One of Northgate’s most competitive student-athletes, Ben Forer, has traveled internationally to four different countries throughout high school to compete and perfect his sport: water polo. Next year he will be playing close to his Walnut Creek home: at Stanford.
Forer, a senior, began playing water polo after watching his older brother play on Northgate´s team when he was only eight years old. Having played club water polo for years before high school, Ben’s skills grew along with his passion. By his freshman year, the athlete was already achieving remarkable stats and was on his way to becoming the collegiate-level athlete he is today.
The summer after his first high school season, Forer was selected to participate in a series of tryouts amongst seventy talented players to compete in the World Championships on the Men’s Cadet National Team. He recalls having to travel to Hungary and Croatia for training sessions in preparation for the games, where he had the opportunity to play with some of the best players in the world. In Greece the following year, he and the Cadet Team placed ninth in the world and led Team USA to first in their division.
Though he has had several international experiences, he recalls taking the gold medal home from the 2023 Pan American Games in Brazil as the most memorable yet. Forer’s National team had already beat Brazil once to get to the championships, where their opponent was Brazil. “We were playing Brazil and it was only Brazilian supporters – the environment and atmosphere was supercharged, crazy and unreal,” he said of the game, which his team won 13-8.
Having committed to Stanford University as a junior, much earlier than the rest of his class, he describes the excitement he felt upon receiving the phone call last fall. “It took a few days to process, but once it did, it was the most amazing feeling ever,” he said.
Starting this fall, Forer is entering Stanford undeclared, interested in Management Science and Engineering. He will continue to foster his rising career in water polo with a new goal: to win the NCAA Championships once he starts as a Cardinal this fall. In the future, he hopes to play in the European professional leagues following his time at Stanford.
