Pan American Maccabi Games Beach Volleyball Website

MEXICO CITY -- For any athlete, competing on the international stage as a representative of their native country is a dream come true. For Elmira College's Alex Adelman '22, the 14th Pan American Maccabi Games will not only provide the rare chance to suit up in red, white and blue, but experience one of the largest celebrations of Jewish culture and athletics in North America.

Adelman is one of 400 Jewish athletes from the United States and one of 2,500 total athletes from over 30 countries converging in Mexico City for this year's installment of the Pan American Maccabi Games. The 10-day event begins on Friday, July 5, with opening ceremonies scheduled for Sunday, July 7, at Arena México. Beach volleyball matches will be held at Centro Deportivo Israelita in Naucalpan de Juárez, located an hour northwest of Mexico's capital city.

Alongside Moses Kresch, a rising junior setter from Division II Alderson Broaddus University in Philippi, West Virginia, Adelman is forming a beach volleyball tandem for the men's open division, which is comprised of athletes ages 18-35. The duo expects to face opponents from countries such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Israel, Mexico, and Venezuela.

The Pan American Maccabi Games are held every four years in one of the Latin American countries. Participants include athletes representing North, Central, and South America, Israel and other countries throughout the Diaspora. According to the Maccabi World Union, "one of the main missions is to perpetuate and preserve the American Jewish community by encouraging Jewish Pride, strengthening Jewish bonds, and by creating a heightened awareness of Israel and Jewish Identity."

The Pan American Maccabi Games coincide with the Maccabiah Games, which are held quadrennially in Israel the year following the Summer Olympics. The 21st Maccabiah will be held in 2021.

"The Maccabi Games are basically the Olympics for Jewish athletes," Adelman said. "Jews from all around the world come together to compete in the Pan American Games or the Maccabi Games. You get to meet Jewish people from all around the world and experience the culture of being Jewish. There are people in Brazil, Argentina, Canada, China, Chile, and those kind of places. You experience how they might view their religion differently than it is in the United States, and how I was brought up being Jewish compared to how they were brought up being Jewish.

"For myself, I'm really excited to do something I've never done in my life. It's really amazing to me, I've been putting in so much work to actually be a part of these Olympics, but I'm also very nervous because I have never experienced something this big in my life."

"We are extremely excited that Alex will be competing in the Maccabi Games this year," said Daniel Miranda, head coach of the EC men's volleyball program. "This is not only an opportunity for him to represent the school on the international level, but more importantly, his family and his culture."

The idea of traveling to play in the Pan American Maccabi Games initially came from Adelman's cousin, who played on a soccer team at the 20th Maccabiah Games in Israel in 2017. Fellow United Volleyball Conference student-athlete and friend, Jake Kaplan, a rising sophomore at Vassar College, then recruited Adelman as the libero for an indoor volleyball team that was going to compete in Mexico City this summer. Kaplan earned a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Maccabi Games in Chile, but together they weren't able to drum up enough interest to fill out a full squad.

"Unfortunately, there weren't enough people to sign up, so I guess beach was calling my name," Adelman said.

Unlike a six-man indoor team, beach volleyball requires only two players on a sand court. And although the courts are smaller, it is much more difficult to make quick, lateral movements through the sand than on a hardwood floor.

"I've been playing beach volleyball for maybe four years now, but not like this," Adelman said. "I started two years ago playing I'd say semi-competitively with one of my friends (Dylan Selliti of Misericordia University) back at home.

"Playing competitively, I've gained more knowledge of the game, both beach and indoors."

The libero from East Meadow, New York, explained that the fast-paced nature of beach volleyball, combined with the difficult footing in the sand, provides an intense cardio workout. In addition, beach volleyball rules prohibit hand-passing on a serve receive, forcing players to instead focus on passing the ball with their forearms, a skill a successful college libero must master.

"It definitely helps me indoors," he said. "Since I'm a libero and beach volleyball only has two people, for me, I'm reading where the hitters' hands are or where they're body is facing."

"He's going to be taking his talents to the sand, which I always strongly encourage all of our players to do in the offseason," Miranda said. "This will allow him to not only highlight his defensive and serve-receive abilities, but be an offensive weapon as well."

Although the idea of coming home from the international competition with a medal is on the mind of both Adelman and Kresch, Elmira's rising sophomore has made the cultural experience an even larger priority.

"Winning would be fun, but honestly, I'm there for the experience," Adelman said. "We've had to do a lot of fundraising for it, and I'm happy that I can go. The experience is going to be amazing, meeting new people from around the world and playing volleyball. Winning is always a good thing, but right now having the experience is more meaningful than anything."

For updates throughout the tournament, fans can follow Maccabi USA on Facebook and Twitter. Alex Adelman '22 will also be taking over the Elmira College Athletics Instagram account while at the Pan American Maccabi Games, so be sure to follow the Soaring Eagles for a behind-the-scenes look at all sights, sounds, and action from Mexico City.