3/24/12 Giving Credit
It was fun to be back in the coaching chair last night and coach Team USA. There is a huge difference between practice and actually coaching in a game. Certainly a different energy as the adrenaline is pumping for both the payers and the coaches alike. We had a nice “home” crowd of close to 1,000 fans at CLU for the opening of the Four Nations tournament. In this predominantly European sport we don’t often have this opportunity to host too many international games so when we get the chance it is exciting. The first game of the tournament featured Team USA vs. the Italians (currently the world’s number one ranked team). Obviously, it was a great opportunity for us to test ourselves to find out where we are in our preparation. The game was not the prettiest of game as both teams looked a bit “out of sorts” at times. We missed numerous golden opportunities to put the game away – we were 1/3 on penalty shots, 3/9 on our extra man and we missed a few one on nobody shot opportunities. However, at the end of the game - in the most critical of extra man opportunities - Layne Beaubien scored with 17 seconds left on the clock to seal the game in our favor. The final score was USA 9, Italy 8. Our captain Tony Azevedo led all scorers with a hat trick (3 goals), Jeff Powers added 2 goals, and Beaubien, Ryan Bailey, JW Krumpholz and Janson Wigo all scored a goal. Merrill Moses played the entire game in the cage and made 9 saves. It has been said by many it is better to have won ugly then to have lost playing well. Finding a way to win is imperative in this game and last night that is what we did.
I have been thinking a great deal about the huge task in front of us as we prepare for London. We now have just over four months left before the Olympic Games open on July 27th. It is overwhelming at times and I really could not do what I do without great support. I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge and thank my staff for the time and energy that they all put into this team. Each one of them deserves much credit and they often do not get much because most of their work is done behind the scenes. It is important for those that are following the team to get to know the coaches and staff. I could not do what I do without any of them. I am confident that we have the right team on deck and I am thankful for each one of them. Let me briefly introduce them to you.
Robert Lynn – 1st assistant. Robert represented Team USA in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He also played professionally in Europe for 13 years. Robert is a water polo genius who lives and breathes the game. He is also a great teacher of the game. Robert is in charge of conditioning and works closely with me on tactics and planning. I am very thankful that Robert is working with us. I feel very strongly that we would not be nearly as successful without him.
Marco Palazzo – 2nd assistant - Marco spent 20 years playing professional water polo in Italy (his home country). He also played for the Italian National Team for a number of years. He understands the game extremely well and is able to provide a bit of an international perspective to our team. He is primarily in charge of training and conditioning the goalies. Marco also works closely with me on video analysis (breaking down games).
Rick McKee – Team Leader – pretty much everything behind the scenes falls into Rick’s job description. He sets up travel plans, training calendars, meetings, pool times etc. Basically Rick works to make sure that we have everything we need to be successful. He has been with Team USA since I came aboard as head coach in 2007. Rick also works closely with our national office so he has to commute back and forth to Huntington Beach on a regular basis.
Karen Block – Head Trainer – Chiropractic Intern – Karen worked as a Head Trainer for many years at the collegiate level. She then decided to become a Chiropractor and will be graduating next month. Karen works with the guys to keep them all healthy. She is very caring and enthusiastic about her job and spends endless hours with the players.
Alex Ash – Strength and Conditioning Coach – Alex lives in Santa Barbara but travels to CLU three times a week to coach and direct the team through our weight training program. We have been utilizing a program called P3 (Peak Performance Project) which is pretty much as state of the art program.
Jack Kocur and Dusty Litvak – Video Scouts – We just brought Jack and Dusty on board to help break down game films and put together scouting reports for the teams we will be playing. This will be extremely helpful for both staff and players as we build a stronger library of games that we can pull clips from.
Most of all I am happy to call each of these people my friend. In the end, the relationships are what will last long after the Games are over. I really could not do my job without them. Each one of them deserves a great deal of credit.
See you at the pool.
Coach
I have been thinking a great deal about the huge task in front of us as we prepare for London. We now have just over four months left before the Olympic Games open on July 27th. It is overwhelming at times and I really could not do what I do without great support. I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge and thank my staff for the time and energy that they all put into this team. Each one of them deserves much credit and they often do not get much because most of their work is done behind the scenes. It is important for those that are following the team to get to know the coaches and staff. I could not do what I do without any of them. I am confident that we have the right team on deck and I am thankful for each one of them. Let me briefly introduce them to you.
Robert Lynn – 1st assistant. Robert represented Team USA in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He also played professionally in Europe for 13 years. Robert is a water polo genius who lives and breathes the game. He is also a great teacher of the game. Robert is in charge of conditioning and works closely with me on tactics and planning. I am very thankful that Robert is working with us. I feel very strongly that we would not be nearly as successful without him.
Marco Palazzo – 2nd assistant - Marco spent 20 years playing professional water polo in Italy (his home country). He also played for the Italian National Team for a number of years. He understands the game extremely well and is able to provide a bit of an international perspective to our team. He is primarily in charge of training and conditioning the goalies. Marco also works closely with me on video analysis (breaking down games).
Rick McKee – Team Leader – pretty much everything behind the scenes falls into Rick’s job description. He sets up travel plans, training calendars, meetings, pool times etc. Basically Rick works to make sure that we have everything we need to be successful. He has been with Team USA since I came aboard as head coach in 2007. Rick also works closely with our national office so he has to commute back and forth to Huntington Beach on a regular basis.
Karen Block – Head Trainer – Chiropractic Intern – Karen worked as a Head Trainer for many years at the collegiate level. She then decided to become a Chiropractor and will be graduating next month. Karen works with the guys to keep them all healthy. She is very caring and enthusiastic about her job and spends endless hours with the players.
Alex Ash – Strength and Conditioning Coach – Alex lives in Santa Barbara but travels to CLU three times a week to coach and direct the team through our weight training program. We have been utilizing a program called P3 (Peak Performance Project) which is pretty much as state of the art program.
Jack Kocur and Dusty Litvak – Video Scouts – We just brought Jack and Dusty on board to help break down game films and put together scouting reports for the teams we will be playing. This will be extremely helpful for both staff and players as we build a stronger library of games that we can pull clips from.
Most of all I am happy to call each of these people my friend. In the end, the relationships are what will last long after the Games are over. I really could not do my job without them. Each one of them deserves a great deal of credit.
See you at the pool.
Coach
posted by Dr. Terry Schroeder at
10:02 AM
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