Photo by: Christine Yardley
‘Complete Excitement’
12/3/2018 10:21:00 AM | Water Polo, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
Alumni embrace GW men’s water polo in California
STANFORD, Calif. - As the George Washington men's water polo team broke its pregame huddle and sent its starters into the pool, a chant poured from the stands and engulfed the deck at Avery Aquatic Center.
"G-DUB. G-DUB. G-DUB."
The final moments before GW took on 11-time champion UCLA in an NCAA quarterfinal last Thursday offered a picture-perfect scene.
The Colonials were ready to continue their historic run on the national stage at Stanford's gleaming facility, and their fans, led by more than a dozen alumni, were right there with them. The crowd of Buff and Blue supporters far outnumbered the contingent backing the Bruins.
"The atmosphere in the stands was complete excitement," said John Gerken, a 1991 graduate who lives in Ladera Ranch, Calif. "It was just electric to have that many guys who went there non-stop screaming the whole game. My voice is still hoarse."
GW's memorable season closed with a spirited final act.
The game – plus the pre- and post-game receptions held nearby – served as an impromptu reunion for the group of West Coast Colonials who made the trip to show their support. They joined with the assembled swarm of parents and friends to cheer every goal and defensive stop from start to finish.
"It's great because we've been talking all along about how this is about the program and for the program and those guys are part of it," GW head coach Barry King said. "For them to be there and have their little piece of this and get to know the guys and see them in action was really special for everybody. We're just really happy that so many people felt a part of what we were doing."
Taylor Woodbury ('05) happily juggled his schedule to be part of it.
The former Colonial spent the first half of last week in Arizona at a conference. He added a detour to Stanford on his way home to Salt Lake City, Utah.
Last November, Woodbury had resolved to join GW in California if it beat Harvard in its NCAA debut, but he had to wait when his alma mater fell in overtime.
This time around he watched the Colonials rally from a five-goal deficit to beat Princeton in overtime for its first NCAA victory. Then, he got right to work plotting out a whirlwind itinerary that had him in the stands on Thursday afternoon and back home for meetings Friday morning.
It was Woodbury's first chance to see the Colonials play in person in more than a decade. He walked away impressed at how far the program has come in a relatively short time.
"It's clear they're just at a totally different level than we used to play," Woodbury said. "It was really fun to see how competitive they were with a team like UCLA."
The sport of water polo has long been dominated by West Coast powers. No team outside of California has ever advanced to the NCAA Championship game.
That streak remains intact after USC held off Stanford in Sunday's final, but the GW faithful were excited to see the Buff and Blue earn a turn in the national spotlight.
Gerken spent the week playfully sending trash-talking emails to friends with UCLA ties. On Thursday, he did his part to help the current group by leading the cheering from the stands alongside a handful of former teammates.
"I couldn't be more proud," Gerken said. "Just thinking about where we came from to now where we're at. To be there playing in the final four games is incredible."
Jason Hornik ('92) agreed. The San Francisco resident helped lay the program's foundation as part of a pair of runner-up finishes at the CWPA Eastern Championship during his time in Buff and Blue.
All those memories came rushing back Thursday, reminiscing with old and new friends.
"It really got me excited about GW again," Hornik said. "I haven't been back to the alumni game in probably 20 years, but I think I'm going to go back in October just because it was such a great time in my life. I'm just happy to see them doing so well."
Down on deck, the support was appreciated. Though they fell short against the mighty Bruins, the Colonials fought to the final whistle, boosted by the cheers of Hornik, Gerken, Woodbury and the rest.
"It was just a great atmosphere," senior Brett Else said. "It felt like it was our home pool."
"G-DUB. G-DUB. G-DUB."
The final moments before GW took on 11-time champion UCLA in an NCAA quarterfinal last Thursday offered a picture-perfect scene.
The Colonials were ready to continue their historic run on the national stage at Stanford's gleaming facility, and their fans, led by more than a dozen alumni, were right there with them. The crowd of Buff and Blue supporters far outnumbered the contingent backing the Bruins.
"The atmosphere in the stands was complete excitement," said John Gerken, a 1991 graduate who lives in Ladera Ranch, Calif. "It was just electric to have that many guys who went there non-stop screaming the whole game. My voice is still hoarse."
GW's memorable season closed with a spirited final act.
The game – plus the pre- and post-game receptions held nearby – served as an impromptu reunion for the group of West Coast Colonials who made the trip to show their support. They joined with the assembled swarm of parents and friends to cheer every goal and defensive stop from start to finish.
"It's great because we've been talking all along about how this is about the program and for the program and those guys are part of it," GW head coach Barry King said. "For them to be there and have their little piece of this and get to know the guys and see them in action was really special for everybody. We're just really happy that so many people felt a part of what we were doing."
Taylor Woodbury ('05) happily juggled his schedule to be part of it.
The former Colonial spent the first half of last week in Arizona at a conference. He added a detour to Stanford on his way home to Salt Lake City, Utah.
Last November, Woodbury had resolved to join GW in California if it beat Harvard in its NCAA debut, but he had to wait when his alma mater fell in overtime.
This time around he watched the Colonials rally from a five-goal deficit to beat Princeton in overtime for its first NCAA victory. Then, he got right to work plotting out a whirlwind itinerary that had him in the stands on Thursday afternoon and back home for meetings Friday morning.
It was Woodbury's first chance to see the Colonials play in person in more than a decade. He walked away impressed at how far the program has come in a relatively short time.
"It's clear they're just at a totally different level than we used to play," Woodbury said. "It was really fun to see how competitive they were with a team like UCLA."
The sport of water polo has long been dominated by West Coast powers. No team outside of California has ever advanced to the NCAA Championship game.
That streak remains intact after USC held off Stanford in Sunday's final, but the GW faithful were excited to see the Buff and Blue earn a turn in the national spotlight.
Gerken spent the week playfully sending trash-talking emails to friends with UCLA ties. On Thursday, he did his part to help the current group by leading the cheering from the stands alongside a handful of former teammates.
"I couldn't be more proud," Gerken said. "Just thinking about where we came from to now where we're at. To be there playing in the final four games is incredible."
Jason Hornik ('92) agreed. The San Francisco resident helped lay the program's foundation as part of a pair of runner-up finishes at the CWPA Eastern Championship during his time in Buff and Blue.
All those memories came rushing back Thursday, reminiscing with old and new friends.
"It really got me excited about GW again," Hornik said. "I haven't been back to the alumni game in probably 20 years, but I think I'm going to go back in October just because it was such a great time in my life. I'm just happy to see them doing so well."
Down on deck, the support was appreciated. Though they fell short against the mighty Bruins, the Colonials fought to the final whistle, boosted by the cheers of Hornik, Gerken, Woodbury and the rest.
"It was just a great atmosphere," senior Brett Else said. "It felt like it was our home pool."
Players Mentioned
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