{"id":319727,"date":"2018-07-20T06:30:05","date_gmt":"2018-07-20T13:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=319727"},"modified":"2018-11-12T07:48:15","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T14:48:15","slug":"on-the-record-with-brenda-villa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/on-the-record-with-brenda-villa\/","title":{"rendered":"On The Record with Brenda Villa, USA Water Polo Hall of Famer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Patrolling the Long Center pool deck last weekend in Clearwater, Florida, was Brenda Villa<\/strong>, a four-time Olympian and one of the most accomplished athletes in U.S. water polo history. When Villa and her Team USA teammates scored a decisive finals victory over Spain at the 2012 London Games, they not only captured Olympic gold, they realized a decades-long dream<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"logo-UANA\"<\/p>\n

In her post-polo career, Villa has become an ambassador of the sport and a much-revered figure. Recently inducted<\/a> into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame, Villa is also a member of the executive committee for the Union Americana de Natacion (UANA)\u2014which is why she was in Clearwater for the UANA Junior Pan American Water Polo Championships<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking with Swimming World<\/em>, Villa explained why South Florida was an ideal location for a multi-national tournament of boys\u2019 and girls\u2019 teams from the Western Hemisphere, the challenges faced by a young U.S. women\u2019s team, the growth of polo throughout the world and what a world-class Olympic athlete does when they retire from the game that has sustained them their entire life.<\/p>\n

Why did UANA look to spread its brand in South Florida, where water polo isn\u2019t that well known?<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of UANA\u2019s missions is to promote water polo in all of the Americas. Another is to put on professional tournaments for athletes at the youth and the junior levels. We awarded this bid to the U.S. and trusted that they would make it happen.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s always a little bit of a challenge to get everyone in the Americas hosting on a certain level, so that\u2019s UANA\u2019s goal\u2014to have everything be consistent.<\/p>\n

We realize that different countries have different resources, so we are trying to support different initiatives. Everyone has a chance to host because it is special to be able to bring the world to your country, to be a great host and to have a home crowd.<\/p>\n

I never had a home crowd behind me at any major\u00a0international events, so I would have loved this\u2014it’s an athlete\u2019s dream. At UANA, we have a dual mission we are trying to fulfill. It\u2019s a challenge, but we see our counterparts playing in Europe and how established they are.<\/p>\n

One day we hope to get to that level.<\/p>\n

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Brazil vs. Canada in UANA Cup Final. Photo Courtesy: Don Utas<\/p><\/div>\n

– One of the tournament’s great stories was the Argentinian women\u2019s team, which\u2014by beating Puerto Rico on Saturday\u2014qualified for the <\/strong>2019 FINA World Women’s Junior<\/strong>\u00a0Water Polo<\/strong>\u00a0Championships.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think what\u2019s really both impressive and inspiring is that their program doesn\u2019t have a history of a lot of success, but they\u2019re now going to a higher level international tournament hosted by FINA<\/a>. More importantly, you can see, in terms of their reactions, how much joy and satisfaction and excitement [they have]. It\u2019s a success for water polo in general and also for women\u2019s water polo<\/p>\n

I think any time we get younger levels and age groups qualifying, being excited and then going to the major tournaments, it\u2019s a win. There\u2019s five women\u2019s teams and then eight men\u2019s teams [in Clearwater]; my dream is to have eight and eight. We\u2019re working towards that, but to see these young Argentinian girls getting another opportunity to represent their country and get another chance to play, that\u2019s only going to help girls younger than they are.<\/p>\n

That keeps that dream alive, that they can compete at that level, that their hard work is paying off. You see these moments and think: \u201cGreat! This is what we need!\u201d But sometimes we have to be patient and realize it is happening, just very slowly.<\/p>\n

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Argentine triumphant – in water polo! Photo Courtesy: M. Randazzo<\/p><\/div>\n

– An experienced Canadian squad dominated<\/a> the American women in a UANA Cup semifinal. Could it be that the U.S. coaching staff was more focused on player development than outcomes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wouldn\u2019t say that the U.S. isn\u2019t concentrating on outcomes. The goal of this tournament is to qualify [for FINA World Women’s Junior Water Polo Championships]. If you finish first, second, third or fourth, you qualify.<\/p>\n

To your everyday person tuning into this tournament, you\u2019d be surprised if the U.S. isn\u2019t in the final game. But, one of the reason our women continue to be dominant is because of the pipeline. For years they\u2019ve been able to send different age groups to different tournaments\u2014which gives you the international experience you need. And, from the outcome this weekend, those girls need that experience.<\/p>\n

Yes, they\u2019re playing against an older team and it\u2019s international and more physical but they\u2019re going to take that back with them. And if they ever get the opportunity again in a tournament against older girls, they\u2019ll be okay.<\/p>\n

We were a little surprised at the final score\u2014not the outcome\u2014but, it\u2019s a learning experience. How many times in the past have you seen Team USA learning from adversity? It\u2019s not happening as much anymore, so any time [our girls] can get those experiences it\u2019s going to help everyone.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s adds to the hunger [for success]. You see how other teams are celebrating, which reminds you that anytime you\u2019re representing Team USA. you\u2019re going to get anybody\u2019s best shot. It doesn\u2019t matter to them what age group; if you\u2019re wearing the red, white and blue, you\u2019re the top team in the world so you have to be ready for that.<\/p>\n

– Emily Ausmus, the 12-year-old who\u2019s in the water for Team USA at this tournament, has gotten attention because of her youth. As a teenager, you also got significant minutes on the national team. What\u2019s it like playing with significantly older players?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"asmus-uana\"

