When Westfield State University's Abby Chernick had the chance to play international field hockey in the Maccabiah games this past summer, it wasn't just a triumph of her field hockey skills – but rather the culmination of a lifelong journey in which she has overcome many obstacles to compete at such a high level.

 

"I lost my hearing by meningitis," said Chernick, who contracted the rare infection at just 13 months of age.  "When I was younger the doctors told my parents I would never walk or hear again – it's a big miracle for my parents for me to be able play a college sport and face that challenge and that obstacle through my life."

 

"I am profoundly deaf. I lost my hearing when I was 13 months old and I had surgery when I was 17 months old and 4 years old.  I had intensive physical therapy, and I stayed back in school an extra year so that I was able to walk and speak properly. If I had went in that year I wouldn't have done as well as I would have.  I'm really grateful to my parents that I was able to stay back and gain those skills, because I don't know where I would be if I didn't."

 

"Growing up as a child and young adult, I always had cochlear implants," said Chernick. "I always had to face coaches and teammates to work on communication. This season I definitely improved on my communication and to be aware of the backgrounds noises, when the goalie or a defender talks to me, I can't always look at them.  In school I read lips sometimes, but I try not to, in field hockey because we are wearing mouth guards, I have to be aware of the surroundings and who's speaking when."

 

"I don't see anything different in the way she plays (due to the cochlear implants)," said teammate and friend Rachel Anzivino.  "Except for one game when one of the batteries died, and she'll turn them off on the bus when she's sick of listening to us," she joked.

 

 

 

All that hard work at a young age paid off when Abby was selected for the United States team for the European Maccabiah Games, and traveled to Budapest, Hungary to compete this summer, where her team took home a bronze medal. 

 

The Maccabiah (pronounced Mah-kah-BEE-ah) Games are commonly described as the "Jewish Olympics."  The 2019 competition drew 2,000 athletes from 29 countries in 22 sports.

"My experience was amazing with Maccabiah," said Chernick. "I got be with other Jewish people and to experience my faith, and play the sport I love, field hockey, and got to represent the USA and Westfield field hockey."

 

The Longmeadow, Mass., native said one of the highlights athletically was "Experiencing the different level of competition.  I had never played internationally before so it was a great experience. Argentina, Netherlands and Germany were so good.  They work together and it was very interesting to see their level and style vs. what the U.S. style of play is."

 

"Most of the international teams spend a lot more time playing together and the players have started playing at a much younger age," said Meridith Shifman, the head coach of the US Team. "It ends up like a strong NCAA Division I level of play," she said, noting that the Argentinian and Dutch teams had much more preparation time together than the U.S. team, and that Germany had a former national team player.  She said the field turf surface of the stadium (similar to Westfield State's Alumni Field) played a touch slow and helped the American team stay competitive despite the short time frame together. "The other coaches remarked that they were all impressed with our fitness level," said Shifman as the US team carried just 13 players on its active roster."

 

 

"I personally think this was a breakout for me," said Chernick. "I got to play a different level of competition, I definitely improved.  I definitely fit into the competition – I thought I wasn't going to, but I knew I had to train over the summer to get to the shape that I knew was going to earn a spot on the team.  It was important to me to work hard, and work with the other players.  There were a lot of players from Division I, II and III."

 

"Last spring we talked about the chance she had to play, and she was nervous and thought she might not fit in," Anzivino. "But I knew she'd fit in, she's one of the most determined players I have ever met, and I knew she'd thrive in that situation."

 

"Abby transformed over the course of the tournament, her confidence level increased, how she approached the ball," said Shifman. "She has a really great attitude and was never disappointed whether she was shifting positions or in or out of the game."

 

"Abby is very coachable, added Shifman. "It may be a silver lining is that she really focuses in when you are speaking to her, she listens well, processes and asks thoughtful questions, and I think that contributed to how she improved on the field."

 

"She has a wonderful personality and got along well with everyone on the team," said Shifman. "Her maturity level struck me right away for our tournament over Memorial Day weekend, when she had to make all her own travel arrangements to come play, and reached out to teammates she hadn't yet met to be sure she could get to the important tournament."

