Rich Bernstein, pictured on the far right, at the Manhattan Invitational with the Ithaca Varsity Boys Cross Country (XC) team, will be spending part of his summer as the co-coach of the USA team at the Junior Maccabiah games in Israel.
Austin Lamb ’18: First off, congratulations.
Rich Bernstein: Thank you.
AL: For those who aren’t familiar with it, what are the Junior Maccabiah Games?
RB: The Maccabiah Games are an Olympic-style competition (meaning all sports that the summer Olympics have) for Jewish athletes from around the world that happens the summer after the Olympic Games. There are more than 34 countries represented and more than 12,000 athletes that will converge in Israel. There are sports from basketball, tennis, lacrosse, hockey (yes), soccer, track and field for men and women. The open competition is 20 years and older, and juniors (15–19) compete.
AL: What is the selection process like for this coaching position?
RB: I applied last summer, then had numerous phone interviews in the fall, some during practice! Finally, I received my acceptance in December. Because it’s a not-for-profit experience, I had to raise my own funds, which got covered by wonderful folks through a Gofundme campaign. Tons of former runners and parents donated.
AL: As of right now, what are the logistics of your trip?
RB: I leave the U.S. on about June 27, and we train in the morning, then for two to three weeks tour various parts of Israel—like the Masada, the Dead Sea, and Jerusalem—and also meet Israeli and Palestinian student athletes. The track events are in Jerusalem for two days in July, and I return July 18, just in time for XC Fun Runs! It’s very exciting; I’ve never been [to Israel] and always wanted to.
AL: What will your job as co-coach involve?
RB: I am the co-coach for the Juniors team—about 25 boys and girls—and responsible for their training and safety. The other coach is an Assistant Coach at Middlebury College.
AL: In your 32 years as head coach of the IHS XC team, is this a new experience for you? You used to coach the IHS Track and Field team, right?
RB: I was the Girls Varsity Coach for 20 years, with only two assistants, so I learned to coach all events and am proficient in most, besides of course mid- and long-distance. I actually had state champions in the high jump (twice) and pentathlon.
AL: Do you know the other coach, or any of the athletes that you will be coaching?
RB: I have been texting and chatting with my co-coach, who is young enough to be my kid! But he sounds great. I do not know any of my athletes but will have weeks to get to know them.
AL: What are you most looking forward to? What do you see as something that you’ll take away from this opportunity?
RB: I am most looking forward to the adventure of seeing and experiencing Israel for myself. It is a complicated land and I want to get my own first-hand information. I have travelled a fair bit, but not this far from home! I hope to bring a little bit of Little Red knowledge to the kids I will coach.