What attracted you to the position at St. Francis High School?

“I look at the position as a great opportunity. Rachel Ruano, who runs the American River Water Polo Club, has wanted to get me involved with the club. After London, it was a time of reflection about what I wanted to do. Did I want to stick with it and the traveling or have a change of pace with less traveling and having time to spend with family and friends?  Everything seemed to line up perfectly.”

“It was refreshing to hear the plan for athletics and the way the school was administered with life lessons and teaching them through sports. Sports played a role in my life and taught me a lot and it is an opportunity to give back to the sport I love.”

What do you want your Troubadour program to be known for?

“I would like to continue the legacy they have as a program. They have been successful in the pool and the classroom. I would like to continue those traditions and add a twist of my own, while teaching respect for your coaches and teammates. I think it is important that you respect the sport. Part of that is being a competitor in the pool with your opponent but outside the pool respecting them and having connections and friendships.”

Tell us about your history with the sport of water polo?

“My swim coach got me involved in water polo. I grew up in Albuquerque, N.M. So I am not a normal California water polo player. I was a swimmer first. He thought it was important to take a break. He still wanted us in the water but he wanted us to do a team activity. Swimming is a very individual sport. It is you and the clock. He really wanted us to learn the team dynamic within our swim team. So we became a water polo team. We were fast but we had little problem with the ball handling.”

“The first year he introduced the sport I refused to play. The second year he thought it was really important to learn a different dynamic and different sport but still be in the water. It was important to take a break from swimming so you are not in one sport. It kinda stuck.  From there I tried out for the Junior National Team. I made the team and I am not sure if I made the team because of my talent or because I lived in New Mexico and they were trying to build the sport. He saw something in me and gave me a great opportunity.”

Do you have a favorite moment as player that you call your career highlight?

“A career highlight is winning in Barcelona, Spain. We were playing Italy in Europe for a gold medal at the World Championships in 2003. It was a highlight for me as a player. There are memories of teammates and shots you talk about and you hear those moments. But being on the top podium and hearing your national anthem just brings chills. I also think it is not always the end result but the journey. You look across at your teammates doing your dry-land warm ups and everybody is so sore and tired. You find some humor in it as you are about to hop in the water and work really hard for the next three hours. You look at the medals and they are something to remind you about the games. But it is the memories of the day in and day out training that are the journey that gets you there and means the most”

What is your favorite memory from your time as a coach for USA Water Polo?

“In 2005 I had my first experience as an interim head coach. It will be something that sticks in my mind. I was coaching some of my former teammates that were still on the team. I thought it was cool how we transitioned. We were still a team. It is a team attack. It is us as a team that is going to win or lose the game. It really solidified our connection as a group.”

“Being that successful and winning the medal by taking the game into overtime was a huge moment for me as a coach. Having the moment in London where we finally achieved the gold medal was also a moment you can hang your hat on.”

How do you transfer your experience to the St. Francis Water Polo student-athletes?

“I think it is teaching. Coaching is all teaching.  You have to have the patience to break it down so the kids can learn a skill. It is a highlight when you actually see it in the pool and you see the light bulb come on. Coaching is a teaching role and you have to have the tools to touch each of your athletes. I am really lucky to have Anne Scott and Michelle Kaplan working with the program because of their connection to the program. Michelle is a former student-athlete here and be able to use both of them and have the freshmen and sophomores engaged so they can feed into that varsity team.”

What are your expectations for the season?

“I do not have any expectations at this point. The girls have worked hard and I have had fun. The first night of practice was fun and I was nervous. Assistant Coach Anne Scott was giving me a hard time.  But I was nervous because I want to give my best and provide a program that kids are excited to come to and be part of.”