#maccabiausa


Winning the Gold 61

Nearly three years ago, the co chair of the Grand Masters Maccabian team, Marty Bloom, called me to see if I would come on board as the coach of this team. When I agreed he told me that USA Maccabi execs said that coaches could not play. It would be too much work and that playing would interfere with what needed to be done. I had never won a Gold medal in the Maccabian Games. It was a hole in my tennis resume.

So I, of course, had a different story. I could coach 23 slightly experienced players aged 65, 70, 75 and 80 and overs and I could compete as well. If they wanted me to coach then they would have to let me play. A typical story of mine of creating a high bar. People said that it would be too tough to keep my game at the level at which it needed to be to succeed. Not my story….


Gold Medal Eve 10

I play Joe Oren for the gold tomorrow at 9:30AM. He is a fine player who is #1 in Israel in our age group. He and I have come across each other a couple of times at Senior Davis Cup matches although we have never played.

I have been asked by my teammates what I am thinking about tonight and if I am nervous.

My old story before big matches used to be that I would be edgy, nervous, worried and filled with obsessive and repetitive thoughts about the next day. I would often be focused on my opponent. I would worry that I wouldn’t play well….