Every four years, some of the best athletes from all over
the world assemble to compete in the most exciting Jewish sporting event of our
time—the Maccabiah Games. This year marks the 19th gathering of this
exciting tradition, and promises to be equally, if not more competitive than in
years past.
On September 3, the Maccabiah Board of Trustees appointed
Matt Greenberg head coach of the United States wrestling team, who will proudly
represent the U.S. at the July 2013 games in Israel.
Greenberg, a native of Upper Saddle River, NJ, is amply
qualified for the position, and is both thankful and exuberant for the
opportunity to coach the team he competed for in 2005.
At Cornell University, Greenberg’s resume included an
Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) title at 197 pounds, and three
bids to the NCAA Division I Championships. In addition Greenberg amassed over
120 wins in his career, and was an All-Ivy League selection all four years, as
well as an NCAA All-American his senior season.
But Greenberg’s experience extends beyond the collegiate
level, and as the 2005 96-kilogram Maccabiah gold medal winner, Greenberg has a
personal connection to the games.
“I competed in the Maccabiah Games in 2005, and since that
time I had an interest in coaching,” said Greenberg “I just thought it was a
really unique and life-altering experience. I was in contact with the board of
trustees, so when they finally told me I was going to get this opportunityit was a dream come true.”
But Greenberg will have a great deal of preparing to do in
order to fulfill his dream of bringing home the gold for Team U.S.A.
On April 7th, trials will be held in Beachwood,
Ohio to determine which athletes will represent the United States at next
year’s Maccabiah Games. At the trials, Greenberg and his staff will select
anywhere between one and three wrestlers per weight class. Greenberg is already
preparing for the trials, contacting coaches and wrestlers, and creating
outreach programs to spread word of the upcoming trials.
“Right now the biggest thing is recruiting,” Greenberg noted.
“Reaching out to every college coach in the country, every high school coach in
the country, and building that talent pool to try and get wrestlers to the
trials. The more people that show up, the tougher the trials are, the better
opportunity we have of putting together a team to compete against some of the
top wrestling countries in the world.”
As the assistant wrestling coach at Franklin & Marshall
College, Greenberg’s search starts right at home in Lancaster, PA. Aaron
Moldoff of Broomall, PA and a freshman at F&M plans to attend the trials,
and is hoping to earn himself a spot on the team in the 55-kg slot.
With all of the recent excitement leading up to the
selection of the team and the games, Greenberg has been reflecting on his trip to
Israel and what the experience meant to him.
“Winning and hearing our national anthem played, is
something I can talk about for the rest of my life,” Greenberg said. “I think
it made religion more important to me, and allowed me to relate to the people
and stories I had learned about growing up.”
Next summer, Greenberg will share his experiences with the
wrestlers as they travel to the Jewish homeland, with hopes to re-live his own
trip in the process.
“It’s a unique opportunity because when we get there, we get
to do a lot of the touring and get to see all of the sights that make this trip
so powerful,” Greenberg said. “But you’re also given the opportunity to train
in this land that you learned about when you were a kid. Running on the beach
in Israel, climbing the mountains over there, swimming in the Dead Sea; getting
to do all those things…it’s a pretty spectacular and special thing to be able
to do.”
When taken to Masada in 2005, Greenberg fondly recalled the
team’s unique ascent to the summit. Most people take a cable car up, while
others more adventurous opt to walk the trail. But Greenberg and the team turned
this historical site into workout grounds.
“You saw all these other teams taking the cable cars up, and
then there was us—the crazy wrestlers who were just a bunch of dots running up
the mountain,” Greenberg said as he laughed.
As they progress towards the games, one of Greenberg’s roles
will be to raise yachad, a
program that requires a shared commitment from all of us to fund the USA
Maccabiah Team and to ensure the success of the Games, to help make this
trip possible for the competitors.
The team will be conducting fundraisers, and Greenberg has personally
extended an offer to anyone who would like to recommend any wrestlers, athletes
or contacts to join him and Team U.S.A in attaining the goal of bringing home
the gold in 2013.
Coach Matt Greenberg can be contacted at mattg197@gmail.com
