Charity Water Polo Tournament presented by S&R Sport

[UMass13]

The 4th Annual “Man-Up for Life” Charity Water Polo Tournament presented by S&R Sport will take place Saturday, August 9th at Schlegel Park in Reading, PA. The event is being held in honor of Greg Trayer, a graduate of the University of Massachusetts. The first three years of this tournament have been a huge success, and with teams from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, and Massachusetts participating, this event has hosted some of the top water polo talent on the east coast. Most importantly, as a result of the previous three tournaments, over $35,000 has been raised for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for cancer research.

This event encompasses two things Greg is extremely passionate about, water polo and raising money for cancer research. Greg was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (a blood-related cancer) in April of 2002. Greg has been in remission for 5 ½ years, and has since made it a priority to dedicate his time and effort into helping raise money for cancer research.

After an illustrious high school water polo career at Governor Mifflin High School in his hometown of Reading, PA, Greg took his academic and athletic pursuits to the University of Massachusetts on a water polo scholarship. In the true definition of a “student-athlete,” Greg not only helped lead the Minutemen to three NCAA Final Four appearances while at UMass, but he also graduated in 3 ½ years. His senior year honors at UMass included First Team All Conference; Eastern Championships MVP; Academic All-American; and Third Team All-American. Throughout his senior year, Greg achieved all these accolades, and many more, while unknowingly living with cancer.

In the spring of 2002, shortly after graduating and finishing up his water polo career, Greg was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. As stated previously, Greg is currently in remission, but will have an ongoing battle to fight this disease. With the love, support, and help of his wife, family, and friends, Greg has raised over $50,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society over the past six years participating in several fund raising efforts. Greg remains active in his efforts to raise money for the society, and will again host the “Man-Up for Life” Charity Water Polo Tournament presented by S&R Sport on Saturday, August 9th in Reading, Pennsylvania. All proceeds from this event will be donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in Greg’s honor. A special thanks also goes out to S&R Sport for supporting this event since its inception in 2005.

We want this year’s event to be even more successful than the previous three, but we can’t do it without your help. If you would like to help support this great cause, please email Greg directly at Polo406@aol.com. Every little bit helps, and there are numerous ways that you can contribute.