In sports, big moments get celebrated. The winning goal, the buzzer-beating basket, the touchdown. Behind those moments, though, are hours of practice, preparation, and encouragement from coaches, family, and friends cheering us on.
Some of that same team spirit showed up in Noah’s Bar Mitzvah, from his rehearsal and service at Har Hashem to his celebration at Ford Touchdown Club at Folsom Field in Boulder.
Rehearsal at Congregation Har Hashem
Noah’s rehearsal at Har Hashem took place on a sunny fall morning with the leaves just beginning to turn gold. Inside the synagogue, Noah practiced placing the tallit on his shoulders, speaking with intention, and reading from the Torah with Cantor Devorah Avery. She worked with him on his pacing, bringing out the beauty in his voice as he practiced his Torah passage. In addition to helping fine-tune the details of the service, she offered one last piece of advice, just like any good coach: Get a good night’s sleep!
As Noah rehearsed at the bimah, his parents and grandparents watched from nearby. At one point, Dan slipped his arm around Shanti as they watched Noah’s months of preparation come together. His grandparents, Papa Rich and Grandma Cathy, also practiced presenting Noah with his tallit, a special moment they would share during Saturday’s service.
Before the rehearsal finished, Cantor Avery helped Noah make his own yad, a pointer used when reading from the Torah. With silver beads spelling his name in Hebrew, colorful beads, and spacers, the yad was another personal and artistic touch for the upcoming service.
Sports-Inspired Celebration at Folsom Field
Immediately after the service, the mitzvah celebration moved to the Ford Touchdown Club at Folsom Field. Noah’s party theme focused on his love of sports: soccer, football, and basketball. The main attraction, though, was the field, and it called to him the minute he arrived.
With his closest friends at his side, Noah raced straight out the glass doors and down the stairs toward the field. Looking across the green turf and up into the stands, they saw Noah’s name repeated in lights and photos from other milestones in his life flashing across the Jumbotron.
Perhaps the biggest surprise came when the boys turned around and looked back toward the Touchdown Club. Towering above them was another giant screen displaying Noah’s name and photos. Unlike the view across the field, this screen was so close that they had to crane their necks to take it all in, almost like looking up at a skyscraper for the first time. Some of the boys covered their mouths in amazement.
Other guests soon followed, stepping outside and looking up to experience that larger-than-life view and take photos of the scene.
Family, Friends and Plenty of Party Fun
After exploring the outdoor space, everyone headed back inside, ready for lunch. Food stations offered plenty of choices, including prime rib, pasta with a variety of sauces, mini mac and cheese cups, and small glasses of tomato soup with grilled-cheese breadsticks for dunking.
There were plenty of opportunities to burn off the calories, too. DJ Tom West kept kids and adults moving, laughing, and guessing with a variety of games. Dan and his brother relived some fun from their teenage years by teaming up for Pepsi Coke. Kids and adults also faced off in a music trivia competition, trying to sing the next lyric whenever the DJ stopped the music.
The Hora and Dancing
The Hora brought so many family members and friends onto the dance floor that they formed three large circles. Noah and Dan each took a turn being lifted high above the crowd. Dancing continued with glow sticks in hand, colorful lights, and fog adding to the atmosphere. Everyone sang along to favorites like Pink Pony Club and showed off their dance moves for Cotton Eye Joe.
Personal, Artful Touches
Surrounding the dance floor and all its activity were artful touches created by Noah’s mom, Shanti. She designed photo displays featuring Noah at different ages, including memories with many of the guests celebrating with him. Even the sports-ball-shaped photo holders were handmade by Shanti.
A potter, Shanti also created handmade porcelain goblets for guests in a variety of colors and textures. This continued a tradition from her own wedding, connecting these two important celebrations. She welcomed guests to take home the goblets and the photos as remembrances of the day.
A Shared Milestone
When Noah first ran toward the field, he saw photos from earlier milestones flashing across the screen. By the end of the day, he’d added a new one. And he didn’t get there alone. Many of the people celebrating with him on Saturday had been part of the journey that brought him to this moment.
Mazel tov, Noah, and thank you to the whole family for letting me be part of it.
