U.S. Women’s Water Polo Coach Adam Krikorian and players Maddie Mussleman and Rachel Fattal visited Village School on Nov. 28 to share their story of winning gold medals at the Rio Olympics this summer.
The players described their passion for water polo, how they came to play in the Olympics, and their memories of the Rio Games. Their coach told Village students to be courageous and learn from mistakes, because mistakes are a true opportunity for growth.
When women’s water polo was added to the Olympic program in 2000, the U.S. team took silver; in 2004 at Athens it was bronze, in Beijing it was silver, and in London the Americans won their first gold.
In Rio, the women beat Hungary in the semifinals, 14-10, and played Italy for the gold medal. For the fifth time in six games, the U.S. never trailed, dominating the Italians and winning, 12-5. Its strategy was described as “find offense from everyone, and shut the other team down on defense.” Eight players scored at least one goal.
Village School also invited the Palisades High School girls water polo team and their coach, Kirk Lazurak, to meet the players.
You must be logged in to post a comment.