Wellington, FL (July 22, 2013) – International grand prix show jumper Danielle Goldstein of Starwyn Farms, LLC, has been chosen as chef d’equipe to lead Team Israel’s 4-rider squad in its quest for Gold on the medals podium at the Maccabiah Games, the 19th quadrennial international Jewish athletic competition hosting more than 9,000 athletes from 71 countries, July 18-30, in Israel.
The Maccabiah Games mark Goldstein’s first time representing Israel on native soil since the Wellington, FL resident became an Israeli citizen in 2010 and began competing internationally under its blue-and-white colors, and is the first time in its 81-year history to include equestrian competition, which will be hosted in Kibbutz Yagur, outside of Haifa.
“I have been waiting a long time for this opportunity. It is like a dream come true for me,” said Goldstein. Earlier in June, she was in Holland during her debut European tour and ranked eighth overall in the Outdoor Gelderland/Arnhem Grand Prix 3*. She will continue to compete in Europe through November.
“I am excited to be participating in my first Maccabiah Games and honored to have been named team captain. I see the Maccabiah Games as the great unifier, an event that brings world-class athletes from the Diaspora back to the Jewish homeland, and encourages Jews from every corner of the globe to rally around Israel.”
Goldstein, who hopes to become the first woman to ride for Israel on an Olympic show jumping team, has been making big strides toward building respect and recognition for its equestrians. During a visit to Israel in May, she garnered support from the Israeli Olympic Committee and, while serving as Maccabiah chef d’equipe, she will continue to lay the groundwork for the first-ever Israeli Nations Cup Team, a squad of professional equestrians capable of competing internationally and building a team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“The sole purpose of ‘Team Israel’ will be to bring pride and positive attention to the State of Israel,” said Goldstein. “This will be through the success of a first-class equestrian team that can compete worldwide under the Israeli flag and may even take a trip to the awards podium at the next Olympics.”
In addition to fielding potential teammates and exploring sponsorship opportunities for ‘Team Israel,’ Goldstein is launching an awareness campaign with t-shirts by clothing designers and social activists, NU Campaign. Proceeds from sale of the shirts, which illustrate the untapped vitality of the Israeli equestrian athlete, will benefit the Israeli Equestrian Federation.
For the first chef d’equipe for Israel’s first Maccabiah equestrian team, this is truly just the beginning. Through ‘Team Israel’, she hopes to plant the seeds for a robust equestrian culture in Israel, and envisions building an equestrian center to train the next generation of Israeli riders and a framework for increased equestrian industry in Israel.
In Florida while managing her Starwyn Farms, she developed the International Equestrian Education series (IEE) for young riders, adult amateurs and others seeking to increase their skills by learning from top professionals, and offered scholarships to high school students to encourage enrollment.
Israel’s chef d’equipe is definitely talking teamwork: on a grand scale.
For more information about Starwyn Farm or Danielle Goldstein, please call 917-544-3349 or email dani.goldstein@gmail.com.
: The Israeli equestrian team at the 2013 Maccabiah Games. (Photo courtesy of Danielle Goldstein)
