Junior Yedidya Milner-Gillers had looked forward to playing lacrosse on his high school team ever since he started playing in second grade. As a defenseman in a long stick league, his lacrosse career was building toward the high school level, where lacrosse athletes are either on their school team or on a travel team, which meets on Saturdays and Sundays. Due to being Shomer Shabbat, Milner-Gillers was forced to quit before high school as there were no options at CESJDS to accommodate being an Orthodox Jew while playing competitive lacrosse.
While many athletes play on JDS sports teams, others might have immense athletic potential but don’t have their sport of choice represented at JDS. Even though students have the option to pursue other sports outside of school, the opportunity to play for JDS brings an element of community and connection that is not as easily found in outside institutions.
A sport that is very popular among Jewish schools, especially the Yeshiva league, is hockey. While these schools prefer floor hockey, that is not feasible in a Montgomery County league as nobody offers the sport. Therefore, the logical alternative is to have field hockey teams in the fall, as Montgomery County has leagues that play the sport.
To some, field hockey could seem to have similar features to soccer, but in reality, many differences make the sport appealing, such as learning how to use a hockey stick and locating the small puck throughout the field. As soccer is one of the most popular sports during the fall season, many athletes would love to play a rigorous sport without competing for a spot on the soccer team with athletes who have been training for soccer since a young age. Field hockey gives athletes more opportunities to play at higher levels and more playing time on the field.
Senior Allison Polin has played on a field hockey team outside of school for five years and thinks that the addition of a field hockey team at JDS would be helpful for those who want more athletic opportunities.
“It’s different from a lot of the other sports so it’d be cool if [students] could try new things,” Polin said. “It’s nice to bring different opportunities to the students. And I think it’s a really good team bonding sport and a great way to exercise.”
Another sport that might benefit the JDS athletics program is lacrosse. Lacrosse is a physically intense sport that requires using sticks to get across the field to a goal. It is a spring sport that appeals to soccer players in their off-season and those who like to be moving around in a team constantly. The sport is very Maryland-centric and is played among many other schools in the area. While the PVAC doesn’t offer lacrosse as an option, there are many alternative leagues available.
“Lacrosse is super fun because it makes you physically tough, and it also makes you an incredible team player,” senior Yedidya Milner-Gillers said. “There is a lot of communication and it gets me in shape. They call it the fastest game on two feet because you’re exerting yourself so much, you’re running, you’re shoving, it’s a lot of speed and agility. And it’s a great thing to get people in shape, and it’s really fun to play.”
According to Director of Athletics Becky Silberman, the athletic program is open to adding more sports, as long as they are reasonable to be added to the school. If they are too costly or not able to practice, then it is harder for the athletic department to justify the cost of a new sport.
“We try to cover the costs for certain things but it’s hard,” Silberman said. “So really the bigger cost would be facility, rentals and refs. If it’s a sport that involves refs, then refs are $100 per person per game. Think about how many games you have, we have a lot of costs.”
There are challenges to adding sports to JDS, but there is also a lot of athletic potential that would be unlocked if sports such as lacrosse and field hockey were added. With more opportunities, giving students the option to choose their athletic path is a powerful tool that JDS can provide for their athletes.
“[A new sport] is a new alternative,” Polin said. “… A lot of the sports [at JDS] are getting a bit more crowded. Since we don’t have too many options, it’d be nice to add a new sport.”
