Have you been searching for a fun week-long sports experience for your elementary school daughter? Your search is over, as the Directors of Camp Slapshots unveil Camp Superstarz, new for the summer of 2014.
Camp Slapshots was founded in 2003 by Sariel Malitzky, who at the time was the coach of the TABC JV hockey team. This was before the start of the TABC Junior Hockey league and Hockey was not as popular as it is today. Rabbi Malitzky is a visionary and appreciated the value of teaching elementary age boys hockey fundamentals. In their inaugural summer they had 14 boys. By 2005, the camp expanded the age groups and ran for two (independent) weeks. In 2006 basketball was added and Slapshots camp had over 30 campers per week. Since then, flag football has been added and enrollment keeps climbing. This past summer the camp had two weeks of 75-plus campers and one week of 60.
Rabbi Malitzky told the JLBC that “the staff is the secret to the success of Camp Slapshots.” He is a very hands-on director and believes in a high staff-to-camper ratio. This past summer they had an impressive ratio of one staff member for every five campers, giving each camper almost individual attention. Many of the staff members are married with children, giving them an added level of maturity. All have played high school sports and numerous staff members either coached or still coach in yeshiva sports. Last year, Rabbi Malitzky brought in TABC’s Rabbi Josh Kahn as co-director. Rabbi Kahn brings many years of experience with camps, sports and education.
Malitzky also pointed out that the camp places a serious emphasis on playing the “right way.” The boys learn how to win and how to lose. Respect for teammates, coaches, refs, yourselves.
Camp Superstarz will be operating under the same principles, a large staff of exciting role models with sports experience. A lot of time went into finding the right people to run the day-to- day of the camp. Rabbi Malitzky and Rabbi Kahn wanted to make certain that the new camp would be an amazing program that will now enable girls to enjoy competitive leagues and clinics in a positive atmosphere. They recruited two amazing head staff members who will implement this plan on a day-to-day basis.
Superstarz is proud to announce that Rebecca (Margulies) Pasternak will be the camp’s Head Counselor. Rebecca’s first coaching experience was with middle school girls in the Ma’ayanot Junior Hockey League, where she coached for four years. She then served on the sports staff in Camp Lavi for two summers. In 2011, she coached the Yeshivat Noam middle-school girls’ hockey team and led them to their first undefeated championship season. She has always made it a point to develop a strong relationship with each of her teams, stressing good sportsmanship and proper middos, while helping her players develop their skills.
Shira Feigenbaum will also be joining the staff as Assistant Head Counselor. Shira is known for bringing excitement and positive energy to all that she does. Shira served as counselor for two summers at Camp Morasha. During her college summers, Shira served in leadership roles in Camp Dina and Camp Simcha. During her high school years, Shira was a star player on the Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School hockey and soccer teams. A highlight of her experience was earning the MVP award in the Yeshiva Girls Floor Hockey League championship game and scoring the only two goals of that game. While in high school, Shira enjoyed coaching middle school girls in the Ma’ayanot Junior Hockey league for two years and had the opportunity to demonstrate her passion for the sport, helping her team build camaraderie while developing skills in her individual players. Shira loves to have a great time and her cheerful attitude is contagious. Her ruach, combined with her athletic abilities, are a unique recipe for success both on and off the court.
Camp Superstarz, in its inaugural summer, hopes to revolutionize the summer experience for girls. The goal of Superstarz is to provide girls with a fun, intensive, supportive, structured, and positive sports experience. The daily schedule, which begins at 9:00 and concludes at 3:30, includes davening, leagues, clinics, tournaments, lunch (optional lunch plan with Poppy’s), skills competitions, and learning groups. These amazing and exciting activities, coupled with a large and dedicated staff of coaches and referees, is certain to make Camp Superstarz a huge success.
