We asked that of St. Francis College (enrollment of 2,511 students) water polo coach Igor Samardzija, whose team advanced to the NCAA Final Four last season before losing, 10-7, to USC (17,380 undergraduates), which defeated Cal (25,540 undergrads), 12-10, in the final.
“It’s a matter of drive and desire by our guys to compete on the highest level,” Samardzija said. “For us, it’s always a question of conditioning. If we manage to raise that to the highest possible, then we are able to compete against these guys, these big schools.”
Competitive water polo, with its unique type and level of conditioning, requires elite athletes with an uncompromising commitment to fitness.
“It’s the single most ungrateful sport to get back in shape,” Samardzija said. “A six-month—even a three-month—break can damage your career. It’s really tough to get back in shape [for the sport]. We should invite every other athlete from the different sports for a day of practice (laughing).”
The typical professional baseball player wouldn’t last five minutes in the pool.
“Our guys were just now prepping up. They did 4,000 meters, and it was an easy practice,” Samardzija said.
Samardzija, of Serbian and Croatian descent, coached in Serbia and played for club teams Tent and Red Star. He coached the men’s and women’s club teams at Columbia University, leading the school to three state titles. He is licensed as a water polo coach by the Italian Olympic Committee and is a volunteer coach and referee at Asphalt Green in Manhattan.
In 2009, Samardzija replaced Carl Quigley, who coached St. Francis, his alma mater, for 34 years and whose resume included six northern division championships and an NCAA Final Four in 2005. In Quigley's final two years, his teams had the NCAA’s highest GPAs in the sport.
Upon being hired, Samardzija had said, "My mission is to prove that championship-caliber water polo is played outside of California by eventually bringing the national NCAA title to Brooklyn Heights where it belongs.”
With the 2011 season just underway, St. Francis is No. 11 in the preseason national rankings, the only non-California school in the top 14.
We asked Samardzija where recreation-level water players and newcomers to the sport might go in New York City to play.
“There are a couple of recreational programs,” Samardzija said. “One is at Asphalt Green on the upper east side (92nd Street and York Avenue). And at St. Francis, on Fridays we open our doors to alumni and people from the area to swim and play. Columbia is a club team, so they have a little harder time to get pool time.
“The New York Athletic Club’s A team is the current national club champion. They have two or three teams, but you have to be a member to swim there.
“My best advice to anyone looking to play is to get in touch with me, or with anyone in the water polo world around here. It’s a relatively small sport, especially on the east coast, and everyone knows everyone. We can always recommend something. For example, on Fridays when our pool is open, or if we have an open practice and let people jump in.”
Asphalt Green: 212-369-8890
St. Francis College Athletics: 718-489-5490
No comments:
Post a Comment