Michigan Water Polo

Head coach Matt Anderson

 

After a crazy busy 2 months of indoor track, spring break '11 dropped down on us. Prefect timing too! I tool most of the time to rest and catch up on random tasks. Very much needed. I also got to snowboard a little with an old friend. But I would say the highlight would be my trip to Ann Arbor (or A2). They hosted a tournament from the east coast. The east coast is not too famous for its water polo. The caliber of play/competition is a bit inferior to the west. This most likely is due to more opportunities that are presented in along the west coast. And with our snow and cold, not too many people desire to come play a water sport here. But the University of Michigan water polo team is setting the bar high by shooting for their 4th consecutive Eastern Championship this year. This is their ticket to the national championships!

For those not familiar with water polo, the best way to describe it would be soccer in water. But, you use your hands. It is pretty intense under the water. An occasional elbow or kick into the body. Very hands on. Constant swimming and treading water for long periods of time. Playing takes place indoors or out. If outside, it could be blazing hot or raining. I love basketball, but you never have these kind of conditions.

I think why I feel in love with the sport, other than working with a great team and staff, is that it is a tough sport to play that gets little attention. And there is great respect between teams and coaches although the competition is intense. This obsession lead to working with the USA Jr. National team last August. I am hoping to go on another trip with USA water polo again soon. I'll keep you in the know. If you want to catch some polo action, U of M will be playing Indiana on March 26th on Big Ten Network, 2pm. Hail to the Victors!!      

Getting ready to start

Ryan the media guy and friend doing his thang

With the seniors. Love these ladies!

The officials wear all white in games. Interesting...

With the USA Jr. National Team at the UANA Games in Miami

Indoor MAC Track Championships!

Holly, Danielle, and Raeanne in the 3000m

Our track team traveled to Bowling Green, OH for indoor track champs. It was nice to head back to one of my many homes in the last decade. It for sure brought back many memories from my graduate school days. Since I worked with the track team at BG, I got a chance to see some of my previous athletes compete as well. Not to mention, it was nice to chat and work along side one of my past supervisors. Kind of weird that we are now peers. How time moves.

The team did not win, but many performed very well. A couple of them are now MAC champs! The goal they been striving for since they were freshmen. It's awesome for me to watch them overcome injures and perform the best in their event.

I noticed more during this trip how much I actually eat. A LOT! I have favorite restaurants in every city I have lived in. So it is a must to hit those places as well as check out the spread at the track meets and after. I almost thought about tracking my weight by taking a before and after track season picture, but thought that might be depressing to others, not me :o) Here are some pictures of the event!

Kevin Mays - MAC champ in weight throw

Mike, John, and Alex. All placed in the shot put!

 

 

Me eating Polleyes!! A must if you visit BG.

Reynaldo doing his "Sonic the Hedgehog" race hair 

 

 

Jake won 3rd place in the high jump!

Me eating again. This time Chipotle!

Long distance coach, Matt and I

My past supervisor Annette

Notre Dame

My track team traveled to South bend, IN this past weekend. I have only been on the campus of Notre Dame once before for a soccer game, so it was nice to visit for more than a couple hours. This weekend also began my year for hotel visits. Thinking I'll try to keep a tally this year. Not sure how many hotels I actually stay in during the year. I'm sure it's somewhere around 20-30. No wonder I don't go to the grocery store ever.

It was a long weekend, but well worth getting to see my athletes improve in their events. Some of the best athletes in the country were also present. It's not everyday you get to see someone run a mile in less than 4 minutes or high jump over 7 feet. Who knew that track could be so exciting??! The video below is the men's Meyo mile. Thank you Flotrack. The guy who won ran just under 4 minutes. That for sure doesn't happen everyday. It almost inspires me to get back into running. But, not really ;o) Maybe someday. I'll stick with snowboarding for now.

Watch more Videos on Flotrack

The 60m hurdles final gearing up. Tiffany Ofili (3rd from the right),
a stand out from U of M, will soon be at the Olympics.

Snow-mageddon 2011

Not many words needed. It has snowed A LOT in the last 24 hours.Not too mention last weekend. I love living in Michigan! Snow makes me so happy!! I would have been happier if I had gotten the day of work, but that is the life of an athletic trainer. Or pretty much most adults. Long gone are the days of laying around and doing nothing in the middle of the week just because it snowed more than a few inches. I'm just happy I got to sleep in until 8am! That is rare during the week. Best part of the day was seeing the sun shine after so many gray days. I am thankful.

 

"Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding..." Psalm 148:7-8