
Patrick Scott Dreyfuss Connelly, from the Greater Washington delegation, is another remarkable athlete and a highly skilled swimmer. He does not play any other sports, but he has been swimming for eight years and placed first in the 100m butterfly, and second in the 53. He said he looks up to swimmers Michael Phelps and Caeleb Dressel and is proud to represent Greater Washington.