{"id":311004,"date":"2018-05-23T11:52:53","date_gmt":"2018-05-23T18:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=311004"},"modified":"2019-03-05T11:53:16","modified_gmt":"2019-03-05T18:53:16","slug":"on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/","title":{"rendered":"On The Record with Adam Krikorian, US Women’s Water Polo Head Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam Krikorian<\/strong> is arguably one of America\u2019s finest and most accomplished coaches in any discipline. After winning 10 NCAA titles as a head coach of the UCLA men\u2019s and women\u2019s water polo teams (men: 1999, 2000, 2004; women: 2001, 2003, 2005-2009), in 2009 Krikorian assumed leadership<\/a> of the U.S. Women\u2019s Senior National Team. He guided Team USA through a magical trip to gold in the 2012 London Games. In 2016, the American women repeated their golden ride again in dominating fashion, trailing for less than a minute of play on their way to a 12-5 finals win over Italy.<\/p>\n

\"Rio_2016_logo.svg\"<\/p>\n

Selected as the American coach of the Rio Games by the United States Olympic Committee, Krikorian might have left his clipboard behind for more lucrative\u2014and less stressful\u2014pursuits. But he chose to return in pursuit of a third straight Olympic gold, an accomplishment achieved by legendary Hungarian coach Denes Kemeny<\/a><\/strong> (2000 \u2013 2012). And, with a squad that has captured the top prize in all major competitions since 2014, there\u2019s no question that the Americans will again be the favorite in Tokyo.<\/p>\n

During the recent<\/a> NCAA women\u2019s water polo tournament at USC\u2019s Uytengsu Aquatics Center, Krikorian spoke with Swimming World<\/em> about the emotions surround his team\u2019s win at Rio\u2014including the tragic death<\/a> of his brother Blake prior to Olympic competition\u2014his hopes for the future of the game, and what his and Team USA\u2019s unprecedented success has meant for water polo, both in America and the rest of the world.<\/p>\n

– In a moment fraught with many emotions, what was going through you mind as your team captured gold in Rio?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not too many times in an Olympic Game, let alone any championship game, that you have the time to think about a multitude of things. Most of my thoughts probably had to do with my family and the loss of my brother. It was emotional [and] I started to cry right in the middle of the game. With two minutes left I had to kind of snap myself out of it. I don\u2019t think I would typically go there; I had suppressed so much over that two week period.<\/p>\n

\"Coach\"

Adam Krikorian. Photo Courtesy: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports<\/p><\/div>\n

Knowing that the game was in hand, it all came crashing down at once. You always say: \u201cThat\u2019s an unbelievable feeling.\u201d That truly was unbelievable because of the way we dominated.<\/p>\n

I was very confident in the group, but I never expected we would roll through an Olympic Games the way we did. Again, not that we’re winning but the way we did it. I still have a hard time\u2014even now\u2014believing that\u2019s the way it happened for us. To lead every single game for every single second except for 44 seconds the entire tournament.<\/p>\n

Which is something I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll ever see happening again.<\/p>\n

Quite frankly\u2014and I hate to say this\u2014winning an Olympic gold is pretty cool but\u2026 it was boring. As a competitor you always want to be challenged. At the conclusion there was something missing. I don’t know if it had to do with the emotions [around] the loss of my brother or if had to do with we didn\u2019t have a close game.<\/p>\n

– At the 2017 FINA World Water Polo Championships, where a great Serbian team fell<\/a> to arch-rival Croatia, were you concerned your team might be also suffer a letdown?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We don\u2019t compare ourselves to that. We respect what the Serbians have done\u2014what all the great teams have done. [But] we don\u2019t look at that [and think] now we\u2019re at the top after that loss.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re fighting for respect and believe it or not our world of water polo is still very much in the dark ages and can be very sexist at times. We\u2019re constantly motivated to prove\u2014not just to ourselves and our country but to the rest of the world\u2014that women can play the sport at a really high level.<\/p>\n

We fight for respect outside of our sport and within our sport. It\u2019s a talented, tough-minded team. And I still don\u2019t believe we get the respect we deserve.<\/p>\n

\"28-07-2017:

