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Ryan Goldstein (COL ’09)

Name: Ryan GoldsteinSport: Club Tennis

Position: Captain of Georgetown University Club Tennis

Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah

School/Year: COL ’09

ajors: French and Psychology

What do you miss the most about home? Salt Lake is a great place, and I definitely miss the mountains while I am in D.C. It’s really nice to be able to drive 15 minutes and be in the wilderness, or just to go running on the trails overlooking the city. Whenever it snows here, I miss the real snow of the West.

How did you get into playing tennis? My mom and sister played tennis recreationally, and I just kind of started messing around with them. When I was 12 or 13, I played my first tournament, and by the time high school started I was serious enough about tennis that I had to quit my other sports.

What made you decide to come to Georgetown? I really just chose Georgetown based on how it felt when I visited. I knew I wanted to try something other than Salt Lake for a while, but I had no idea what I wanted. I applied to schools all over – small schools, public schools – but really just felt best about Georgetown.

Who’s the biggest joker on your team? Will Grosswendt (COL ’09), no doubt about it. He’s always poking me and begging for piggyback rides. He’s known on the team for his road-trip dance parties while he waits at stop lights. And he has an uncanny ability to make great toasts. I think my job as captain makes me the brunt of many of his jokes. Once, I spent about 20 minutes locked in the bathroom of our hotel while on a road trip. Will claimed the lock had broken, but really was just sitting on the floor blocking the door, eating a bag of chips – just because. At the same time, Will is kind of our competitive leader at tournaments; his pre-match pump-up speeches have become a GUCT tradition.

How would you describe the camaraderie on the team? The team has a great dynamic in terms of camaraderie. There is definitely a core group of players who know each other well. Until this year, almost all of our matches were on the road, so we have spent a lot of time in the car together. We don’t have a coach, and I think somehow that helps; it’s pretty cool that we can organize trips on our own, get ourselves places and then compete at a high level. At the same time, we don’t have tryouts, so there are always new people coming to practices and matches, which definitely helps to keep things fresh.

What was your proudest moment playing for the club? I got a phone call while in France last semester during my time abroad that we had won Mid-Atlantic Sectionals. It was the first time ever, and we beat University of Virginia and Virginia Tech on the way to the title, two schools we had never beaten before. Even though I was across the ocean, I was really proud of the team. Earlier this fall, we cemented our spot as one of the top teams in the region by taking second place at a tournament in New York City, again beating University of Virginia along the way. I’m pretty proud of that result, especially since we had a lot of close wins where everyone really had to grind out some games.

What’s something we don’t know about you that would surprise people? I’m a pretty good juggler. I guess it’s from all those hours spent on the court with all the tennis balls. Sometimes I juggle three rackets, but I know one of these days I’m going to regret it when one hits me in the face.

What’s your favorite thing to do around Georgetown? Trying out new places to eat is always fun. It’s hard being on a college budget, but eating out is one thing that I don’t worry about spending money on. I really like Café Divan up by Safeway, and I have to admit it, I really like eating at The Tombs. My girlfriend and I have been trying to find a good Indian restaurant in D.C.; can you help me?

Booey’s or Wisey’s? Wisey’s. I can tell because I missed Chicken Madness while I was abroad. I didn’t miss Booey’s.

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