On Pitch

It's a sunny Wednesday afternoon, and the crowd watches as Gary Golding wipes the sweat from his forehead.

Donning an outfit entirely of blue and gold, he's flanked by a group of men, all working to perform in unison.

He's pushing and getting pushed, bumping and getting bumped back.

He's climbing over the pile, and the crowd goes wild.

But something's different.

The outfit doesn't include his striped polo. The men are not his teammates. The shoving isn't serious. And he's not playing rugby.

He's singing.

It's not an unusual day for Golding, a senior leader on a Cal rugby team that has a perfect record and a second tenor in a men's octet that has perfect pitch.

To him, it's just living life to the fullest.

"God's given us different talents," says Golding. "Mine just happen to be polar opposites."

On the surface, his skills seem hard to reconcile. The choir boy and athlete personas don't seem to blend. Then there's Golding, who effortlessly sets them in harmony.

With his rugby teammates, he's the song leader. When the Bears travel to Los Angeles or Chico, Calif., on long bus rides, they look to him for entertainment. They try to impress Golding with their singing skills, asking him if they'd be worthy of joining him in one of the university's most prestigious a cappella groups.

He's a jovial jukebox in the locker room as well, setting the tone with a melody that gets everyone going.

"You could be having a bad day, or just be kind of tired, and a good song can just uplift your spirits," says Golding. "Most guys, before games, they listen to music and it gets them going. There's something about music and wanting to dance and move around."

It's plausible to see how Golding-who wants the men's octet to perform the national anthem before one of his matches-brings his vocal talent to the rugby team.

But there's no way he can take rugby to his rehearsal, right?

Wrong.

All it takes is the Beach Boys.

"It comes in handy with some (choreography) if I have to lift somebody," he says. "When we sing 'I Get Around,' sometimes we do a pyramid. Everybody looks at me to get down and be the base at the bottom of the pyramid, and that's always fun."

In Cape Town, South Africa, Golding grew up with music in his ear and a ball in his hands.

He remembers waking up to his father Derek playing piano in the lounge. He remembers running around with a football as soon as his feet enabled him to do so.

And at Bishops High, Golding made routines of his childhood affinities. He sang in the choir, and he played rugby-in addition to several other sports-before coming home to do his schoolwork.

"My father used to tell me, 'Stop putting your hand up for everything,'" says Golding. "I wanted to do everything. If I got tired of it or bored of it, I have the option to stop what I'm doing. But I enjoy it, and that's why I continue to do it.

"This is almost like a repeat. (High school) was good training for what was to come."

What came was a 2007 national collegiate championship, with Golding earning an All-America honor as a starter for Cal.

What came was a special performance at the annual bonfire rally, with Golding front and center, soaking in the school spirit.

And what has always come through is Golding's ability to perform-as an athlete and as a singer-especially when it's on the fly.

"There's a lot of improvisation," he says. "You have to make last minute adjustments. Not everything's perfect … You just have to adjust, change key, make the play. You have to just go with it."

Without a doubt, Golding has gone with it. With the rugby team, he's traveled to Canada and throughout California. With the men's octet, he's gone to China and Indonesia.

But, more than anything else, it's a sense of camaraderie that draws him to both extracurricular spheres.

"Every time you go out there, you're not doing battle on your own," says Golding. "Being on a team and knowing that you have guys that would lay down their lives for you-it's that drive, overcoming these obstacles with your teammates. That keeps me playing.

"With the octet, it's exactly the same. In a way, that keeps me going … I don't want to let these guys down."

When he performs weekly at Witter Rugby Field, he's just one in the First XV.

When he performs weekly under Sather Gate, he's just one in the men's octet.

But whether he's on pitch or on the pitch, whether he's hitting notes or hitting opponents, Golding isn't blending in.

He's just blending.

Tags: GARY GOLDING