Coming Together For Julian

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Members of "Team Julian" swam in Saturday's Swim Across America cancer fundraiser event (John Ferris Robben)
Members of “Team Julian” swam in Saturday’s Swim Across America cancer fundraiser event (John Ferris Robben)

 

As friends, family, former teammates and coaches took part in Saturday’s Swim Across America cancer fundraiser, former Greenwich High School standout swimmer and All-American water polo player Julian Fraser stayed dry on the shore of Cummings Beach in Stamford.

Although he couldn’t participate, the 6-foot-2 Division I athlete found the sleeves of his t-shirt soaking wet by the middle of the event, not from the high tide of Long Island Sound, or from the sweat-inducing sun, but from the tear stains left by friends who buried their faces into his shoulders as they hugged him.

A recent diagnosis of osteosarcoma, an aggressive type of bone cancer, kept Fraser sidelined for an event that he was born to excel at. His latest round of chemotherapy, just prior to Saturday’s swim, meant that the swimmer’s wetsuit had to stay dry for the day.

“This means so much,” said an emotional Fraser. “There are so many people here from every aspect of my life.”

A graduate of GHS in 2014, Fraser finished his high school career as an All-American swimmer and a second-team All-American water polo player, earning a spot on the Santa Clara University water polo team. He led the GHS water polo team to a 31-1 record during his tenure, including being part of a state champion swim team for three of four years.

Now, teammates and coaches are rallying around Fraser as he fights his own battle with cancer. Members of both the boys and girls swimming and diving teams made their way to Cummings Beach wearing “Team Julian” shirts in support of their longtime friend and former teammate.

“Julian is such a great, great kid,” said Fraser’s longtime swim and polo coach, Terry Lowe. “He has a great personality and he works his butt off. He was always a great team player. It was never just about him; it was about those people around him. It’s a long fight and we’re going to be with him all the way.”

Lowe, the first head coach in the history of GHS water polo and founding father of all things aquatic at the high school, says he knows Fraser is capable of a hard-fought battle from the dozen-plus years of coaching him.

“He knows he has a tough battle,” said Lowe, a coach of Fraser’s since Julian was five years old. “Swimming is such a hard sport, you really pay your dues. I told him, ‘Julian, you’re a sprinter in the water. You’ve got a long-distance fight here, but you know you’ve trained that hard before.’”

“Team Julian” raised over $80,000 on Saturday with funds going towards the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy.

Teammates from the swim and polo team were on hand to lend their support and to participate in the half-mile portion of the event in honor of Fraser.

“It’s really uplifting to see everyone come together from different generations in the pool,” said Nick Hendali, a member of the GHS swimming and diving team. “Julian’s leadership, his passion, and his great personality have shone through every single day.”

Cristiana and Alexander Fraser say the years of hard work put in the pool have prepared their son for his hardest race yet. 

Former GHS water polo coach and current swimming and diving coach, Terry Lowe, looks on at the support brought for Julian Fraser. (John Ferris Robben Photo)
Former GHS water polo coach and current swimming and diving coach, Terry Lowe, looks on at the support brought for Julian Fraser. (John Ferris Robben Photo)

“The years of swimming and playing water polo really helped him, because mentally he’s very strong,” Cristiana Fraser said. “He trains year round and plays water polo for Santa Clara University. I think that all has really helped him in having the right mindset for this. Physically, he’s stronger than most people going into it.”

Described by his parents as slightly shy and not one for the limelight, Fraser and his family went through waves of emotions watching the GHS aquatics community take the plunge into the Long Island Sound for the half-mile ceremonial swim.

“There are no words to say how honored we are about this effort,” Fraser’s parents said. “All the years of love and support from everyone now continues in a big way during this battle that we’re fighting. This just speaks to our community and the fact that everyone wants to join in and help do what they can.”

Lowe, recently retired as polo coach but still the boys’ swimming and diving coach, teamed up with girls’ coach Lorrie Hokayem to bring together current and former swimmers of the program to support the cancer research funding.

“I’ve worked with the girls coach, Lorrie Hokayem, and we said, ‘Let’s dedicate this one to Team Julian,” Lowe said. “To have the symbolic person like Julian, it just tugs at your heartstrings and it makes you really, really want to participate and make a difference.”

Gaining support from his teammates in California, the entire Santa Clara water polo team shaved their heads in support of the 21-year-old Fraser. In his redshirt freshman season in the fall of 2015, Fraser started in 25 games and was ranked fifth on the team in goals (26), fifth in assists (20) and third in steals (22).

The first-year driver on the team was also named to both the Western Water Polo Association and the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-Academic teams.

In Florida, Fraser’s nine-year-old nephew raised close to $900 for a virtual swim he participated in on Saturday.

“It’s just incredible, and it says so much about the water polo and swimming community,” Fraser’s parents said. “It’s phenomenal, and does so much for our son’s spirits.”

Fraser will return to the hospital for more treatment in the coming weeks.

“Water polo is a very demanding sport, mentally and physically,” Cristiana Fraser said. “ I think it’s good conditioning and toughens him for what he’s facing now. They say it takes a village, and we really have it.”

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