Significant date in Olympic History

Yesterday was the 30 year anniversary of the 1980 Olympic Games and also 2 year countdown to London. I wanted to share this essay by Anita DeFrantz with you. It is worth the read.

The Team with No Result
By Anita L. DeFrantz

Our nation does not know us as Olympians. Our sublime moments of exertion and of triumph do not exist. We have no memories and you have no memories of us. We forever are the team with no result. We are the 1980 United States Olympic Team.

After 25 years, I have come to understand the deep feeling of loss. There were 500 athletes on the 1980 United States Olympic Team. For 219 members of that team, the 1980 Olympic Games was their one chance to compete in the Olympic Games. And those 219 would never march in an Opening Ceremony parade. They would never experience the boundless joy of being welcomed because they represented our nation. Two hundred nineteen US athletes would never live in an Olympic Village where men and women representing every size shape and color of humanity live in peace and respect.

I had the opportunity to experience all of this as a member of the 1976 US Olympic Rowing Team. I know what the others missed.

We had all done the work, paid the price, made the life decisions that would bring us to the Olympic Games, yet we were denied access to the culminating event.

Our team was composed of private citizens who had found a way to finance their dream. The dream was one step from reality. Not one penny of public money, federal, state or local funding supported us as we trained and prepared for our final examination at the Olympic Games. This was a time before sponsorship was allowed for athletes in training. We all had made our own way to become members of the United States Olympic Team.

Our reward? We were given our uniforms. We had a parade in Washington DC although nobody really knew why. It was a ride in a trolley car from the Capitol down Pennsylvania Avenue a couple of blocks and back. We had a picnic at the White House. The cost of our visit to the White House was charged to the United States Olympic Committee.

My friends ask why I can’t get over it. Why it is so hard for me to let go? I have the privilege of working at the LA84 Foundation, which is the legacy of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. My daily work is focused on youth and sport on the field of play and in understanding the role of sport in society.

As a member of the International Olympic Committee, I continue to volunteer for the Olympic movement at the highest level. I serve my sport, rowing, as the vice president of FISA, the international federation.

But the feeling of loss remains palpable. And athletes throughout the world who had been forced to stay home share this sense of loss.

It was at the inaugural USOC Olympic Assembly, April 2005 that I finally understood why I continue to feel the loss.

The program began with a video presentation of scenes from the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. The smiles of athletes and the wondrous show of mutual respect and fair play that is the basis of the Olympic Games delighted the audience.

Later in the program, another video was shown. This time, it was of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. As always, I experienced an overwhelming rush of emotion and pride. These were my contemporaries.
I had chills as I watched those vignettes of stories that I know so well. And we, who had prepared for the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games to be held that summer, were to be their twins. Our stories would be told just six months later. Then, a flash of understanding hit me.
There were no videos, no pictures. Nothing could be shown to the Olympic Family or to our nation recounting the efforts of the 1980 United States Olympic Team. We are the United States Olympic Team with no result.

When we search our memories to recall the summer of 1980, there are no pictures of competition and joy where the 1980 Olympic Games should be stored. I realized that for every American that memory is missing. The situation is the same for athletes and citizens from other countries that forced their athletes to stay at home. We have all suffered a loss of something very personal from our history.

It is impossible to change the past. My hope is that the 1980 Olympic Team will stand as a barrier against the use of athletes’ efforts outside the sports venues. We know that the only effect is to leave us all without a result.

Perspective.... I told the guys there are a lot of things that we can not control but the one thing that we can control is how we prepare. To win that gold medal will take 100% commitment by everyone. That gold medal seems a ways off right now after the last two days of competition. We were crushed by Serbia 17 - 9 and then lost today 9 - 7 to Croatia. Tomorrow we play Romania and now all the games are must win. With three wins we can still win the tournament. It seems like a long shot but there are signs that we are coming back to life and getting on track.

Romania will be tough here at home. They have had a big crowd here every night and tomorrow will be no different. We will have to be 2-3 goals better than them to win.

I will keep you posted.

See you at the pool.