Maggie Steffens. Photo Courtesy: Beeldboot.nl\\Gertjan Kooij<\/p><\/div>\n

– The U.S. women have enjoyed such dominance that it\u2019s almost oppressive.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When you\u2019re in the middle of this, for us, I can understand [that attitude] from a spectator\u2019s standpoint. But from a competitor\u2019s or coaches\u2019 standpoint, we\u2019re not concerned about that. It\u2019s not our responsibility to come down to the level of our competition; they need to rise to us.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not all the sudden going to be big supporters of parity and let people win. And, we\u2019re not always just competing against our opponents; we\u2019re competing against ourselves. That\u2019s the ultimate goal: to be the best version of ourselves.<\/p>\n

– The best women in the world now come to America and play NCAA polo. Is this a threat to your team\u2019s success? <\/strong><\/h3>\n

I\u2019m not selfish enough to think that the only thing that matters is our team and our success. I want the sport to grow. I want people\u2014not just Americans\u2014but people abroad that have the freedom to be able to pursue their athletic or academic dreams. That\u2019s way more important than a water polo game.<\/p>\n

With that being said, I\u2019m never disappointed that we\u2019re training too many foreigners. Good for them. If they have the opportunity and coaches have needs\u2026 they have every right to do so.<\/p>\n

Part of my thought is: if we are helping them to get better, so be it! That\u2019s great for our sport. It forces us to be better. And there\u2019s nothing like competition. With every success we have, it opens a door to a new challenge.<\/p>\n

Going back to my comment about 2016, we\u2019d love to be pushed to find out what we\u2019re made of, to become the best version of ourselves.<\/p>\n

– How will you know when complacency sets in?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

That\u2019s why coaching is way more of an art than it is a science. As a head coach you need to have a feel for your team, your athletes, and, not just the cohesion in the group, but the belief and the determination\u2026. That complacency, every team has their complacency. It\u2019s just, how often does it come.<\/p>\n

– But you certainly don\u2019t seem to be standing still.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I would be lying to you if I said I never get complacent. And, if anyone ever says that they don\u2019t get complacent, they\u2019re full of BS. It happens to everyone; it\u2019s human nature to get too comfortable, to enjoy the comfort of your own surroundings and the comfort of success.<\/p>\n

The key for people\u2014including myself\u2014I\u2019m usually aware of it. I can\u2019t say that\u2019s the case for a lot of people\u2014and that\u2019s when you have problems. That\u2019s when complacency really eats you up\u2014when you\u2019re not aware of it. My job\u2014it always starts with me first\u2014is for me to recognize and get myself out of those kinds of situations. Because if I\u2019m complacent then, a team is going to be how the coach is.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the first thing; for me to be aware of complacency, change my habits and behavior.<\/p>\n

– What was it that convinced you to come back for a third run at the Olympics?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"28-07-2017:

America victorious in Budapest. Photo Courtesy: Beeldboot.nl\\Gertjan Kooij<\/p><\/div>\n

Everyone always says you\u2019re coming back to win another Olympic gold. The more I\u2019ve done this, the further away I get from youthful days as a coach, the more I realize it has nothing to do with winning. It\u2019s all about being challenged and trying to be better every single day.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the reason that I decided to come back is because I felt like I had more to offer. And I know that I can be better than I was a year ago. Or that I was the last four years.<\/p>\n

As long as I have that feeling, that I get excited about the challenges and excited about the growth that I have a vision for within myself, the more I\u2019m going to continue to do this.<\/p>\n

Winning, capturing gold medals, all those things are just a by-product of that drive to be better individually, that drive to be better as a group. We\u2019re never going to match what we did in 2016 from a physical standpoint\u2014not to mention the 44 seconds\u2014we\u2019re never going to match that.<\/p>\n

If my vision was trying to match that or do better than that from a results standpoint, it\u2019s never going to happen. I should just quit now.<\/p>\n

So it comes back to: can we be better individually? Can I be a better teacher, be more patient. Can I connect better with my athletes? Can I do a better job of teaching these life lessons that are so valuable as they move forward in their lives.<\/p>\n

My number one job is to create strong, independent, confident, tough, authentic women. We have a new crop of people coming up. Are they as people\u2014not just as athletes\u2014are they at their peak as strong, independent, confident individuals? The answer is: No. I want to help them get there.<\/p>\n

