Muhlenberg athletes are spending the summer of 2022 enjoying fantastic experiences on campus, in their hometowns, across the country and even around the world.
 
Sophomore softball player Dani Roban had an incredible experience this summer playing for the U.S. in the Maccabiah Games.
 
This summer, I was lucky enough to be invited to play in Israel at the Maccabiah Games, which is the second-largest sporting event in the world after the Olympics. 
 
The Maccabiah Games is best explained as the Jewish Olympics, where over 50 different countries compete in a wide variety of sports. 
 
This was a really special experience for me because I got to play the sport I love and explore my Jewish culture. Since I have never really had the chance to embrace the fact that I am Jewish, this was an amazing chance to do that. I was in a place where there were 10,000 Jewish athletes all competing at a high level in the sports they love, which was incredible.
 
For the first week, I was able to explore Israel with my teammates. The program was called Israel Connect. Until we met at the airport, we didn't know each other, and that first week was an amazing bonding experience. I have never made so many new friends and bonded with so many people so quickly.
 
Since we had so much in common, we all just clicked before we even stepped on the field. The following week, we started gameplay and even got the chance to play in the gold medal game against Israel, which was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had.
 
Overall, playing in the Maccabiah Games is something I will never forget. I look forward to returning to Israel in the near future.