NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Rising junior
Leigh Rosenthal of the St. Olaf College women's soccer team was part of the gold-medal-winning Team USA Open Women's Soccer Team at the 14th Pan American Maccabi Games in Mexico City earlier this month. We caught up with Rosenthal after the games to find out more about the Games and her experience in Mexico City.
Q: How did you become involved with the USA team for the Pan American Maccabi Games?
A: I became involved with the USA Maccabi team through former St. Olaf women's soccer coach Rachael Sushner. She was the head coach of USA team and offered me a position on the team while she was still coaching at St. Olaf. It was such a fun experience being coached by her one last time before she began her new career as head coach at Trinity College.
Q: How much preparation did the team have for the tournament and what was it like?
A: My team actually had very little training before our six games. We didn't have the opportunity to train together throughout the summer, so we were only able to condition and practice individually before we left for Mexico City. The day before the start of the Games, we were allowed to have one practice together. We traveled up to 8,000 feet elevation to remote soccer fields surrounded by beautiful green mountains. The altitude was definitely a challenge to acclimate to, but it surprised me how well we still meshed together, playing off our strengths and weaknesses to create efficient and beautiful plays off the ball. It was through that one practice that we knew we would be a good team together.
Q: On the field, how did the team do?
A: We definitely made upward progress throughout each game we played. Our first game against Israel was a learning curve; we were still learning how to play with one another, figuring out our overall shape on the field, all the while trying to play as efficiently as possible with the altitude. The game ended in a 1-1 tie but it laid the foundation for how we played the following games. We later beat Peru, 7-0, and Argentina, 8-0. Our game against Mexico was definitely one of my favorites because the stands were filled with Mexico and USA fans, all chanting and banging drums and whirling around noise makers for their respective teams. It was such a big game between rival countries and it was an absolutely surreal feeling to win 2-0. The final team we played against was Brazil and we tied 0-0 with them our first game, which sent us both to the finals. My team was so confident and excited, we came into that final game knowing we would get the gold (again against Brazil). It was such a physical match with fouls being called every minute, but wow was it worth it when the final whistle blew with team USA winning, 1-0. I will never forget all of us hugging one another as we all screamed out the song "We are the Champions" before receiving our gold medals. The Maccabi Games was such a one-of-a-kind experience and I'm grateful to have gotten so close to my teammates and other Maccabi friends along the way.
Q: What was your team able to do while not playing? What was the off-the-field experience like?
A: When we were not playing soccer, we had scheduled events that allowed us to get closer to both the Maccabi culture and to Mexico City. The first event that all Maccabi athletes participated in was the opening ceremonies. I expected the whole event to be small, because I always thought the Jewish community was small itself. It wasn't until I walked into a stadium with the whole USA delegation that I realized that the whole stadium was packed full of Jewish families, athletes, and friends. It was an incredibly powerful moment for me, knowing that we were all there to celebrate our community and culture together. My team then traveled to Mexico City's anthropology museum, which had artifacts from ancient tribes such as the Aztecs, and then traveled to Zócalo, which is a famous public square surrounded by historical buildings. The closing ceremony was a small event compared to the opening ceremonies but was still filled with excitement as we all swapped jerseys and hats with people from other countries. It was also equally bittersweet for me, as I looked back on all the memories I had with my team, knowing I had to leave them soon. Overall, I had a great experience in Mexico City and I'm happy I was given the opportunity to immerse myself in the culture while also experiencing the Jewish culture of the Maccabi Games.
Q: What impact did this experience have on you and how do you think it will shape you at St. Olaf and beyond?
A: This experience has definitely made me closer to the Jewish community. Growing up, I was usually one of the only Jewish kids at my school and on athletic teams, so I never had the opportunity to form strong connections with other Jews, and, because I had only met a small amount of Jewish people, I had thought that we were just a small religious group. The Maccabi Games gave me perspective on just how many Jews there are around the world and finally allowed me to have the chance to meet people like me. I am so thankful to how these Games have made me so prideful of my culture and to how they have made me feel at home within this community.
Through this experience I was able to work with teammates, who I had never met before, and we won the gold together through our hard work and perseverance. We came in with a common goal and we accomplished it, and, because of that, I have new-found confidence that I can achieve anything I set my mind to, which will definitely be beneficial to my St. Olaf career and beyond.
