Bradley Chalupski, celebrating his win andholding a (frozen)
piece of Israeli history
piece of Israeli history
In 1980, at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY we witnessed the “Miracle on Ice” – the amazing win by a young U.S. hockey team over the feared Soviet squad. It is one of, if not the most celebrated underdog story in modern sports history. Three decades later, we still believe in miracles. Israel is making a name for itself in a sport whose field consists of more ice in one section than there is in all of Israel! When one thinks of Israel, they think Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Galilee, even the Negev desert – certainly not ideal training grounds for a serious winter sport. Naysayers be damned, Israel did it! The Israel Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation just announced that with a 5th place finish in the weekend’s America’s Cup race in Lake Placid, NY, skeleton athlete Bradley Chalupski has earned Israel her first ever medal in Skeleton!
“It’s an incredible honor to win a medal for an entire nation. I feel thankful, proud and amazing,” said Chalupski.
David Greaves, the Secretary-General of the Israeli Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, had this to say: “As a former athlete member of the IBSF, my role now as volunteer is to help in any way that I can and to assist young Jewish athletes hoping to represent Israel in the sports of Bobsled and Skeleton. If these great young athletes can take away even half the of what I got out of my experience as an athlete, then all our work with be well worth it. News of Bradley’s first medal and our Federation’s first ever skeleton Medal will now sit alongside our bobsled medals and will help blaze a trail for other you athletes. Bradley and Israel and all Jewish sports enthusiasts should be proud, as I am. Mazal tov Brad.”
Mazel tov indeed!
