SPORTS

A Larger Stage

By Steve Lawrence

Two Cornell student athletes stepped onto much larger stages last week, and wrestler Jonathan Loew and volleyball player Sydney Moore did their university—and their programs—proud.

Loew won Gold (and two other medals) at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, winning the Freestyle competition with a dramatic 6-4 come-from-behind victory over homecountry favorite Uri Kalashnikov, a U-23 World Freestyle Bronze medalist. In that match, Loew game from a 4-0 de cit to take the top podium spot.

According to the New York State Wrestling News' Facebook post, Loew was “playfully dubbed ' e Hebrew Hammer' by his family,” and his wrestling career continues on an upward arc. Loew came into Cornell as a NYSPHSAA champion, having won the NYS title a er a dazzling 53-1 senior season at Wantagh High School, where he won over 200 matches as a six-year varsity starter. He also helped lead his school to two state titles.

At Cornell, a er a pandemic-abbreviated sophomore season, Jonathan came back strong to win his rst EIWA title at 184 pounds, and earned Division 1 All-American recognition, nishing 8th at the NCAAs.

I caught up to Jonathan a er his return from Israel, and he said, “Competing at the Maccabiah Games was my rst international competition, and it was the chance of a lifetime. It was really cool to see that many athletes following their passion.”

I asked how his spot on the team came to be, and he said, “My dad, Irwin Loew, (who was also a collegiate wrestler) competed in the Maccabiah Games in the 1980s, and his coach—a gentleman named Dave Groverman—is still around! He reached out to my dad in late-April and asked if I was interested.” Jonathan's parents and his sister were able to make the trip too, and Jonathan said, “It was an amazing experience, from a competition standpoint, but also form a cultural standpoint. Seeing Israel, seeing the sights, meeting the people... it was great.”

Loew sees the Maccabiah experience as not just a fun summer diversion, but as a stepping stone in his collegiate career. “It was a real con dence boost to know that I could compete with a guy with experience in the World Championships, and while the style of international wrestling I saw featured a slower pace and was much more methodical than I am accustomed to, I learned a lot of good stu to bring back to my next collegiate season.”

Anyone familiar with elite collegiate wrestling knows that Loew is just one of many Cornell wrestlers competing in various tournaments around the world. e level of competition—internal as well as external—faced by these guys pretty much means that they have little time to relax. According to Jonathan, “ ere are a ton of guys at every weight class, and we're all good friends and we're all hungry to win.” He laughed and added, “We de nitely beat the hell out of each other in practice, so when we compete against other programs, we can't wait to get our hands on other guys. It's tough, for sure, but it's all the result of a great system run by Coach (Mike) Grey and his sta .” (Jonathan also expressed his appreciation for the support put forth by the Maccabiah Games wrestling sta , led by coach Rob Prebish.)

Jonathan Loew versus Israel’s Uri Kalashnikov (Photo: Larry Slater)

Congratulation also to Sydney Moore, a rising junior on the Big Red volleyball team. Sydney was among ve women honored last week at the 2022 ESPY awards in Los Angeles as one of ve the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award winners.

According to Cornellbigred.com, “Moore's work in various avenues throughout campus and the community was recognized on a national platform alongside many of the top athletes in the world. In March, Moore addressed members of Congress about NCAA reform, gender equity and Title IX. On June 23, Moore led a panel discussion in the United States Capitol Building to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the passing of Title IX legislation, representing both Cornell and Voice In Sport, an advocacy group that creates community and connects and inspires girls and women to drive positive change in athletics. She is also actively involved in the Women of Color in Athletics (WOCA) and has helped drive programming around promoting positive body image for women athletes.”

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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that health insurance in New York would cover birth control and abortion.

Lea understands that without reproductive justice, the burden falls hardest on people of color, immigrants, people in rural areas, and those without the money to travel for their care. Further, she knows that access to reproductive health care is just part of the picture. at’s why, when she served for eight years on Binghamton City Council, she worked to expand a ordable housing, passed legislation supporting equal pay for women, remove lead paint from homes, provide access to a ordable healthy food, and prevent the privatization of nursing homes—actions that center the needs of women and children across the lifespan.

Lea is an accomplished public servant with the experience needed to represent us well in Albany. A lifelong resident of the Southern Tier, she has the depth of knowledge about the needs of our communities that we are looking for. As our State Senator, she will work to ensure that reproductive rights are further protected and abortions remain accessible by supporting the equality amendment in New York State’s Constitution, and by pushing for adequate funding for our clinics, to meet the increased volume that is expected as people come here from out of state.

Importantly, our elected o cials must work e ectively with others. Lea has proven herself to be a tireless collaborator and problem solver, always thinking of those who need our services most. We wholeheartedly endorse Lea Webb for State Senate in the August 23 primary. Judith Ashton, Mark Ashton, Zillah Eisenstein, Marty Hatch, Susie Hatch, Carol K. Kammen, Dan Lamb, Nina Miller, Alice

Moore, Martha Robertson, Robert Smith,

Bruce ompson, Kathryn ompson

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

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• Smoking Regulations: Enforce no smoking laws in worksites and public places.

Prevent retail sales to minors. Investigate complaints and educate. • Communicable Disease Control: Investigate food and water-borne illnesses. • Complaints: Investigate situations that may cause public health problems, such as indoor air, animal manure, trash and rubbish, rodents, violation of regulations, etc. • Emergencies: Respond to situations with health hazards or where the public’s health or safety is in jeopardy, such as water treatment process failures, spills of hazardous materials, and serious violation of regulations. • Education: Provide guidance to operators and owners of regulated facilities, and the public about environmental public health issues.

When Skip and his co-workers are not addressing one of the concerns listed above, they work with municipal code o cers to address public health concerns such as indoor air, animal manure, trash and rubbish, rodents, violation of regulations.

“We never know when we answer the phone who is calling and what we will be called upon to do…Calls cover a wide range of topics which keep our sta on their toes,” Skip explains.

With so much turf to cover, a ecting so many of us, how does Skip feel about his public health work, especially during challenging times due to the pandemic? “A er 15 years of service with the Health Department, I still enjoy the work I do. I work with a great group of people who are committed to making the community a safer and healthier place for everyone who lives or visits Tompkins County.

“As people are out and about more interacting with other people and pets, I remind individuals that if they are bitten by a dog or cat, to get the contact information of the pet owner and report to the Health Department. is allows the us to e ciently follow-up on the animal bite to ensure that we can rule out the risk of a rabies exposure and avoid unnecessary treatment of the individual who was bitten.

“Also, bats become more active in the summer months, especially at the end of July and into August. Occasionally a bat will end up entering a person’s home. If you find a bat in your home, contact the health department before you release it to ensure that testing is not needed. Again, this can prevent unnecessary rabies treatment in most cases.”

“Whether it is a rabies concern or other environmental health issue, we are here to assist the community and can be reach at 607-274-6688.”

More information on the Tompkins County Health Department’s Environmental Health Division can be found online here: https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/health/eh.