Justine Siegal recently came on board as Team Israel’s Mental Skills Coach. She chatted with us about Israel, Team Israel and her hopes for the qualifiers.
What is your connection with Israel?
In my family we have a tradition of having our Bar and Bat Mitzvah in Israel. I remember being 9 years old and watching my great grandmother, great aunt, and grandmother have their Bat Mitzvah next to my 13-year-old sister at the Western Wall. I could sense how important this intergenerational moment was between four women. When my daughter had her Bat Mitzvah the Torah passed through four generations. I was so proud and so blessed.
How did you get involved with Team Israel?
Team Manager Jerry Weinstein reached out to me to see if I would be interested in working with the team. Of course I said yes immediately. Representing Israel is a dream come true.
Tell us about your role on the Team Israel coaching staff?
As the Mental Skills Coach, I will be available to players as they need and want. What the athletes will need will vary with each individual, but I will be a safe resource for both them and the coaches. My PhD is in sport psychology. My ability to look at both the individual and the whole provides a unique understanding of where the team is mentally. I will attend all coaches’ meetings and will be available for any on field tasks during training camp, including throwing batting practice.
What are you most looking forward to in the qualifiers?
I am looking forward to competing. The goal is to win the qualifier and advance. But in the process I will enjoy working with the guys and helping them perform at their best. It is a real honor for me to represent Israel and to help the country continue to build opportunities in baseball.
What do you consider the strengths of Team Israel?
Of all the teams in this Qualifier we have the most affiliated players. That experience is going to help us. Jerry is excellent and will lead this team well.
About Justine
Justine is the first woman to coach for a Major League Baseball organization (Oakland Athletics, 2015) and to throw batting practice to a MLB team (2011). She finished the 2016 season with the Normal Cornbelters of the Frontier League. Justine founded the national nonprofit, Baseball for All, to provide opportunities for girls to play, coach, and lead in baseball. USA Baseball nominated her as an IOC Woman of the Year and espnW named her an Everyday Hero. She received her PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Springfield College.
Justine is the proud mother of a happy and fiercely independent 18-year old daughter. Both Justine and her daughter had their Bat Mitzvah in Israel. Justine’s Cleveland Indians’ jersey is currently on display in the National Museum of American Jewish History’s exhibit Chasing Dreams: Baseball & Becoming American.