Sports are a medium to get our heart rates pumping, sweat tumbling, and muscles contracting. Though they are more than physical movement; more than the feeling of accomplishment (and exhaustion) that comes after a two-hour scrimmage. Sports are a gateway that allows us to act as one puzzle piece to a whole picture, to balance our competitiveness with the necessity of sportsmanship, and to learn the value of losing. 

At only fifteen years old, Alexander Sartin has been dribbling a basketball up and down the court for a decade. After a friend recommended the Maccabi Games and encouraged him to give it a shot (free-throw!), Alex found himself in Tucson, Arizona competing in the 2025 Maccabi Games. He says, “The level of competition was shocking. There were some tough players and well-known coaches.” Alex is a varsity player on his high school team, so the nail-biting competition felt familiar to him. It was being in a Jewish space that was foreign. He explains that “this was my first organized Jewish activity. My Dad is Christian, and my parents let me choose how I want to engage in religion. The Maccabi Games helped broaden how I see my faith, just knowing that other people are the same as me. Some people may not think there are impactful Jewish basketball players, and I got to see how those two things connect. I’d like to think I’m one of them.”  

Jake Jennings played on the same team as Alex at the Maccabi Games in the summer of 2025. He shares that players in the Colorado delegation were from all over the state – Denver, Telluride, Aspen – and have a variety of experience with the sport. “We had continuous practices right before the Games. That’s when we learned all our plays. This year, I had the chance to practice my leadership skills and learn to adapt so I can support my teammates better. I think the more people I can play with, the more I tend to learn.” 

Everyone hopes to shoot the game-winning basket, goal, or touchdown. It’s joyful to imagine your teammates running toward you with smiles as wide as the sky; to hear the roar of the crowd as they take to their feet and fist-pump with excitement. But it’s the process, the practice, and the people you play with that offer the true feeling of winning. Jake says, “We went from last place two years ago to eighth place this year. The goal is just to get better.” Alex adds, “Even though we lost, I gained so much.”