Sport | Water polo |
---|---|
Jurisdiction | National |
Founded | 1978 |
Affiliation | United States Aquatic Sports |
Headquarters | Irvine, California, U.S. |
Location | 6 Morgan |
Director | Christopher Ramsey |
Men's coach | Dejan Udovičić |
Women's coach | Adam Krikorian |
Official website | |
usawaterpolo | |
USA Water Polo is the governing body for the sport of water polo in the United States and is a member of the United States Aquatic Sports. USA Water Polo is responsible for fielding U.S. national teams and hosts 20 annual tournaments. [1] [2] [3] The Organization is headquartered in Irvine, California. [4]
USA Water Polo was formed in 1978 after a new law designated the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for all Olympic activity in the United States. Water polo in the United States had previously been controlled by the Amateur Athletic Union. The organization is now responsible for overall Olympic development.
The U.S. has fielded a women's national team since the 1970s. [5] [6] Tina Bejarano, [7] Lara Ruiz, Carmen Bejarano, [8] Debbie Powell, [8] Desiree Zepeda and Anabel Barragon played on a team from Commerce, California during this era. [9] The team has participated in every Olympic Games since the inaugural women's competition in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and have medalled in all five tournaments, winning the last three.
The United States men's team has participated in Olympic water polo since the 1904 Games in St. Louis, the second Olympic Games to host a water polo tournament. The 1904 squad won the gold medal, the only gold the US men have earned in water polo. Since 1904, the US has won another six Olympic medals (1924, 1932, 1972, 1984, 1988, 2008). The United States women's team has competed in every tournament since the inaugural 2000 edition, winning a medal in each, including three consecutive victories in 2012–2021.
USA Water Polo also oversees junior, 18U, and 16U national teams.
In June 2020, USA Water Polo announced it was forming a task force to work on racial justice issues as well as expanding access to the sport. [10] Four-time olympic champion Brenda Villa was selected alongside executive John Abdou. [11]
The Washington Wetskins, an organization affiliated with USA Water Polo, is the oldest LGBT friendly water polo team in the United States and the world. [12] [13] The Washington Wetskins welcomed women as well as men on their team. [14] As of 2018, the organization had over 80 members. [15] In 2020, the team changed their name to the Washington DSeahorses Water Polo Club. [16] DSeahorse members have to be USA Water Polo members in order to play on the team. [16]
In June 2021, USA Water Polo and a California club settled a $14 million lawsuit that had been filed against them by several female water polo players who accused their coach Bahram Hojreh of sexual misconduct. [21] USA Water Polo stated it suspended the coach when it first obtained reports about his alleged abuse in January 2018 from the United States Center for SafeSport, but the organization was cautioned for allegedly failing to inform law enforcement at the time as required under California law and the SafeSport code. [21]
The 1904 Summer Olympics were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended sports program lasting from 1 July to 23 November 1904, located at what is now known as Francis Olympic Field on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. The 1904 Summer Olympics were the first time the Olympic Games were held outside Europe.
The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.
Brenda Villa is an accomplished American water polo player. She is the most decorated athlete in the world of women’s water polo. Villa was named Female Water Polo Player of the Decade for 2000-2009 by the FINA Aquatics World Magazine. She is one of four female players who competed in water polo at four Olympics; and one of two female athletes who won four Olympic medals in water polo. She is a leading goalscorer in Olympic water polo history, with 31 goals. In 2018, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame.
Water polo has been part of the Summer Olympics program since the second games, in 1900. A women's water polo tournament was introduced for the 2000 Summer Olympics. Hungary has been the most successful country in men's tournament, while the United States is the only team to win multiple times at the women's tournament since its introduction. Italy is the first and only country to win both the men's and women's water polo tournaments.
Natalie Golda is a former American water polo player and currently the head coach of the newly formed Fresno State Bulldogs water polo team to begin competition in 2018. Considered one of the greatest women's water polo players of all time, her senior leadership helped guide the 2005 UCLA Bruins to their seventh national championship. In May 2005 Golda received the Peter J. Cutino Award, given to the best player in women's collegiate water polo. She was also a member of the US Water Polo Team that won the bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2015, she was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame.
Craig Martin Wilson is an American former water polo player who was a member of the United States men's national water polo team and two-time Olympic silver medalist. He is considered to be the best goalkeeper in the history of the sport.
The United States of America (USA), represented by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. U.S. athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games in the modern era, except the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, which was boycotted by the American team and 65 other countries in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The USOC sent a total of 588 athletes to Beijing (310 men and 286 women), and competed in all Olympic sports except handball.
Adam Krikorian is an American water polo coach and the head coach of the United States women's national water polo team. He coached the team to gold medals at the 2012 Olympic Games, 2016 Olympic Games, and 2020 Olympic Games. He was named the United States Olympic Committee's Coach of the Games for 2016. He won 15 NCAA national championships as player, assistant coach, and head coach at UCLA.
Courtney Lynn Kaiulani Mathewson is an American water polo player, part of the US team that won the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She played water polo for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins during their four-consecutive NCAA National Champion Women's Water Polo championships, and was named to the All-Tournament first team. At UCLA, she majored in sociology.
Brandon Brooks, who played water polo as a goalie for UCLA and the 2004 and 2008 United States National teams, was the head coach of the women's water polo team at UCLA until 2017. The women's team won the 2008 and 2009 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship, and one of his players, Courtney Mathewson, captured the Peter J. Cutino Award as the player-of-the year in 2008.
Jillian Amaris Kraus is a water polo player. She won a gold medal in the 2005 Junior World Championships, won four straight NCAA Women's Water Polo Championships with UCLA, and has played with the United States women's national water polo team.
Jeffrey Guy "Jeff" Campbell Jeff was raised in Irvine, California and is a graduate of University High School. Jeff was a three-time All-American at UC Irvine and helped the Anteaters win a national title in 1982, teaming with his older brother, Peter Campbell. He was NCAA Player of the Year and NCAA tournament MVP in 1985.
Brittany Hayes is an American water polo player. She was a member of the US water polo team that won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Kameryn Louise "Kami" Craig is an American water polo player. She was a member of the US water polo team that won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a gold medal in London in 2012 and Rio in 2016.
Adam Wright is an American water polo player and a college water polo head coach. He was a member of the United States men's national water polo team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the championship game, the USA team won the silver medal, defeated by Hungary.
The Spieker Aquatics Center is a 2,500-capacity stadium in Los Angeles, California used by UCLA water polo, swimming, and diving teams. The $14-million center was built in 2009 and is named for Tod and Catherine Spieker. Tod was a student-athlete at UCLA, competing from 1968 to 1971 in swimming.
The men's tournament of water polo at the 2012 Summer Olympics at London, Great Britain, began on 29 July and lasted until 12 August 2012. All games were held at the Water Polo Arena.
Margaret Ann Steffens is an American professional water polo player. She won the gold medal with the United States at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Steffens set a new Olympic record for the most goals scored by an individual player in women's water polo at the Olympic Games.
The women's water polo tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, was held from 16 to 23 September 2000, with six teams competing in the debut tournament. The games were held at the Ryde Aquatic Centre and the Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre. It was the first time in history that women's water polo officially competed at the Summer Olympics.
The United States of America (USA) competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. 533 competitors, 279 men and 254 women, took part in 254 events in 31 sports.