Landis Family Gets Kick Out of Maccabi Games

Gabriele and Sarah Landis were backstage two weeks ago at the Teen Choice Awards in Santa Monica--volunteering as a favor to their uncle--when they came face-to-face with one of their idols.

The soccer enthusiasts from Agoura Hills met U.S. women’s team member and World Cup star Brandi Chastain, who spent 15 minutes talking and sharing stories with the teenagers.

“Something that really stood out was how appreciative she was of us going to her and telling her how much we love and admire her,” Gabriele said.

The sisters hope to follow the success of the U.S. women’s team by helping the Los Angeles delegation win its third consecutive gold medal at the Maccabi Youth Games from Sunday through Aug. 19 in Rochester, N.Y.

Gabriele, 16, and sister Alison, 13, are players on the team, which is coached by their father, Stephen Landis. Sarah, 18, is an assistant coach.

More than 150 athletes from the region will compete in the Maccabi Games, which bring together about 4,500 Jewish athletes 13-16 from around the world to contest for medals in 12 sports. There are four sites nationwide.

“It’s about Jewish unity and making friendships with people from around the world who share the same religion,” Sarah said.

“It’s always competitive, but there is also a type of connection with the other team because of something you share.”

The popularity of girls’ soccer has been rising steadily in recent years, reaching its pinnacle when the U.S women’s team beat China in penalty kicks last month in the World Cup final at the Rose Bowl before 90,185, the largest crowd in history to attend a women’s sporting event.

In the first year the L.A. delegation sent a soccer team to the Maccabi Games, 16 girls tried out. Since then, the numbers have increased to 40, and Stephen expects a greater turnout next year.

“It’s so inspiring,” Gabriele said of the U.S. women’s success. “We don’t have to stop [playing] after college. We can go even further. We can be just as good as the guys, and better.”

The L.A. delegation won the gold medal last year with a 2-1 shootout victory over Mid Island (N.Y.).

Gabriele and Leah Schweid, 16, co-captains of the team this year, watched the game from the sideline. Schweid sprained an ankle during the tournament and Landis was hospitalized with a concussion.

The injuries forced the athletes to miss most of their high school seasons. Gabriele, a junior at Agoura, and Schweid, a junior at El Camino Real, are anxious to get back and compete.

“We’ve been talking about it all summer,” Schweid said. “I was pretty bummed out watching my team and not being able to help them. But it’s not a one-person show.”

Schweid’s sprained ankle was one in a string of injuries she has suffered in the Maccabi Games. In 1995, her first year, she broke her leg. In 1997, she tore a knee ligament.

Despite the competitive nature of the Maccabi Games, winning takes a back seat to camaraderie.

Members of the L.A. girls’ soccer team say the tournament allows them to socialize with fellow Jewish athletes, who will stay with local families in Rochester.

“I love it,” Schweid said. “It’s really supportive and nobody is left out and you make friends. It’s an incredible experience.”

Still, the L.A. team hopes to add to its surplus of Maccabi medals.

If not, Gabriele can follow Chastain’s advice that mirrors the philosophy of the Maccabi Games.

“One thing she told me is it’s not so much winning, but playing with your best friends,” she said.