Coach

World Cup 2010

Oh my -yesterday felt like we might have well of traveled all the way home and back. It was a 14 hour day of travel. We were up at 4:30 am and finally arrived in Oradea, Romania at 6:30 pm. We flew from Catania, Italy to Rome (only about an hour flight), then were delayed for over 2 hours before we flew to Budapest, Hungary. By the time the luggage ordeal had ended - yes once again 3 people lost their luggage- we had spent another hour in the airport in Budapest. Then we boarded a bus and headed for Romania. No one had really eaten so we made a quick pit stop for some Hungarian fast food. Guslaz and Guslaz Hungarian fast food. No lie - That is what the name of the restaurant. Actually, either we were all very Hungary (get it) and it was pretty good. Grilled meat and other stuff... We then boarded back on the bus for the rest of the 3 and 1/2 hour bus ride to Oradea. Oh yeah, I forgot our little border dilemma. After they took our passports - they did not want to give them back until we gave them a signed water polo ball. Wow - what a day.

Needless to say, the guys were a little burned out. We had dinner and then a short meeting. Unfortunately for me - we had to break the news to the three guys who are traveling with us but did not make the final thirteen for the Fina Cup. Not fun. Something that I thought about long and hard and talked to Ryan and Robert about for the past two days before finally telling the team. It was not as bad as making the final Olympic cuts but I had that same knot in my stomach that I get when I have to make cuts. Anyway, Brian Alexander, Shea Buckner and JW Krumpholz did not make it this time. It was rough and after making the announcement the coaches spent the next hour or so talking with the three players that we cut.

Today we had to get ourselves up early for our pre-game swim at 8 am. Oh - I forgot to mention that we moved time zones and we lost another hour so we are now 10 hours ahead of back home and we all got one less hour sleep. We also drew the first game of the tournament against China at 3 pm. So we had a short day to prepare and get our selves ready to play. I can tell you as the coach - I was tired when game time rolled around - it had been a rough day of travel and the body felt a little weary.

The guys actual played pretty well considering. We jumped on Chine early and cruised to a 10 - 6 win. In the other game in our bracket Croatia beat Serbia tonight 10 - 7. We play Serbia tomorrow at 6:30 pm. It will be a good test to see where we are at. Time to get some rest and prepare for tomorrow.

See you at the pool.

Coach

Siracusa-- Experiencing Team

I think that one of the difficult things for most people to understand is how a team is formed. Many may think that it should be easy. Just put a group together and tell them all about what it takes to be a team - snap your fingers a few times - and there you go - you have a team. This may be true on paper and sometimes it does come together fairly easy but most often it takes time. To truly become a team you have to experience it - the highs and the lows. The wins the loses. It is much easier to come together and feel good about each other when things are going well and you are winning. The true test is in the adversity.

Do the difficult times pull you apart or bring you together. Either can happen. It is often times easier to get pulled apart in the difficult times but these are the biggest opportunities for growth for any team. The challenges can help the individual team members understand each other better. Every team must get to a point where the individual team members understand and respect the differences that exist. Respecting and caring for each other are cornerstones to team chemistry. When the team members respect each other trust begins to build. This is another cornerstone that must be present for any team to be successful.

As we look back onto World League and our 5th place finish, we are all a bit disappointed. The reality is that we did not play at the top of our game. Our 6 on 5 was not good. We struggled to finish on the counter attack and most disturbing was our shot blocking on our front court defense. I think that we have become a little lazy on defense knowing that Merrill is in the goal and he is playing very well. This needs to change. We have to take pride in how we play defense. We have to take pride in our shot blocking. We have to be the best defensive team in the world in order for us to reach that ultimate goal of Olympic gold.

We are now in Siracusa, Italy playing in the second tournament in a row over here in Europe. We opened up last night with Canada and we stuffed them pretty good. We won 11- 6 and we were able to rest most of our top guys. This is really a training tournament and the goal is to play many of our younger players as much as possible. Get these younger guys some good experience and keep everyone healthy heading into next week and the World Cup.

