YU recently d
eveloped the Blue & White Club, the official booster club of the Yeshiva University Maccabees, and it has now added the Young Alumni Board (YAB) to ramp up athletic alumni involvement.
“Alumni involvement in college athletics is part and parcel of college athletics,” said Josh Pransky, Yeshiva University’s Assistant Athletic Director for Recruiting & Alumni and Head Coach for Men’s Soccer. “It unites alumni to their alma mater, it shows the current students just how special the school is as evidenced by the thousands of people who continue to stay involved, and it creates an almost family-like attitude that spans generations. “
Jack Sztrigler, ’13YC, who, as a student, played soccer for Pransky, agreed to join the YAB almost as soon as Pransky asked. “Soccer was a big part of my life while at YU and some of my closest friends came from the team,” said Sztrigler. “I felt like, together with the other players and administration, we were building something great. Since I got involved in YU athletics as an alum, I’ve only seen the department improve. I want to continue being a part of an effort that aims to make YU athletics an NCAA competitor, and joining the Young Alumni Board is an ideal way to accomplish that goal.”
Meira Lerner ’13S, too, was happy to join when she learned of this new alumni effort. “Yeshiva Athletics allowed me to continue competitive athletics without compromising my religious beliefs, and the Maccabees became my family during my college years and beyond,” said Lerner. “I am excited to continue my involvement with Yeshiva Athletics as a member of the Young Alumni Board. I look forward to doing my part to ensure that future Maccabees are surrounded by the atmosphere of hard work, determination, and the will to succeed that defines Yeshiva Maccabees.”
Since many younger alumni are not yet fully established in their careers, the YAB is a great way to give back to YU with time and innovative ideas.
As Jared Rechnitz ’14SB put it: “Often, as a young adult, it can be hard to imagine truly being able to exercise significant influence on our alma mater in a meaningful way due to age, resource, and status limitations. The young alumni board allows alumni like me a real opportunity to improve the athletic experience at Yeshiva University.”
The YAB will meet during the course of the academic year, plan events and develop ways for alumni to stay active in the YU athletics family.
“With the Young Alumni Board, and the involvement our young alumni show by coming back for alumni games and even donating money to the Blue & White club, we are seeing just how strongly invested they are in their team, this program, and the virtues and ideals of Yeshiva University,” said Pransky. “We are thrilled that there is now an official entity for our alumni to immediately step into after graduating.”
Donations to the Blue & White Club are, of course, still being gratefully accepted. Donations are tax-deductable and 100% of the monies collected are used towards supporting our hard-working student-athletes. Donors can also choose to designate their contributions for a specific team.
Josh Pransky is always available for questions, comments and ideas at Pransky@yu.edu.
