The Maccabiah Games, or the “Jewish Olympics” as they’re often called, provide those of Jewish faith an opportunity to represent their current country in an Olympic-style event every four years. This year’s games took place July 4-18 in Israel and featured 80 countries and more than 10,000 athletes.

One of those athletes included Camille Scheyer, a 2016 graduate of North Shore Country Day and current Yale University field hockey player, who played on the United States team.

“A family friend who played at NSCD and played in Pan-American Maccabi games in 2015 told my mom about it all,” Scheyer said. “Last summer, there was a tryout held in Pennsylvania and there were 22 girls that tried out and there were 16 spots and included girls from all across the country.” 

The team was made up of players between the ages of 18-35, with half the team made up of players who are 18-21 years old, and most of whom are playing in college.

“I was very honored,” Scheyer said. “I’d never had the opportunity to represent my country so it was nice to be able to do that through field hockey, something I really love.”

Scheyer was one of two Illinois members on the team, joining former Windy City Field Hockey Club teammate Rose Gorski, who plays at Cornell University. 

“It was really nice to make it with her because we started playing soccer together when we were 8 or 9 years old and to share this experience together tied it all in nicely.”

The women’s field hockey portion of the Maccabiah Games included four teams, the United States, the Netherlands, Israel and Argentina. The four teams played a round-robin schedule and then were seeded based on their results once pool play ended. The U.S. went 2-1 in pool play, beating the Netherlands and Israel, while falling to Argentina. The team then defeated the Netherlands in the semifinals before falling once again to Argentina in the final 2-0. 

The silver medal was impressive for the Americans, especially since they didn’t play together as a team until arriving in Israel. The team had 10 practices before play started and marked an improvement over the team’s bronze medal at the last games in 2013. 

Making the team was also impressive for Scheyer, as she began playing the sport her freshman year at North Shore Country Day because the school had a fall sports requirement. Going out for the team paid off, as the Glencoe native ended up falling in love with the sport.

“My first high school coach created the best team environment dynamic I’ve ever been in on,” Scheyer said. “Sport aside, she made an environment of people I wanted to be around and be a part of. It’s more skillful and creative than soccer was. It’s a non-contact sport, so you have to be more skillful in everything you do.”

Along with playing in games, the team got to go sightseeing and experience the culture of Israel.

“In the first 10 days when training, we would sightsee and tour the majority of the day and evening after practice. We got to see a lot,” she said. “My family made a trip out of it so we got to see it together.

“I really enjoyed being able to see what the soldiers do there because in Israel, you have to go in the Army when you’re 18. If I lived there, I’d be in the Army right now. My family traveled to the Golan Heights, which is pretty much on the Syrian border. We got to meet soldiers that were all pretty much my age because they were stationed up there. Hearing their experiences and what their life is like in the Army was fascinating and made me see my life in a different context.”

The World Maccabiah Games take place every four years and are the world’s third-largest international sporting event with more than 40 sports being played. According to the Maccabiah website, the principal mission of the Maccabiah is “to facilitate a worldwide gathering of young Jewish athletes in Israel, staging the highest possible levels of sports competitions, and strengthening their connection to the State of Israel and the Jewish people.”

Scheyer and the Bulldogs start the 2017 season Sept. 2 by hosting Sacred Heart University.