As we approach summer and I begin finalizing registrations and swag for the 2026 Team Tucson delegation headed to the Toronto 2026 JCC Maccabi Games, where they’ll compete alongside nearly 400 athletes, I cannot help but reflect fondly on last summer. I could hardly contain my excitement to host the JCC Maccabi Games here at the Tucson J. The week was full of magic moments, but one memory really sticks out in my mind: The story of our 15U mixed soccer team still swells my heart with pride.
Arguably Team Tucson’s greatest athletic achievement of the Games, what transpired embodies so much more than athleticism and came amid an unparalleled number of non-athletic peoplehood achievements. That is fitting because the JCC Maccabi Games have never truly been about wins and losses. The story of Team Tucson’s 15U mixed soccer team is not really about soccer at all. It is about growth, resilience, sportsmanship, and what can happen when young people come together.
This story belongs to Tucson’s 15U Boys Soccer Team, though technically they competed as a mixed team, which in many ways makes the accomplishment even more meaningful. Five of the athletes represented Tucson, and both coaches were Tucson volunteers — one a parent of an athlete, the other a returning JCC Maccabi alum.
In the early placement days, when the team stepped onto the field together for the very first time, there were immediate challenges. On field chemistry was lacking, and tensions off the field grew significant enough that one athlete nearly walked away from the competition entirely, feeling that the experience was not what he had expected. Through coach and parent mediation, athlete-to-athlete compromise, and a collective willingness to work through adversity, the team found common ground by the elimination rounds.
As the tournament progressed toward the finals, I, as delegation head, continually received positive feedback about our players not just for their effort and competitiveness, but for the respect they showed their opponents. I also heard tremendous praise for our coaches, both for their leadership and for the way they treated every athlete involved in the competition. By the time the team advanced to face Toronto in the championship match, I was already overwhelmed with pride for the way this group had transformed itself after such a turbulent beginning.
The finals presented a daunting challenge. Toronto arrived with a full roster, a coach they had worked with for months, and the confidence that comes from competing together across multiple events leading up to the Games. They entered the Tucson JCC Maccabi Games as the clear favorite to win gold. None of that fazed our team.
In just three short days, these athletes had learned to trust one another, embrace their coaches, lean on the support of their parents in the stands, and rally around each other as teammates. They embraced the moment and the energy of the home crowd.
I will not mention scores or goals because that is not what makes this story important. This is a story about evolution, camaraderie, leadership, perseverance, and the beauty of sport. Five Tucson athletes, joined by mixed team players from Philadelphia and led by Tucson coaches, found the strength to unite and overcome a talented, confident team that fully expected to leave with gold medals around their necks.
Perhaps the most meaningful moment of the week came after the championship, when the team gathered to award their yellow ribbon medal, an honor recognizing sportsmanship and character. The players chose to give it to the athlete who had nearly walked away at the beginning of the week. Watching that decision unfold was the proudest I may have ever felt. It was the perfect culmination of everything that made this team special and everything the JCC Maccabi Games are truly about.
It is worth noting that stories like this would not be possible without the tremendous support of our community, from the families who entrust us to lead their teens through the experience, and the Jewish communal professionals who work tirelessly all year to bring the Games to life, to the many volunteers who give their time and skills, and the dedicated donors whose support powers this meaningful event. I would be remiss not to thank our local community for their contributions, including Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona, which generously ensures Team Tucson athletes can participate through a grant that subsidizes the cost.
I look forward to celebrating more meaningful stories when we return from the Toronto Games this summer, and I am excited to begin assembling the delegation we will bring to Austin, Texas, in 2027. Perhaps that includes a full soccer team and the return of one of our stellar coaches.
To learn more about the JCC Maccabi Games or get involved, reach out to me at [email protected]
