Jewish teens ages 13 to 16 traveled to Memphis from across the country this summer to compete in the 30th annual Jewish Community Center Maccabi games, Aug. 3-10.

Among the participants were two local stars: Jacob Kanter from Parkway Central High School and Ben Sheinbein from Ladue Middle School.

Jacob, a junior in high school, began playing tennis as a child. Adopted as a baby from Texas, he was brought into a family with a major tennis background. His mother, Jan Sandweiss, worked as a pro at Creve Coeur Racquet Club, Chesterfield Athletic Club at the Doubletree Hotel and Woodsmill Tennis Club for a total of 15 years, and encouraged Jacob to try the sport as well.

“At first my mom just forced me to play tennis, but once I started to get into it and beat people I played because I liked it,” Jacob said. “Freshman year was when I really started to enjoy the game, especially when we came in fourth in state.”

This summer was Jacob’s first experience at Maccabi. He had high expectations going into the competition, and came home pleased with his performance, coming in second out of 21 players.

“It was so cool to stay with a host family and meet people from all over, like Alabama, Los Angeles and Houston,” Jacob said.

He describes tennis as his main passion, and says winning is his main priority on the court. Ben takes a similar stance on baseball, but his Maccabi experience was more influential than he ever imagined.

On the youngest side of the games, Ben, an eighth grader, was also a newcomer to Maccabi. His baseball team, consisting of St. Louis and New Orleans teens, practiced all summer for the competition. Ben’s favorite moment at Maccabi was the opening ceremony at FedEx Forum where the Memphis Grizzlies play basketball. He had never seen so many athletes coming together for one night of pure fun.

“The opening ceremony was the coolest and most exciting thing ever,” Ben said. “The announcer gave facts about St. Louis as we walked out of the tunnel and around the stadium and once each team found their seat they lit the torch. It was so cool.”

Not only was the ceremony memorable, but Ben also enjoyed staying with his host family. Though he had to get up at 6 a.m. in order to arrive at the ballfields on time, Ben felt energetic and ready to play.

“My host family cooked the best food ever,” Ben said. “I knew all the kids I was staying with so it was really entertaining.”

He also appreciated the intensity of the competition in Memphis. By playing teams from across the country, Ben expanded his baseball experiences.

“We played games against Chicago, Memphis, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale and a few more,” Ben said. “I went in with low expectations of the other teams but they were amazing. We lost in our last game for bronze so we didn’t place, but it was still worth it and really fun.”

Both Jacob and Ben rave about — and recommend — the Maccabi experience. Unfortunately for Jacob, his first year was also his last. However, Ben has more chances for gold in the future.

“If anyone is uncertain, go,” Ben said. “Kids everywhere will be missing out if they don’t try Maccabi.”

They both described the competition as strong and extremely fun at the same time. Though Ben looks forward to Maccabi next year, the host city for next year’s games has not yet been announced. In the meantime, Jacob and Ben will return to their school teams.

“Meeting kids from all over was a huge plus and the parties were really fun,” Ben said. “Maccabi is basically the Olympics made just for Jewish people, and I am for sure going back next year.”