As long as I have the passion for that, then I\u2019ll continue to do what I do.<\/p>\n

– You\u2019re one of the sport\u2019s most recognizable individuals. Can you see a future whereby you take more of a leadership role in the direction of USA Water Polo?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The only thing I can say for that\u2014and I think that I speak for the entire team, athletes included\u2014I don\u2019t look at myself as just a competitor, [or] as a coach. We\u2019re some of our most recognized people in our sport. With that comes a responsibility of leadership. My title may be head coach of the Senior Women\u2019s Water Polo team, but I do take my role as a leader very seriously. And we as a team take our role extremely seriously, being great leaders and ambassadors\u2014inspiring people of all genders and ages.<\/p>\n

Going beyond winning and losing, that\u2019s something we take great pride in. We find a great deal of joy in filling that role.<\/p>\n

\"FINA_day2_02\"

Speaking at 2018 FINA Water Polo Conference. Photo Courtesy: FINA<\/p><\/div>\n

– At the recent FINA Water Polo Conference<\/a>, you spoke about a sense of \u201curgency\u201d to address the ills of sport. What are you most concerned about?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s been a lot of talk about the rules of our game. But my biggest argument\u2014for us, for everyone involved in the sport\u2014coming back to being the best version of yourself, we haven\u2019t come close\u2014nowhere close. We\u2019re operating at about 30% right now.<\/p>\n

And for many reasons, part of which [is] we\u2019ve had the same people in leadership for a long, long time\u2014and I\u2019m not talking about US water polo. But within FINA. We\u2019ve had a lot of people in our sport that have felt very comfortable and complacent.<\/p>\n

We haven\u2019t changed, we haven\u2019t adapted\u2014most importantly, we haven\u2019t been putting forth the best effort to make our sport better on all levels. Marketing, promotion, rules, officiating, coaching.<\/p>\n

Before we do anything, before we start trying to change all these things, let\u2019s find out how good our sport is. It\u2019s impossible to know where your holes are when you\u2019re not operating at close to 100 percent. We have an opportunity\u201470 percent we\u2019re not maximizing. We get caught up in: We need to change 20 different rules.<\/p>\n

How about operating with some integrity? How about being better communicators? How about getting the officials and coaches together to discuss the interpretation of the rules that we actually have in place, first?<\/p>\n

– Doesn\u2019t that happen on a regular basis? <\/strong><\/h3>\n

No, it doesn\u2019t. It\u2019s been very dysfunctional. It\u2019s like\u2014and I see coaches do this all the time\u2014it\u2019s like a power play; why worry about trying to do this fancy 6-on-5 when you can\u2019t even pass the ball. Like any business, like any team, it starts with the fundamentals. It\u2019s doing the basic things right.<\/p>\n

And we haven\u2019t done the basic things right. So why should we think about changing when we haven\u2019t given ourselves a chance to be successful yet.<\/p>\n

– And you believe that after the FINA Conference there was a clear message not just about what needs to happen but urgency to change?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

What we\u2019ve seen over the last few months, and what I\u2019ve seen personally on a private level, has been extremely encouraging. And I think there\u2019s a ton of people who feel the same way I feel\u2014and not just feel this way, but are excited to do something about it, which is the most important thing.<\/p>\n

As I said in my talk: \u201cTalk is cheap.\u201d I\u2019ve heard officials, coaches and athletes complain over the 9 \u2013 10 years I\u2019ve been doing this. But there\u2019s been little change.<\/p>\n

People always want to see the sexy change. What\u2019s the \u201cmagic bullet\u201d that\u2019s going to make things better? It comes down to really basic organizational keys that are going to make it stronger. And going back to how we plan, how we communicate, how we delegate.<\/p>\n

Those aren\u2019t things that get people super excited to talk about, but are extremely important for a successful organization.<\/p>\n

– The fact that there doesn\u2019t seem to be a clear definition in the rule book of what an ordinary foul is may be an indicator of this problem.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

