hiː ɪz dʒˈuːɪʃ ænd ɡɹˈuː ˌʌp ɪn sˈæntə klˈɑːɹɹə, kˌælɪfˈoːɹniə, kəmpˈiːɾɪd fɔːɹ kjˌuːpɚtˈiːnoʊ hˈaɪ skˈuːl, ænd kəmpˈiːɾɪd fɔːɹ jˌuːsˌiːˌɛlˈeɪ fɹʌm nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi ˈeɪt tə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti tˈuː wˌɛɹ hiː wʌzɐ sˈɛvəntˈaɪm ˈɔːl ɐmˈɛɹɪkən.
He is Jewish and grew up in Santa Clara, California, competed for Cupertino High School, and competed for UCLA from 1988 to 1992 where he was a 7-time All American.