From Team JCC to Team USA — Professional Rugby Player Sarah Levy
By Dan Shapiro
In Omaha in 2010, and again in Houston two years later, Sarah Levy was having the time of her teenage life competing in soccer at the JCC Maccabi Games®. Sarah reflects “It was such a carefree time and I just recall having so much fun playing my favorite sport at the time, but especially the social experience of coming together with Jewish teens from all around the world.”
What she never imagined is that a decade later, her full-time job would be on Team USA, where she is working to compete in the 2024 summer Olympic Games to be held in Paris, let alone playing rugby, a sport she had never participated in before going to college. This she explained during a rare break at home in between her typical full-day schedule at the Olympic Training Center of Chula Vista or competing in major cities in the United States and Europe as part of her related pro-rugby competitions.
JCC Roots: A Family Affair
The seeds of Sarah’s athleticism and a commitment to personal fitness were sown at the JCC. From her earliest memories, as she attended the JCC’s Nierman Preschool, her mother, Susan, and father Denis were fixtures at the JCC’s Qualcomm Sports, Fitness, and Aquatics Center. So she couldn’t help but absorb their commitment to fitness as she began her JCC journey. The J continued to be a staple in her life as she was a regular attendee at Camp Jaycee, the Teen Leadership Council, and eventually as a lifeguard. And she and her family’s relationship with the JCC didn’t even end when she went to Northeastern University in Boston. “Every time I was back from college, it would be okay, let’s go to the JCC and it would be me, my dad, mom, and little sister, Ilana, all going to the gym at the same time, but all of us doing our own little things.” Now Sarah’s workouts are solely reserved for the Olympic facility, but her parents continue to work out many hours a week at the JCC.
Concurrent Goals
Sarah is simultaneously working on two major goals. The first is to continue to play rugby at the highest level possible, and the second is to earn her doctorate in Physical Therapy through a flexible program at the University of Saint Augustines in San Marcos. This creates a challenging schedule, to say the least. “Yeah, I train full-time down at the Olympic training center down to Chula Vista. So on weekdays, I’m there training pretty much eight-hour days and then I am also in physical therapy school right now too. So I’m doing that on some weekends and then it’s every other weekend doing the work remotely as I am often on the road for rugby.” In fact, this interview was conducted after Sarah just returned from Memphis and was about to leave for Denver, then England and Ireland.
“I think it (JCC Maccabi) was just a great experience for people like me and other Jewish people who play sports, because I feel like there isn’t much Jewish representation in the sports that we watch.” — Sarah Levy
JCC Maccabi Memories
Sarah enjoys recalling her JCC Maccabi memories. My experiences were really special because you don’t really realize how different San Diego is from other places, especially if you haven’t traveled around the country very much. And it is so cool to make connections and kind of build your network. In fact, all these years later, I still keep in touch with one of the players on my JCC Maccabi soccer team.”
Much of what she loved about the JCC Maccabi Games is what she now loves about rugby — camaraderie, acceptance of differences, being part of a small but mighty tribe — and “because it celebrates strength as beautiful.” She also notes parallels between the JCC Maccabi Games and the Olympics, such as meeting athletes from all over the globe, trading pins, and just coming together to celebrate something positive.
Sarah certainly is a positive role model for all the young people who want to work hard to achieve their dreams. Let’s hope somebody in this summers’ JCC Maccabi Games will someday have their USA sports jersey on sale on Amazon, just like Sarah!