That’s a perfect point. How do we move forward if we haven\u2019t even defined that?! We\u2019ve had the same rule book in place for\u2014I don\u2019t know the stats\u2014but I think it\u2019s been 50 \u2013 60 years. How\u2019s that possible?<\/p>\n

– Given your accomplishments, you are an important agent of change for the sport, How easily do you embrace this role?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

That\u2019s something that I have to keep an eye on. This is something that\u2019s been extremely challenging for me in general. As our team has more success, we\u2019ve been, and I personally have been asked to do things to help out, both inside and outside of water polo.<\/p>\n

Managing all those things and maintaining my number one focus, which is the team, is something I need to be aware of.<\/p>\n

I would love to be a part of the change moving forward. It starts with building trust, and building trust is about communicating, and there\u2019s always two parts to communicating: speaking and listening.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll say this: I was never listened to before. A lot of great coaches and great minds and great people who haven\u2019t been listened to. That\u2019s changing, and that\u2019s what makes me excited. There\u2019s more open dialogue then there\u2019s ever been before. In order for things to change, that really where it\u2019s at.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor Adam Krikorian is arguably one of America\u2019s finest and most accomplished coaches in any discipline. After winning 10 NCAA titles as a head coach<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4875,"featured_media":269539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[55924,50558,67950,3384,7722,184,60192,61959,3613],"class_list":["post-311004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-water-polo","tag-2012-london-olympic-games","tag-2016-rio-olympic-games","tag-2018-world-water-polo-conference","tag-adam-krikorian","tag-denes-kemeny","tag-fina","tag-michael-randazzo","tag-ucla-water-polo","tag-usa-water-polo"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nOn The Record with Adam Krikorian, US Women's Water Polo Head Coach - Swimming World<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"During the recent NCAA women\u2019s water polo tournament at USC\u00a0Swimming World spoke with Adam\u00a0Krikorian, U.S. Women's water polo coach.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"On The Record with Adam Krikorian, US Women's Water Polo Head Coach\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"During the recent NCAA women\u2019s water polo tournament at USC\u00a0Swimming World spoke with Adam\u00a0Krikorian, U.S. Women's water polo coach.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swimming World\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-23T18:52:53+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-03-05T18:53:16+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/women-final-usa-spain-coach-adam-krikorian-usa-2017-world-champs.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2500\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1667\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Randazzo\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michael Randazzo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Randazzo\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/fb1d58ba008040c3ad837f46defed7bb\"},\"headline\":\"On The Record with Adam Krikorian, US Women’s Water Polo Head Coach\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-23T18:52:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-03-05T18:53:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/\"},\"wordCount\":2609,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/women-final-usa-spain-coach-adam-krikorian-usa-2017-world-champs.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"2012 London Olympic Games\",\"2016 Rio Olympic Games\",\"2018 World Water Polo Conference\",\"Adam Krikorian\",\"Denes Kemeny\",\"FINA\",\"Michael Randazzo\",\"UCLA Water Polo\",\"USA Water Polo\"],\"articleSection\":[\"-Home Slider\",\"Water Polo\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/\",\"name\":\"On The Record with Adam Krikorian, US Women's Water Polo Head Coach - Swimming World\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/women-final-usa-spain-coach-adam-krikorian-usa-2017-world-champs.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-23T18:52:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-03-05T18:53:16+00:00\",\"description\":\"During the recent NCAA women\u2019s water polo tournament at USC\u00a0Swimming World spoke with Adam\u00a0Krikorian, U.S. Women's water polo coach.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/women-final-usa-spain-coach-adam-krikorian-usa-2017-world-champs.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/women-final-usa-spain-coach-adam-krikorian-usa-2017-world-champs.jpg\",\"width\":2500,\"height\":1667,\"caption\":\"US women's coach Adam Krikorian\u2014a great Bruin player and coach\u2014celebrating the 2017 FINA Worlds gold. Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"On The Record with Adam Krikorian, US Women’s Water Polo Head Coach\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Swimming World\",\"description\":\"The Global Leader in Aquatic News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Swimming World\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg\",\"width\":1799,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Swimming World\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/swimmingworld\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/swimmingworldmag\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SwimmingWorldSPI\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/fb1d58ba008040c3ad837f46defed7bb\",\"name\":\"Michael Randazzo\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f34baabfc0ac0cea197ffefec898a876?