Maccabi Girl looks to inspire young female athletes

TORONTO — Maccabi Canada has crunched the numbers and they show an unmistakable trend. As girls get older, their participation in high-level sports goes down.

To address that issue, while also engaging, empowering and otherwise interesting young athletes, Maccabi Canada is holding its first ever Maccabi Girl event on Sunday, Sept. 14, at Camp Robin Hood for girls aged nine to 19.

The event will coincide with Maccabi’s Sports Challenge, an annual get together and fundraiser that brings together athletes for competition and fun.

Participants in Maccabi Girl will be treated to inspirational presentations from accomplished female athletes, said Melanie Bass, operations director for Maccabi Canada.

Sasha Gollish (duathlon), Ashley Kochman (basketball) and Andrea Schaffer (softball) will discuss their journeys in the world of sports.

Besides being a Maccabi athlete, Gollish, 33, is an ambassador for Fast and Female, a non-profit organization that encourages girls to stay in sports and is partnering with Maccabi Canada to host the event.

“I learned a lot this season running, but more than anything, I had so much fun. I love running. I love training. I love working hard. I love all my friends down at the track. I love staying fit and healthy. I love being a part of something that inspires others to want to compete and participate in running events,” Gollish said.

Bass said Maccabi Canada examined its roster of athletes from the 2013 Maccabiah Games. The figures showed that 40 per cent of the team’s junior athletes (under 19) were female while 30 per cent of the open athletes were women. Only 10 per cent of the masters athletes, aged 35 and older, were female.

Though female participation in the Maccabiah Games has been trending up, there’s lots of room to improve, said Bass.

In addition to athletes’ presentations, Maccabi Girl is offering leadership development activities, dry land stations, dance and yoga. Information sessions will be held for parents. 

The Sports Challenge will feature competition in baseball, basketball, football, soccer and volleyball. The top two teams will face off in an obstacle course competition to determine the overall winner.

Funds raised from The Sports Challenge will go toward Maccabi Canada’s Adopt-an-Athlete program, which helps support athletes competing at the Maccabiah Games in Israel.

Meanwhile, Maccabi Canada announced it is planning combines, events that measure strength, speed and skill, in order to identify and develop elite Jewish athletes across Canada, as well as development sports to foster the skills and participation of young Jewish athletes who will go on to represent Canada at high-level sports.

Maccabi Canada’s table tennis programs have been launched for youngsters eight and up at both the beginner level and for those who wish to play competitively. The programs will take place at TOP SPIN Table Tennis Centre. 

 For more information about Maccabi Girl, visit maccabigirl2014.eventbrite.ca or contact Bass at [email protected]