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Countdown to Beijing '08 - Water polo
// USOC Media Services // October 18, 2006
Outlook - Men
The USA Men’s water polo team is amped up like never before. After finishing in 11th place last summer at the 2005 World Championships, the team is focusing on developing a brighter future. Ricardo Azevedo, a Brazilian Olympian and USA Olympic Assistant Coach, took the reigns as head coach of the Men’s Senior National Team in December 2005. He has recruited many outstanding Olympians to make their way back out onto the pool deck to mentor today’s Olympic Hopefuls. At the top of the long list is four-time Olympian Terry Schroeder, who is regarded as one of the all-time best water polo players in the world. Schroeder is serving as the Men’s Senior National Team Assistant Coach along with Ryan Brown, the former women’s water polo coach at University of the Pacific.
With a new coaching staff, seven returning Olympians and a new drive, the team is looking sharp and quickly gaining international respect from the best programs in the world. So far in 2006, the new team holds a winning record with goals of placing in the FINA World League Super Finals in August and the ASUA Cup this fall.
Among the stand-out U.S. athletes is two-time Olympian and team captain Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, Calif.), who recently finished up a tremendously successful professional season for the Italian team Bissolatti Cremona, along with U.S. teammate and 2004 Olympian Jeff Powers (San Luis Obispo, Calif.). Azevedo, who is also the son of the new head coach, was a leading scorer in the Italian Division I league and says he did it all to help get the U.S. back on the medal stand in 2008.
Outlook - Women
Renowned throughout the international water polo community, the USA Water Polo Women’s National Team Program is now the most decorated program in the world and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Three two-time Olympians are returning to the National Team to lead the U.S. into the Beijing Olympic Games. Team Captain Brenda Villa (Commerce, Calif), Heather Petri (Orinda, Calif.) and Ericka Lorenz (San Diego, Calif.) have been there since the team’s Olympic beginnings and with Silver and Bronze Olympic Medals under their belts as well as a plethora of other international accomplishments, these three make up the perfect trio to lead the U.S. women to an even more successful future.
Two-time Olympic head coach Guy Baker has put together a new team with depth and unity unlike any other. Veteran players like 2004 Olympian Natalie Golda have been working hard with newer stand-out athletes including 2006 collegiate MVP Lauren Wenger (USC) and 19-year-old Kami Craig to create a dynamic force that will pose a threat at both ends of the pool.
Since the team’s Bronze Medal finish in the Athens Games, team captain Heather Moody has found her place on the new team at the side of the pool. As the assistant coach, along with Olympian Kyle Kopp, Moody is teaching the next generation of Olympic athletes the skills that helped her to become one of the best in the world. Also on the side-lines for Team USA is 2000 Olympic goalkeeper Bernice Orwig, who is sharing her knowledge of the cage to Emily Feher (Santa Ana, Calif), Betsey Armstrong (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Jamie Hipp (Fresno, Calif.), the goalie hopefuls for 2008.
Storylines
ALL IN THE FAMILY:
Two-Time Olympian Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, Calif.) is preparing to tack another Olympic Games on his long list of water polo accomplishments under the direction of his father, Ricardo Azevedo, who was named Senior National Men’s Team Head Coach in December 2005. Tony’s sister, Cassie, recently graduated from CSU Long Beach as a water polo All-American. Mother, Libby, plays on the Long Beach Mom’s water polo team.
TEAM BONDING:
The U.S. Senior National Women’s Team began a tradition of making morning workout every Friday fun for the whole team. Every week, the team decides on a theme for Friday’s weight workout. On Fridays, take a peek in the weight room and you will see every athlete and coach dressed in the theme of the week. Recently, it was super heroes!
LESSONS ABROAD:
Thirteen USA National Team Athletes spent winter 2005-2006 playing professional water polo in Europe, the world’s water polo hotbed. Athletes who played professionally this year include Brian Alexander (Santa Ana, Calif.), Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, Calif.), Ryan Bailey (Long Beach, Calif.), Spencer Dornin (Laguna, Calif.), Jaime Hipp(Fresno, Calif.), Peter Hudnut (Hollywood, Calif.), Rick Merlo (Fresno, Calif.), Heather Petri (Orinda, Calif.), Jeff Powers (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), Brenda Villa (Commerce, Calif.), Adam Wright (Seal Beach, Calif.), Ericka Lorenz (San Diego, Calif.), Jesse Smith (Coronado, Calif.) and Layne Beaubien (Coronado, Calif.). More athletes are planning to play in the upcoming 2006-2007 season.
NEW FACE OF WOMEN’S HEALTH:
2004 Olympian Natalie Golda (Fullerton, Calif.) has been chosen to represent a new line of Women’s Health Products to teens around the country. The new line of products is called HiObie (http://www.hiobie.com/).
Team Selection Procedures
Thirteen athletes of each gender will be selected to represent the United States in both the 2007 Pan American and 2008 Olympic Games.
An athlete is selected as a nominee to the team by first becoming a member of the athlete pool. Athletes who are members of the pool shall include the following:
• Athletes selected as members of USA Water Polo’s National Teams, National Training Teams or other Elite teams as noted above.
• Athletes selected through our Athlete Development Pipeline (ADP) Program and who are named as members of USA Water Polo’s Futures (16 & U), Youth (18 & U) or Junior (20 & U) National Teams during the 2005-2008 quadrennium. See Exhibit “A” for Program/Process.
• Athletes invited to a USA Water Polo Training Camp or tournament during the 2005-08 quadrennium.
• Athletes identified through collegiate water polo programs.
• Athletes identified through our PACE Clinic/Camp programs.
• Athletes identified through ongoing scouting – See Section I.C.2a
• Athletes identified through open tryouts – See Section I.C.2a
Selection as a member of the Pool at any time during the quadrennium does not guarantee selection to participate in any future USA Water Polo federation program. Furthermore, it does not guarantee that such athlete will be selected to participate in any USA Water Polo program during this quadrennium, including those programs described in these selection procedures. Athletes may be added to the Pool throughout the quadrennium.
Following membership within the pool, athletes will be scouted and observed on an on-going basis. All water polo events in which athletes compete should be considered scouting opportunities. Scouting will be conducted so that athletes can be evaluated who perform at a level consistent with the current international field of play. Evaluation and observation will be done by the Members of the National Team Coaching Staff (NTCS). Based on the NTCS evaluations, a select number of athletes will be invited to a USA Water Polo Selection Camp, where further evaluations will be completed. From these selection camps, athletes will be selected to participate in USA Water Polo national team competitions, training camps and events in order to provide the NTCS further evaluation opportunities. From these programs, a select number of athletes will be selected to attend a USA Water Polo National Training Camp and become a member of the USA Water Polo National Training Team. From the respective training camp, athletes will be nominated, based on the final evaluations by the NTCS, to the 2007 Pan American Games and/or the 2008 Olympic Games team. The NTCS nomination will then be confirmed by the National Team Selection Review Committee and presented to the USOC for final approval.
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