Athletics
ספורט



Academy Aces Athletics
Our student athletes compete with integrity.
Whether it is basketball or wrestling, the Ida Crown Jewish Academy Aces are known locally and nationally as formidable competitors. And at national sports tournaments, parents, teachers and students travel far distances to support our men and women athletes. In 2012, two varsity athletic teams, the wrestlers and the varsity girls’ basketball team, became Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Regional Champions in the same week. This is the first time in the school’s history that any team won the regional championship game and likely the first time that any Jewish day school took that title twice in the same season. Later in that same year, the wrestlers won the YU Henry Wittenberg Wrestling Invitational for the 8th time, scoring more points than any team had ever scored in tournament history.
We currently offer many interscholastic athletic teams, including: boys’ and girls’ cross country, girls’ soccer, boys’ baseball, wrestling, girls’ and boys’ junior varsity and varsity basketball teams, boys’ fencing. For more information contact Brittany Peters, athletic director at bpeters@icja.org
Athletic Department Programs
In order to participate, you will need to complete the following forms. No student/athlete may participate in an open gym, tryout, or practice in any sport until the athletic office is in receipt of the completed Permit Card, the signed IHSA sports medicine consent, the participation form and the registration form.
Athletic Manual
Please read the Athletic Manual and confirm your agreement below by submitting the form.
Athletic Forms
- Athletic Permit Card 2022–2023 | This Permit Card is a matter of safety and must be signed by a doctor, guardian and student.
- IHSA New Sports Medicine Consent & Acknowledgement
- ICJA Athletic Registration Form
Cross Country
Boys’ Coach: Ezra Jaffe, ezra.jaffe@gmail.com
Girls’ Coach: Dana Hunter, dana.n.hunter@gmail.com
Start date: August 8 (no tryouts)
Schedule: TBD
Boy’s Soccer
Head Coach: Leo Rodriguez, leorodriguez989@gmail.com
Try-Out Dates: August 15 & 17
Schedule: Click Here To View
Boy’s Basketball
Boy’s Varsity Coach: Jonathan Rich, jrich18@gmail.com
Boy’s Varsity Assistant Coach: Lior Geft, liorgeft@gmail.com
Sophomore Coach: Jeremy Geller, jeremylgeller@gmail.com
Boy’s Sophomore Assistant Coach:
Try-Out Dates: November 6 & 7
Varsity Schedule: Click Here To View
Sophomore Schedule: Click Here To View
Girl’s Basketball
Girls’ Varsity Head Coach: Brittany Peters, bpeters@icja.org
Girls’ Jr Varsity Coach: Zach Appel, ziappel@gmail.com
Try-Out Dates: October 30 & November 1
Varsity Schedule: Click Here To View
JV Schedule: Click Here To View
Wrestling
Coach: Doug Klein, jdouglasklein@yahoo.com
Assistant Coach: Bill Porter, bporter@mortongroveil.org
Try-Out Dates: November 6 & 7
Schedule: Click Here To View
Boys’ & Girls’ Fencing
Fencing Coach: : Bakhyt Abdikulov, fcc@fencingcenterofchicago.com
Try-Out Dates: No Try-outs
Schedule: Starts November 1
Girl’s Soccer
Head Coach: Leo Rodriguez, leorodriguez989@gmail.com
Try-Out Dates: TBD
Schedule: Click Here To View
Boy’s Baseball
Coach Steve Greenberg, Steven.greenberg18@gmail.com
Try-Out Dates: TBD
Schedule: Click Here To View
Athlete Testimonials
“On the basketball team, I learned to work well with other people, placing my own interests in the background in order to achieve a greater, collective goal and persevering through difficult circumstances”
— Jonah Grant, Alum ‘14
“Being a part of the cross-country team has taught me so much about myself and about others. It taught me about my capabilities as a runner, it taught me how to be a part of a team and how showing support to others affects their performance.”
— Rebecca Mendelsberg, Student ‘16
“After becoming a member of the Academy’s wrestling team, I have, through much dedication and commitment, along with countless hours of practice, learned to value sportsmanship and teamwork and apply those ideals beyond the mat.”
— Ari Rosenzweig, Student, ‘16
“Being on the baseball team means more than putting on a uniform and shagging flyballs… it means receiving a nickname that makes no sense, becoming best friends with the teammate who you compete with for the starting job at shortstop, having several coaches who dedicate themselves to transforming each and every member into a ben-Torah.”
— Ben Schreiber, Student ‘15
“As an Ace, I learned to embrace failure and use it as a motivation to succeed in the future. My experiences on the team have been a crucial part of my maturation and the lesson I have learned have prepared me to thrive beyond the realm of athletics.”
— Jonah Grant, Alum ‘14