THE Loup JCC is recruiting participants, fans and supporters in anticipation of the JCC Maccabi Games an annual athletic phenomenon on such a grand scale that it will be the largest gathering of Jewish teens in Denvers history.
Olympic-style activities designed especially for Jewish athletes, ages 12-16, will challenge about 1,500 entrants and rivet a throng of spectators next Aug. 1-6, 2010.
As the competition arrives in Denver that week for the first time, it will bring together visitors from across the nation and a world.
Ben Moke, director of the Denver games, predicts that this event will excite local sports enthusiasts.
Chairs of the 2010 Denver JCC Maccabi Games dubbed Rachmanus in the Rockies, are Elaine Gantz Berman, Sol Leftin and Scott Robinson.
Honorary co-chairs are Warren Cohen, Gary Levine, Bob Loup, Jerry Gray and Howard Greinitz, JCC past presidents.
These organizers seek a diverse spectrum of volunteers, host families and supporters to join the community hosting team.
Preliminaries already range from trips to assess logistical experiences of other cities hosting the event to pep rallies at the Loup JCC, including last summer s pool-party preview of the games.
Seeing the San Diego games provided great insight into the plans we are putting together for Denver 2010, says Gantz Berman, who scouted that game-scape with a Denver contingent in 2008.
San Diegos opening ceremonies were fun and exciting and set the tone for the week.
Considering that we are striving for 1,500 athletes the same as San Diegos total we saw firsthand how to create successful games in Denver.
Moke, director of the Denver games, came to this position from the JCC sports and fitness center.
Stuart Raynor, JCC executive director, helped to steer three JCC Maccabi games while serving the Houston JCC.
Since the JCC games started in 1982, the event location has shifted from year to year, but involvement of Jewish youth has remained a prime objective. Besides athletics, the activities encourage teamwork, Jewish identification and connection with the community.
LAST summer the Loup JCC sent 66 Jewish teens to compete in the JCC Maccabi Games in San Francisco in team sports such as volleyball and baseball and individual endeavors such as golf and dance.
Many of these Denver participants won medals, and all had fun.
The soccer players won Denvers first medal for a team sport.
At the closing party Moke and Leftin accepted the JCC Maccabi Games torch. This celebration, including the surprise tackling of the San Francisco Giants Mascot, Lou Seal, by teens, was the highlight of the trip for the athletes and coaches alike.
The 2010 Denver JCC Maccabi Games will be the largest event of any kind hosted by the Loup JCC.
The Loup JCC needs 600 local families to provide host homes for athletes who will arrive from around the world, 1,000 volunteers for tasks from running events to serving food, and 300 athletes from the Denver area to participate.
To get involved in the 2010 Denver games, go to www.jccdenver-maccabi.org, e-mail [email protected] or call (303) 316-6318.
