Since the “sports-obsessed” Dan Kolko wasn’t particularly big or strong as a kid, he vowed to find another way to get involved in professional sports. And that he did as a television broadcaster for the Washington Nationals.
Kolko is among the six who will be inducted into the Greater Washington Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in November, which recognizes outstanding Jewish athletes or sports professionals who have “strong ties to the Greater Washington, D.C., Jewish community.”
Kolko, who has covered the Nationals since 2012, hosts the pre- and postgame show, does sideline reporting and, in recent years, occasionally fills in as a play-by-play announcer.
He grew up in Silver Spring and attended Albert Einstein High School.
“Sports were a huge part of my childhood,” Kolko told Washington Jewish Week. “I played pretty much everything as a little kid.”
As Kolko got older, he concentrated on baseball and tennis.
“I was not a big kid,” he said. “I was short, I was skinny, I was not very strong. And there came a point … when I realized that I just wasn’t big enough to play at the high school or collegiate levels. I played tennis in high school, but collegiately, [I] turned my focus to trying to find another way to be involved in sports professionally, so broadcasting became that focus.”
The University of Delaware broadcasting and communication major returned home for a brief stint working in Bethesda, then Baltimore before moving to Arlington to cover the Nats.
Kolko said he’s honored to be inducted into the Greater Washington Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
“I was surprised to get the word that they were choosing someone who didn’t play sports higher than an average-at-best high school sophomore to make the Sports Hall of Fame,” he said. “But it’s definitely a big honor, and I’m very appreciative that they thought of me.”
A former Olympic swimmer for Israel’s 1980 team, Michele Kuvin Kupfer produced a feature-length documentary about the Maccabiah Games, titled “Parting the Waters.”
“In my new documentary … I tell my personal story about trauma, hope and courage,” Kupfer wrote in a statement emailed to Washington Jewish Week. “I dive into a larger story of Jewish identity, resilience and community, which is exactly what Bender JCC of Greater Washington exemplifies.”
“Parting the Waters” spans Kupfer’s four-decade swimming career both in the United States and Israel. She has held multiple Israeli national records and participated in international competitions, including the 1981 Maccabiah Games.
Honored to be part of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, Kupfer added that the Bender JCC Dinner of Champions’ mission resonated with her, specifically the fact that the event fundraises for inclusion at Lessans Camp JCC.
Before her career as a filmmaker, Kupfer was an educational consultant focusing on the psychosocial issues that affect adolescents and young adults with chronic illnesses. She’s also the mother to a child who had a brain tumor.
“When I was nominated to be part of the Greater Washington Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, I had no idea that the fundraiser was for the very special Inclusion camp program,” Kupfer said. “Bender JCC Sports Hall of Fame and the JCC Inclusion camp program blend my commitment to the two aspects of my life that I am most passionate about: supporting young people with chronic illness and swimming.”
A graduate of Winston Churchill High School, Andy Dinkin was named to the Jewish College Football All-American Team in 1990 and 1991. He’s also a published author and the founder of the Moral Courage Initiative, which aims to educate collegiate student athletes about antisemitism and how they can use their influence on campus to combat it.
“At my core I’m a Washingtonian, I’m an athlete, and I’m a Jew, so it is a great honor to be recognized in a manner that reflects the essence of who I am,” Dinkin wrote in a statement emailed to Washington Jewish Week. “I’m proud to be included with fellow inductees, and all those that [preceded] us.”
Lacrosse coach and former world champion athlete Howard Offit brings more than 35 years of coaching experience. He’s served as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, as well as Georgetown University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
After graduating from Sherwood High School, Matthew Popeck spent a year living in Ashkelon, Israel, where he trained with the Israel Men’s National Team for the 2018 World Lacrosse Championships. He coached youth lacrosse across southern Israel before participating in several world championships between 2018 and 2024.
The late Robert Ades will be posthumously inducted into the Greater Washington Jewish Sports Hall of Fame for his career as a sports attorney representing schools, including the University of Maryland.
