Seven members of the Team Virginia Beach delegation to the JCC Maccabi Games & Access 2024 arrived on August 5 at the Houston airport at 1 am – delayed but excited for the upcoming competitions. More than 1,700 teens from across the globe convened in this Texan city ready to immerse themselves in sports and recreation over the next five days.
The young men and women from Tidewater teamed with other communities to compete in several contests: girls 16 and under (16U) soccer and boys 16U and 14U basketball. One athlete, 13-year-old Oliver Scolnick, competed in Access games for Jewish athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Families travelled to the Lone Star State, too, to cheer on these local athletes despite Texas’ summer heat. In the spirit of the coinciding Paris Olympics, the Tidewater athletes brought home several medals. Along with her FTL United teammates from Ft. Lauderdale, San Diego, and the Virginia Peninsula, Shanny Zach’s first soccer game for girls 16U ended in a 6-1 victory over Argentina; her team later won the gold medal by beating Dallas 3-1 in the finals. Henry Scolnick, Ashten Konikoff, and Leo Gottlieb, along with one player from Stamford, Conn., combined to create the 16U boys three versus three (3v3), basketball VB-STM team. During tournament play, these four teenagers battled teams from Houston/ Ukraine, Boca Raton/Orange County, Nashville/VA Peninsula, and Moise Safra of New York City. Wins were elusive, but the boys fought hard.
The NashVB entry for 14U boys 3v3 basketball, led by Coach Chris Queman, had two local players, Eli Lomogda and Caleb Bailey, and two players from Nashville. Along with a great win over Springfield/Stamford on day 1, the team earned the #5 seed before upsetting the #4 seed, Houston, at the start of the tournament. The #1 seed, powerhouse Kansas City, with a monstrous teen playing center, underestimated NashVB in the semi-finals; the teams battled the entire game, and NashVB almost pulled off a huge upset.
Oliver Scolnick brought home TeamVB’s first medals in the games, with two silvers in individual and team basketball. He continued to dominate in the Access competitions, including a perfect score of 10.0 to win the gold medal in the vault. His team earned silver in the floor exercise relay before Oliver claimed the gold medal in base-tennis, and he even ruled the pool, with an individual gold and a relay silver.
Henry Scolnick, who has never met a stranger, earned two distinctions outside of athletic performance. First, the JCA Jacksonville delegation gave him an honorary bronze medal in recognition of the camaraderie he brings to their experience at JCC Maccabi. Second, the 3v3 basketball sports commissioner extended a Midot Medal (for individuals or groups who epitomize the ideals of sportsmanship and character) to Henry for the palpable influence that his sportsmanship and kindness had upon the entire venue. Henry also earned a silver medal in pickleball doubles play.
The 2024 games closing party ended in Texas style with bull (and shark) riding, armadillo racing, DJ music, dancing, Kona Ice, photos with a live Texas steer, and delicious brisket.
Onward to the 2025 JCC Maccabi Games & Access in Tucson, Arizona!