The guys are a little angry about there performance in World League and we have set our sites on winning the World Cup. We can do it. We are growing. There is healthy talk about coming together and getting on the same page. We are living it and breathing it everyday. We eat together, train together and have meetings to discuss and talk about things. We are virtually together 24/7 for a three week period. Believe me with the heat we have been experiencing over here we all smell the same - pretty bad.

Today we play Kazakistan. This is a team that we have not played since the 2004 Olympic Games. They are mix of older players that used to play for Russia and some pretty young players. They lost to Germany yesterday 12 - 9. The will be decent but we should be able to take care of business. We are going to try to rest a few of our key guys - Tony and Jesse will both be sitting out this game.

We actually have 10 games left on this trip in the next 11 days. With the day off a day of travel. This could prove to be a great team building experience or it could be a disaster. We (the coaches) have to find the right balance of keeping the guys fit and ready for the World Cup without breaking them down this week. It will be interesting to see how it works out. I am confident that good things are happening here. The “team” is building. The personality of this team will evolve and grow as we go through this next two year period into London and the 2012 games. It is a journey and I am blessed to be experiencing the process with the guys.

See you at the pool.

Coach

Some Rough Spots on the Road

We played a solid game on Thursday against Montenegro. Unfortunately, we could not close it out. After taking a two goal lead with two and a half minutes to play in the game, we allowed Montenegro to tie the score. The game ended in a 7 - 7 tie and went directly into a penalty shootout (World League rules). We lost in the shootout which sets up a quarterfinal game against Croatia.

The bottom line in the Montenegro game was that we had our chances but did not finish. We were 2 out of 11 on our 6 on 5 opportunities. This is very bad and shows that we are not yet working together at the highest level. The 6 on 5 is part of the game that requires the most team work. We also seemed a little tentative - especially after we missed our fist couple.

On the bright side our 5 man defense was strong only allowing the Montenegrans to score 3 out of 11. Unfortunately they scored on their last two to tie the game. On the most crucial 6 on 5’s we did not stop them. We still have some growing to do...

Yesterday we played Croatia in the quarterfinals. It was ugly. Right from the beginning it was apparent that we were not mentally ready. The loss against Montenegro had taken it’s toll on us. I need to examine what I could have done better to properly prepare the guys. We were flat and just a little slow on everything. At one point we were down by 5 goals. I guess on a positive note we did continue to fight but it was two little too late and we lost 13-11. The officials also allowed the Croatians to grab and hold quite a bit and it was tough for us to drive and move.

So now we are in the 5-8th place bracket. The best we can do is 5th and we have to get the guys focused to do that. We play China today and then probably Spain again on Sunday. Lots of water polo still to play.

This team has come a long way and one bad game will not set us back. We will rebound and find our groove again. It is a journey for us and all of us need to continue to grow in that journey. We have the pieces here it is really just all about putting those pieces together and forming a team that is ready to lay it on the line for each other.

We are close and I am confident that we will get there. The guys have experienced what being on a authentic team feels like and they all want that back. For now we have to get focused on beating China today and then making sure that we get fifth in this tournament.

See you at the pool.

Coach

Winning and the "Red Devil"

Our opening match here in Nis was against Spain. Over the past few years since I have been the head coach they have had our number and have beaten us when it really mattered. Last year they beat us in Rome at the World Championships in the semi-finals. This time we played very well - especially on defense and came out on top with a convincing 7 - 3 win. Our 5 man defense was great - we only gave up one goal on Spain’s 10 extra man opportunities. That is a great team stat and one that could win us the tournament here if we can keep it up. It was a good team win and a good way to start off the tournament.

Yesterday we played China. The biggest challenge of the day was not actually playing China but digesting the lunch that we had eaten. It was your typical mystery meat - although a bit more mysterious than usual. It was red in color, round, greasy and tasted a bit like sausage??? but it definitely had a mixture of flavors. We named it the “red devil” sausage (see attached picture) for what it did to your stomach. I am pretty sure that it might have been a play by the Chinese to get us all sick. I had a few bites and my stomach was unsettled. Many of the guys ate the entire meal and 30 minutes later were running to the toilet with diarrhea. A few were even vomiting. Not good for a pre-game meal. Anyway, after a slow start we beat China 10 - 5. No more of the red devil.