 

 

"The first five days were all field hockey," said Abby. "And after that was done we got to go to the baths in Budapest and we got to see the Buda side.  The Pest side - and the pest side is the more touristy side. It was so nice to see the different culture of both the local and tourist peoples."

 

Budapest has the largest Jewish community in Central Europe, and the Dohany Synagogue is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world. It seats 3,000 people and is the center of Neolog Judaism. It was designed by Viennese architect Ludwig Forster and built between 1854 and 1859. 

"All the athletes at Maccabiah went to the synagogue for services, it's one of the oldest synagogues, and it was nice to be with all the people in the same culture," said Chernick.

 

"(The Maccabiah Games) mean something different to each athlete," said Shifman. "For some they are drawn in by the idea of being able to compete in international competition, and unexpectedly find the immersion in a Jewish cultural event a real access point and a way to connect to their heritage." 

 

Shifman played on the Maccabiah team two years ago before accepting the head coaching role, and said "I had played field hockey in a variety of settings and was typically one of very few Jewish players, so for me I was interested in the culture and the chance to meet more people who love the sport of field hockey, and later drew an appreciation of the international level of competition."

 

"I always been involved with my faith," said Chernick. "My grandpa is a Rabbi, and for the past nine summers I went to NJY camps," a Jewish youth and sports camp in Pennsylvania.

 

 

After competing against high level completion in Europe in August, Abby's coaches and teammates have also noticed the impact that playing for the US Maccabiah team had on her game.

 

"Confidence!" said Westfield State head coach Jessica Bergen. "She's like a whole new player.  I know she appreciates our environment and culture and she brought it into preseason and hasn't looked back."

 

"She said that part of playing with Maccabiah she realized some of the players were 35 years old and playing their last competitive games, and that at some point it ends," added Bergen. "That seems like it has been big motivation to her and that now she plays every game like it's her last."

 

"Technically she's been really great, opponents can't get by her," said Anzivino. "She brought back new ideas for our team from the tournament, and her attitude is great and has really rubbed off on the first-year players."

 

"Watching the last couple of game in the Maccabiah tournament you could tell," said Bergen. "Abby told me she found her spot, and she's really confident at left back.  She kind of owned it and that's a job we needed to fill.  When she's on she can shut people down, and she's able to make changes in approach in the game as needed."

 

"For me overall, this has been my breakout season," said Abby.  "Westfield field hockey has a chance to make it to playoffs.  We're a young team, but I have faith in us and I know if everyone works really hard we're going to do what we need to do."

 

Chernick has started all nine games to date and has one assist and two defensive saves, and plays on special teams as a flyer in on defensive corners and will sometimes serve as the inserter on offensive penalty corner plays.

 

Westfield is currently 3-6 overall and 0-3 in the Little East Conference.  Westfield has had an uneven season so far, after a tough loss in the season opener the Owls posted three straight wins, but are looking to snap a 5-game skid againt Bridgewater on Saturday at 11:00 a.m., a streak that includes two tough one-goal losses in league play.

 

 

"Looking at Westfield was huge for me, outside the athletic perspective, the Banacos progam because I have a learning disability," said Chernick. "It was very important to me to go somewhere that I was comfortable with the professors and where I can get the support I need."

 

The Banacos Center offers a variety of academic services to Westfield State students, including peer tutoring, academic strategies, and disability services which provides a wide array of reasonable and appropriate accommodations for students with learning and other challenges. 

 

"I have a FM system, or a mini-microphone that the professors wear on their shirts that goes right to my cochlear implants that's really beneficial because I can hear more from them and crisper.  And I have transcription – people that type my notes during class so that I know what to expect."

 

Abby has set a goal to play for the U.S. Team at the next Maccabiah Games in Israel in two years, and her teammates will be behind her 100 percent of the way.

 

"My teammates were very involved with my journey in Budapest," said Chernick. "It was nice to see my teammates and coaches wake up early to watch the livestream (of the European games) at 5 in the morning just to watch me.  I was really honored they really cared about me, and I appreciate them. I wouldn't have done this if it wasn't for them."