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f34baabfc0ac0cea197ffefec898a876?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Michael Randazzo\"},\"description\":\"Michael Randazzo is a freelance contributor at Swimming World focusing on water polo. He covers polo all over the United States for SW and other publications, including the Collegiate Water Polo Association, Skip Shot, The New York Times, Total Water Polo, Water Polo Planet and others. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children and roots for St. Francis Brooklyn polo.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/author\/michael-randazzo\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"On The Record with Adam Krikorian, US Women's Water Polo Head Coach - Swimming World","description":"During the recent NCAA women\u2019s water polo tournament at USC\u00a0Swimming World spoke with Adam\u00a0Krikorian, U.S. Women's water polo coach.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"On The Record with Adam Krikorian, US Women's Water Polo Head Coach","og_description":"During the recent NCAA women\u2019s water polo tournament at USC\u00a0Swimming World spoke with Adam\u00a0Krikorian, U.S. Women's water polo coach.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/","og_site_name":"Swimming World","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld","article_published_time":"2018-05-23T18:52:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-03-05T18:53:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2500,"height":1667,"url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/women-final-usa-spain-coach-adam-krikorian-usa-2017-world-champs.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Michael Randazzo","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@swimmingworld","twitter_site":"@swimmingworld","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Michael Randazzo","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/"},"author":{"name":"Michael Randazzo","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/fb1d58ba008040c3ad837f46defed7bb"},"headline":"On The Record with Adam Krikorian, US Women’s Water Polo Head Coach","datePublished":"2018-05-23T18:52:53+00:00","dateModified":"2019-03-05T18:53:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/"},"wordCount":2609,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/women-final-usa-spain-coach-adam-krikorian-usa-2017-world-champs.jpg","keywords":["2012 London Olympic Games","2016 Rio Olympic Games","2018 World Water Polo Conference","Adam Krikorian","Denes Kemeny","FINA","Michael Randazzo","UCLA Water Polo","USA Water Polo"],"articleSection":["-Home Slider","Water Polo"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/","name":"On The Record with Adam Krikorian, US Women's Water Polo Head Coach - Swimming World","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/women-final-usa-spain-coach-adam-krikorian-usa-2017-world-champs.jpg","datePublished":"2018-05-23T18:52:53+00:00","dateModified":"2019-03-05T18:53:16+00:00","description":"During the recent NCAA women\u2019s water polo tournament at USC\u00a0Swimming World spoke with Adam\u00a0Krikorian, U.S. Women's water polo coach.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/women-final-usa-spain-coach-adam-krikorian-usa-2017-world-champs.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/women-final-usa-spain-coach-adam-krikorian-usa-2017-world-champs.jpg","width":2500,"height":1667,"caption":"US women's coach Adam Krikorian\u2014a great Bruin player and coach\u2014celebrating the 2017 FINA Worlds gold. Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-adam-krikorian\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"On The Record with Adam Krikorian, US Women’s Water Polo Head Coach"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/","name":"Swimming World","description":"The Global Leader in Aquatic News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Swimming World","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg","width":1799,"height":900,"caption":"Swimming World"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld","https:\/\/x.com\/swimmingworld","https:\/\/instagram.com\/swimmingworldmag\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SwimmingWorldSPI"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/fb1d58ba008040c3ad837f46defed7bb","name":"Michael Randazzo","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f34baabfc0ac0cea197ffefec898a876?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f34baabfc0ac0cea197ffefec898a876?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","caption":"Michael Randazzo"},"description":"Michael Randazzo is a freelance contributor at Swimming World focusing on water polo. He covers polo all over the United States for SW and other publications, including the Collegiate Water Polo Association, Skip Shot, The New York Times, Total Water Polo, Water Polo Planet and others. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children and roots for St. Francis Brooklyn polo.","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/author\/michael-randazzo\/"}]}},"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"U.S. Head Coach Adam Krikorian celebrates gold win at 2017 FINA World Water Polo Championships. Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA","source_text":"","source_url":""},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/women-final-usa-spain-coach-adam-krikorian-usa-2017-world-champs.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p56Jja-1iUc","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4875"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}