Israelis swimmers persevere Levy, Shpaizer focused after war hits country

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ORONO – Adi Levy and Tal Shpaizer were out of harm’s way, or as far from it as one can get in a country used to violence.

As war broke out along the northern border of Israel and Lebanon in July, the two members of the University of Maine women’s swimming team were continuing their training at home in Israel.

They’re back in Orono now, nearing the end of the first semester of the school year and starting the swimming season.

Neither was in direct danger from bombing, but both women said there was a pervasive, increased sense of fear in a country accustomed to suicide bombings on buses, bomb shelters and tight security.

“I couldn’t believe we had a war this summer,” Shpaizer said after a recent meet against New Brunswick. “It was kind of tough. I don’t live in the north so I wasn’t in any danger, but the atmosphere was bad.”

Shpaizer, a 23-year-old senior, focused on swimming this summer in her hometown of Shoham. Levy, a 21-year-old sophomore, worked as a waitress in Givatayim but didn’t swim as intensely because of a back problem.

Both towns are far enough from the fighting, which erupted in July when Hezbollah militia in Lebanon bombed Israeli border villages and kidnapped Israeli soldiers.

Still, it was unsettling and disruptive for Israelis all over the country until a United Nations-brokered cease-fire ended the fighting on Aug. 14.

“[In one way] I wasn’t scared because I grew up like that,” Levy said. “But I got really scared because the TV was news all the time. It was like, you do your routine because you have to, but you know that something’s happening.”

Levy said she also became worried about rumors that there might be bombing in Tel Aviv, one of the largest cities in Israel. Levy and Shpaizer, who have both completed their mandatory two-year military service, had friends or family called back into the Army.

The person everybody was worried about, however, was Karin Feldman, a 2005 Maine graduate and former swimming record-holder.

Feldman was the first Israeli to swim at Maine and the reason Levy and Shpaizer are here now.

The decision to come to the U.S. to swim is a popular one for many Israeli swimmers who want to attend school and can get a full athletic scholarship.

There are Israelis swimming in universities all over the country, from Maine to Columbia to West Virginia, Georgia Tech and the University of Washington. Athletes use the Internet to research their college options and make contact with coaches. Maine head coach Jeff Wren and his staff get e-mails from Israel more frequently now, Shpaizer said.

The Israeli swimming community is small, so Feldman, Shpaizer and Levy all knew each other.

“I didn’t know anything about Maine,” Levy said. “I just knew Karin was happy here. I trust her enough to know it’s a good place.”

Feldman lives in Kiryat-Motzkin, which is located on the west coast about 20 miles from the border. She is coaching a club team while finishing more schooling.

“I was trying to talk to her as much as I could daily,” Levy said. “Her team would have to step out of the water five times a day during practice because there would be an alarm, and they’d have to go to shelters.”

Wren and assistant coach Susie Herrick tried to keep in touch with their Israelis.

“We got tons of e-mails from everyone here saying, we hope you’re safe, we’re praying for you,” Spaizer said.

Before the terrorist events on Sept. 11, 2001, Shpaizer said most Israelis, who are used to strict security at airports and metal detectors at shopping malls, thought Americans were naive about security.

Not anymore.

“We get it small here, little here, like suicide bombers on the bus,” she said. “You got it in one big bam with a lot of losses.”

Now that Levy and Shpaizer are back in the U.S. they can focus on school and swimming.

Levy placed in the 500-yard freestyle and the 100 and 200 butterfly at last season’s America East championships. She is also a member of the school record-holding 800 free and 400 medley relay teams.

Shpaizer, one of the Black Bears’ top returnees, has already been named the America East women’s swimmer of the week twice this season. She set a school record in the 200 individual medley and placed in the 100 fly, 200 backstroke and also swam on the record-setting relay teams.

Shpaizer, who also holds the 100 fly record, wants to set the 200 back record this season.

“It’s still pretty early but I started faster than previous years,” she said. “I’m hoping to get my records again. It’s my last year of swimming ever so it should be a good year.”