What Does It Take to Be a Maccabee?

One of the benefits of going to a small university such as YU is that students who play sports in high school can go on to compete at the college level, which can be much more challenging in a larger school. YU athletes are dedicated and hard-working, but The Commentator wanted to know exactly what it takes to be a part of the YU Maccabee Family. 

For one, being a Maccabee requires a major time commitment. When asked how many hours go into practice every week Rueven Hellman (SSSB ‘27), who is a utility player on the baseball team, told The Commentator that there are four to five two-hour practices a week along with an hour spent on the bus, which leads to 16 hours a week. However, practice is not limited to the team, as he often practices outside of the scheduled team practices, adding up to about 22 hours a week. Hellman is far from the only athlete spending over 15 hours a week on practice. Allison Bender (SCW ‘27), pitcher and infielder on the softball team, says she spends around 18-20 hours a week practicing during game season. 

A common factor underlying why certain teams have so much time consumed by practice is a long commute. This is due to YU being a small institution in the city, which leads to teams needing to practice in facilities sometimes an hour away from school. 

With all of the time dedicated to practice, balancing the team and school work tends to be a challenging endeavor for our athletes. “It’s very difficult,” Naava Bodek (SCW ‘27), setter and right side on the women’s volleyball team, told The Commentator, and “it’s a lot of time management.” She also mentioned that “it is also strategically picking classes, so I don’t do more than two hard classes a semester.”

Bodek is not alone. Ezra Wallach (YC ‘27), foilist on the fencing team, lamented the same struggle. “Trying to get ahead of the game and finish assignments and start studying early” is how Wallach stays on top of his workload. Even though Wallach feels overwhelmed sometimes by work he is grateful for his coaches’ empathetic approach. “My coaches are really understanding that we have a tough double curriculum, and therefore understand when we focus on our studies when necessary,” Wallach told The Commentator. 

Finding time to juggle it all — academia, the team, other extracurricular activities and a social and family life — truly seems to be the most difficult challenge that student-athletes have to overcome. There are times where things that they might want to participate in, like club events, fall to the wayside. On this note, Tali Cohen (SSSB ‘27), point guard for the women’s basketball team, told The Commentator that “It’s a lot and you need to make a lot of sacrifices throughout the season.” Cohen’s strategy is her planner: She “[has] to write everything down … to make sure I make time for all my needs”

Kovi Pahmer (YC ‘26), who plays left back on the men’s soccer team shared a similar sentiment, stressing how difficult it can be to choose between the team and other campus events. “Especially as a freshman in the beginning of the year when YU does events for you to meet people such as the beginning of year BBQ and going to Great Adventure, we had to miss both of those due to practice,” Pahmer said.

Another challenge that student-athletes face is the physical toll that being an athlete takes. Players are at high risk for injuries. Maya Dennen (SCW ‘26) who plays right wing and right back for the women’s soccer team and centerfield for the women’s softball team, had already experienced two knee injuries before coming to YU. Once she was a part of the Maccabees she was injured twice more, resulting in surgeries for her ACL and meniscus. “Each time, I’ve had to step away from the game, go through rehab, and work my way back,” Dennen said. “It hasn’t been easy, especially watching from the sidelines while my team competes.” 

Dennen’s injuries have only pushed her to work harder and have deepened her love for sports and the team. “The rehab process, the setbacks and the comebacks have taught me patience, discipline and mental toughness,” she shared with The Commentator. “More than anything, they’ve reinforced how much the sport, an athletic lifestyle and being around my teammates mean to me.” 

Despite student-athletes’ trials and tribulations, they love being on the team because of the wonderful community it fosters. When asked what her favorite part of the basketball team is, Cohen said it was the friendships she has made: “I really have made the bestest of friends on the team that I speak to on the daily about everything and anything. We go through so much together and have a bond that no one else gets.” 

Hellman shared a similar sentiment. “I really feel like I have a family with the team — we are all brothers,” he said.

Additionally, many student-athletes felt like their sports team was an opportunity to meet people that they may have never gotten to talk to if not for the team. Pahmer said that “I loved the fact that my teammates and now close friends were from all over the world, including South Africa, Australia, all over South America, Morocco and even Zimbabwe.”

Being on a YU sports team is a challenge, but it is a challenge that is worth the reward. Immediately after addressing the challenges of being on a team, Bodek confessed that “it is always a thought of do I want to do it again next year? But I always come back to it because I love it so much.” 

As Pahmer ended his interview, he passionately stated,“Joining a sports team is something you won’t regret and it alone has the power to completely transform your YU experience into something amazing.”

Photo Caption: Women’s Volleyball Team 

Photo Credit: Naava Bodek