Exciting Sports Opportunities for Kayitz 2019!

We are excited to announce our professional sports coaches for kayitz 2019!  These talented coaches will be running all the daily sessions of our Basketball, Flag Football, Tennis, and Ultimate Frisbee chugim (electives), for all ages at camp.  These programs will provide incredible opportunities for athletes looking to build advanced skills and technique, and also for campers looking to learn a new sport for the first time.

At Ramah, we pride ourselves on our incredible high-level tzevet (staff) across all of our program areas: from sports to arts to music and beyond.  Our program teaches core skills, hard work and teamwork in a supportive environment.  We are excited to have these talented sports coaches on our team, to provide exciting new opportunities for our hanichim (campers) to elevate their summer experience.

Basketball: Nehemiah Crowler — Nehemiah Crowder is excited to come to Camp Ramah in New England this kayitz to coach Basketball! Nehemiah is currently the Assistant Coach for the Amherst College women’s basketball program of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). In high school, Nehemiah helped lead his team to the Class C state championship of the Massachusetts High School Athletic Association. He played Division 1 basketball at Florida International University for Isiah Thomas and played semi-pro basketball for four years. Nehemiah can’t wait to work with our chanichim (campers) to develop their basketball skills and fundamentals this kayitz at Camp Ramah!

Flag Football: Kent Baker — Kent Baker is excited to join the coaching staff at Camp Ramah in New England this kayitz! Coach Baker was a Division I sprinter at the University of Michigan and has extensive experience coaching youth sports. After college, Kent coached high school track and football teams in Detroit, Michigan. His accomplishments include leading five high school state championship teams in track and serving as a head high school football coach. He has coached at the collegiate level at Central Michigan University, University of Toledo, and Alfred State College. Kent looks forward to working with our chanichim (campers) to develop their football skills and share his passion for the game!

Tennis: Eric Cestero — Eric Cestero has been a tennis coach at Mount Holyoke College since 1997. In addition to his work with the tennis team, he has served as the assistant for the Lyons squash team since 2012.  During his time at MHC, Cestero has worked with head coach Aldo Santiago to help guide the Lyons to appearances in 14 of the last 16 NEWMAC Tennis Tournaments. Additionally, the squad has earned a playoff spot in 11 consecutive seasons, advancing to the tournament Semifinals in 2014.  Cestero has helped mentor a number of outstanding Mount Holyoke student-athletes, including a NEWMAC Player of the Year, three NEWMAC Rookies of the Year and countless All-Conference honorees.  Cestero also serves as the head coach for the South Hadley High School varsity girls’ tennis team. Since his arrival in 1997, he has guided the Tigers to six Divisional Championships, and to the Massachusetts State Finals in 2009.  In addition to his coaching duties, Cestero has served in a number of teaching positions. Most recently, he served as a physical education teacher at New Leadership Charter School (2008-11) and the High School of Commerce in Springfield (1999-07).  Cestero also spent 26 years as an associate professor and lecturer at the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamon. During that time, he served as the Acting Chairman for the Department of Physical Education and as a student advisor. He also supervised the Human Exercise Laboratory and developed, trained and supervised the Athletic Trainer’s Clinic.  Coach Cestero is excited to return for his third summer with us!

Ultimate Frisbee: William Thornton — William Thornton has played at the elite college and club level for many years.  In 2017, he captained The University of Massachusetts Amherst to a #1 ranking in the country heading into the national tournament.  He recently completed his second season as an assistant coach at UMass Amherst.  This summer, Will is excited to compete with the elite men’s team out of Western Massachusetts as well as co-coach the Western Massachusetts youth club championship team.  Will intends to begin an accelerated nursing program to obtain his BSN this coming Fall.  Will is excited to return to Camp Ramah for his third summer to continue developing the campers’ Frisbee skills and understanding of spirit of the game.

This summer, our sports program will again be overseen by Adam Offit, Rosh Sport.

Adam Offit is excited to come back to Ramah for his fourth year as our Rosh Sport.  During the year, Adam is entering his final year at Simmons University Graduate School for social work, and he works as a social work intern at the Ferryway school in Malden, MA.  He is also a two season coach — an assistant coach for the Medford High School Varsity Football team and as the Head Coach for the Beaver Country Day School Ultimate Frisbee team.  Previously, Adam was an assistant football coach at Arlington high school where he coached defensive backs and special teams, and Curry College where he coached outside linebackers. Similar to many Ramahnicks, Adam is an avid Ultimate Frisbee player and has been playing since a young age.  He was a two-time captain for the Muhlenberg Ultimate Frisbee team and currently plays on a Boston-based club team year round.