By Thomas Jones, Sports Editor

With a crowd of more than 40,000 roaring in the background, David Zolno made no effort to contain his enthusiasm during Monday’s opening ceremonies of the Maccabiah Games.

“It’s really, really exciting,” said Zolno in a telephone interview from Ramat Gan Stadium in Ramat Gan, Israel. “I’ve been blown away this whole week, and this just tops it off.”

Zolno, a 2007 Westlake graduate who swims for the University of North Carolina, joined approximately 5,700 Jewish athletes at the Maccabiah Games, which began Sunday and run through July 23. 

Zolno played a pivotal role as Westlake won the 2006 boys swimming championship. During his time at Westlake, he earned 10 high school All-America citations and was an 11-time all-state selection. He joins a contingent of about 900 athletes representing the U.S at the Maccabiah Games.

The games not only offer a competitive international format, said Zolno, but they provide an opportunity to visit a wealth of historical sites as well as some of the world’s most sacred destinations. 

“I’ve been able to see all these things and places you just read about,” said Zolno, who arrived in Israel last week. “I mean, we get to see places 3,000 years old that hold so much meaning for people from all places and all religions. It’s been special.”

Those places include Ancient Jerusalem and the Western Wall, Masada and the Dead Sea.

For an athlete used to cutting through the water with alacrity, the density of the Dead Sea – which has a salinity of almost six times that of the oceans – proved particularly interesting.

“I’ve never seen water like it,” Zolno said. “It’s definitely different.”

Swimming replaced sightseeing as Zolno’s focus with the start of competition. Zolno will compete in the 50-meter freestyle, the 100 freestyle, the 100 breaststrokes and the 200 breaststroke. The preliminaries begin this weekend.

Along with some of the other young swimmers on the American squad, Zolno doesn’t have to look far for a role model. Maccabiah teammate Jason Lezak, a world-record holder in several distance events, was the oldest member of the U.S. swim team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He earned a spot in swimming lore, when, in the 400-meter freestyle relay, he dramatically overtook world record-holding French swimmer Alain Bernard in the relay’s final stroke. That swim marked the fastest 100 lap in history and helped teammate Michael Phelps to a record eight gold medals, eclipsing the record of seven held by former Maccabiah athlete Mark Spitz.

Lezak bypassed the upcoming world swimming championships to compete in the Maccabiah Games in tribute to his Jewish heritage.

“I didn’t now what to expect from Jason, but he’s been great,” Zolno said. “It says a lot about him that he chose to compete in these games, and it’s been a real learning experience watching him in and out of the water. 

“He’s told us some really amazing stories from the Olympics, and he gives a lot of feedback in the water. It’s been real cool to get to know him.”