This sets up a big game tonight against Montenegro. A win gives up first in our bracket and a cross over game on Friday against South Africa. A loss would mean a cross over game on Friday against Croatia. So this is a big one. I believe that our guys are ready. We are playing good defensively and Merrill is playing very strong in the goal.

Serbia played Croatia last night with a rowdy pro Serbia crowd. The Croatians were booed out of the stadium and ended up losing by one. A good intense game that sets the tone for tonight’s game. It should be fun.

Two games down and fifteen to go...

See you at the pool.

Coach

Summer 2010

We arrived in Nis, Serbia last night after a long day of travel. Ten hours on the plane from LAX to Munich, another two hours to Belgrade and then a three hour bus ride from Belgrade to Nis. Everyone was pretty hungry after we arrived in Belgrade so we stopped for dinner (or at least a quick snack) at a local gas station. These gas stations seem to be the hot spots on the road to Nis. We passed by numerous gas stations that were crowded with locals enjoying a late night snack - so we joined them at one and loaded up with sandwiches and waters and before we climbed back on the bus for the long ride. We finally arrived in Nis at 1:45 am. It was a long day of travel to say the least.

Fortunately, most of the guys are pretty experienced travelers and like me slept most of the way. I think I logged 8 hours sleep on the first flight, an hour on the second and another 2 on the bus before sleeping soundly through the night.

Our hotel is brand new and sits atop a hill overlooking the city of Nis. The pool is about 15 minutes away via bus and is a nice facility with indoor and outdoor pools. The views from the hotel are beautiful and there was a wonderful sunset last night. The food has been very good. Although, it is a lot of meat and potatoes. That seems to be the main staple here and you are not always sure about what kind of meat you are eating. I have learned through the years not to ask... It tasted pretty good so what the heck - just go with it.

Tomorrow we begin the World League Super Final here in Nis. We will play 6 games beginning with Spain. The brackets look like this. We play Spain, China and Montenegro. On the other side is Croatia, Serbia, Australia and South Africa.

This is how the summer breaks down. We are here for a week for World League, then we travel to Italy for a week for a training tournament in Siracusa, then it is onto Romania for the World Cup. We actually have 17 games in the next 21 days. It will be a great test for us physically and emotionally. This first tournament is the most important as far as our result. It has been designated our Operation Gold marker so the results will determine to some degree how much funding we get next year from the USOC. This is our biggest tournament of the summer.

I believe that we have prepared better this summer for this short season. The guys all came back in late May, early June and we had about 5 weeks with everyone home to prepare and bring a team together. We seem to be in better shape this year but the true test is still ahead of us.

We now have only nine Olympians active on the team this summer. They are Merrrill Moses, Tony Azevedo, Ryan Bailey, Adam Wright, Jesse Smith, Jeff Powers, Tim Hutton, Peter Varrellas and JW Krumpholz. This is our core group. These guys will be the leaders and will help bring some of the younger players along. We actually decided to travel with 16 players due to the demanding schedule. Here is the group that fills out our roster. Brain Alexander, Shea Buckner, Mike Sharf, Andy Stevens, Thomas Hopkins, Jeff Tyrell and Tommy Corcoran. I like our team. There seems to be a good feeling both in the pool and out. I believe that we will have a good summer.

If we play together we will come home with a couple of medals this summer.

It is all about being a team and that is yet to be determined. The great baseball player Jackie Robinson who was the first to break the color barrier in professional baseball was quoted as saying that “The true impact of your life is how you impact the life”s of others”. I feel that this is at the heart of what a team is all about. Can our best players bring along our less experienced players. Can we make each other better. This will be our test this summer.

We will find out beginning tomorrow. It is exciting and a little scary. You never really know until you are tested against another team. I believe that we are ready. I sense a good summer ahead.

Stay tuned for more....

See you at the pool.

Coach Schroeder