Emily Asmus. Photo Courtesy: Peter Laurence \/ USA Water Polo<\/p><\/div>\n

For me, playing on a boys\u2019 team in high school definitely helped in accelerating my career. At 15 I was at Junior World Championships, which is a little older than Emily, but it wasn\u2019t a Pan Ams, it was a world championship. Having the experience of playing with the boys, who were bigger and faster, I had to be thinking about how to prepare two or three plays before. Or make sure that my size or my age or my experience wasn\u2019t a weakness.<\/p>\n

Now we\u2019re lucky enough that girls don\u2019t have to play on co-ed teams, they have their own all-girls teams. But there\u2019s something my generation learned\u2014getting roughed up by the boys. One way we can still add that element is by playing up.<\/p>\n

– Given the depth of talent in the Olympic Development Pipeline, it\u2019s easy for girls to get discouraged about their shot with the national team. What would you say to them to keep them in the mix?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have the NCAAs and the college system. That\u2019s a few years where you can be competitive against the best in the country, [or] even in the world, because some of the top talent in Europe comes to play NCAA polo.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s exciting to play for your college, so that will hold them over for a bit\u2026 but you never know. Annika Dries<\/strong> might have been the second or third youngest on the London team. She only played one Olympics.<\/p>\n

I wouldn\u2019t be discouraged if I were a youngster\u2014it gives you another goal. I\u2019m interested to see how many girls play more than two Olympics. If you think of the girls on the team now, there are some that have won two golds. Heather Petrie and I stayed for so long because there was the one thing we hadn\u2019t achieved.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know how it would have played out if Sydney and Athens were gold. I\u2019m interested to see how long this next generation sticks around. You can\u2019t make a life out of playing water polo, so you have other ambitions and goals, you want your career to get started.<\/p>\n

– I imagine you\u2019re busy with many different things, but you obviously keep your hand in the world of water polo as much as possible.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I knew after London that I\u2019d be done. JT [John Tanner<\/a>], my college coach at Stanford, has always been a mentor, friend. In discussions with him I said: \u201cI\u2019m done, what should I do now?\u201d<\/p>\n

I knew it would be a tough transition. How do you dedicate your life to something, you\u2019re at the top for so long and then you have to create a new identity? He reminded me how I talked about giving back and passing it forward because of the program I came from in Commerce\u2013and how much they invest in their youth. I knew I wanted to do something like that and he suggested that I do it in Northern California.<\/p>\n

\"mcdowell-uana-july18\"

Brenda Villa with Blair McDowell. Photo Courtesy: Peter Laurence \/ USA Water Polo<\/p><\/div>\n

We tutored in Palo Alto as a college team [and] I remember feeling at home the most in that neighborhood that I tutored in. He connected me with a few people and that\u2019s how I started my non-profit Project 2020<\/a>. It\u2019s giving access and opportunity to kids that usually don\u2019t get it, mainly minorities and lower income families.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been doing that and I also work full time at Castilleja<\/a>. My position is equity education coordinator, so I do a lot of stuff in our department about awareness and compassion engagement\u2014things that I was already doing, but didn\u2019t know there was a name for it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an all-girls private school in Palo Alto. I never thought I\u2019d be at a private school, but the girls there are definitely motivated. The thought process of why it\u2019s important to give women a space to grow, is something I love and enjoy. It\u2019s been great. Of course, my husband says: \u201cYou\u2019re not even playing anymore, but you\u2019re still on a pool deck all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never really left water polo. I\u2019m coaching, I\u2019m on the board of USA Water Polo<\/a>. I want the sport to be diverse, I want it to be global, but if I\u2019m not willing to put in that time, how do I expect others to? I know I can\u2019t do it by myself, but I still have to be invested past my playing career in order to encourage others to do the same. Some day we will be a global sport and more diverse, so those are the things that keep me interested and keep me involved in so many different areas of the sport.<\/p>\n

-There\u2019s so many attributes and accolades that you\u2019ve earned both individually and with your teammate, but one of the most compelling is that you were one of the group of women that transformed the sport, both in this country and internationally.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was definitely a lot of work and commitment, but I was incredibly lucky because Commerce was so instrumental<\/a> the development of the women\u2019s game. They hosted the first women\u2019s international tournament in the US, they did so many firsts for women and the city always supported that.<\/p>\n

\"us-jr-girls-uana\"

Photo Courtesy: Peter Laurence \/ USA Water Polo<\/p><\/div>\n

I just feel lucky that I was born at the right time to take advantage<\/a> of Title IX and to have these role models that didn\u2019t get all the opportunities I did. I was always inspired in that sense. Then I got the chance to play overseas and I got to see their model. It made me feel luckier that we have sports that are associated with school, they don\u2019t really do that in Europe.<\/p>\n

I think [the U.S. is] dominant because we have all these opportunities that other countries don\u2019t, especially on the women\u2019s side. I love being connected now and seeing teammates of mine overseas doing clinics\u2014the things we\u2019ve been doing in the US for years, but it\u2019s just a way to keep female players coaching and staying in the game.<\/p>\n

It inspires me and makes me happy to see other women coaching and being assistants on men\u2019s teams and coaching club teams. We need more of this. If we\u2019re not, no one else is going to do it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor Patrolling the Long Center pool deck last weekend in Clearwater, Florida, was Brenda Villa, a four-time Olympian and one of the most accomplished athletes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4875,"featured_media":50765,"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":[65237,69460,2125,58331,69494,2129,68532,1317,69495,69496,59387,48895,3613],"class_list":["post-319727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-water-polo","tag-2012-london-games","tag-2018-uana-junior-pan-american-championships","tag-brenda-villa","tag-ca","tag-castilleja","tag-commerce","tag-emily-ausmus","tag-john-tanner","tag-project-2020","tag-the-long-center","tag-uana","tag-union-americana-de-natacion","tag-usa-water-polo"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nOn The Record with Brenda Villa, USA Water Polo Hall of Famer - 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