Malibu Wins 2 With Strength in Middle

Take the man out of water and put street clothes on him. Then put him on a pool deck where he can feel the intensity of the competition but is unable to contribute to its outcome. Now, watch Terry Schroeder squirm.

As the water polo coach of Pepperdine, the three-time Olympian--twice a silver medal winner--has grown accustomed to directing from the sidelines. But it’s not where’s he’s happiest.

“On the deck, it’s frustrating,” Schroeder said. “There’s only so much I can do from there. But in the water, there is something I can do.”

At the first day of round-robin play at the U.S. Senior Men’s National Water Polo Championships at UC San Diego’s Canyon View Pool, Schroeder was doing something, something else and something more.

Schroeder rotated with Sasha Poljak and Geoff Clark in the two-meter position, the equivalent of quarterback or basketball center, to lead sixth-ranked Malibu to a 14-9 victory over San Francisco Olympic Club in the morning, and then a 9-8 upset of second-ranked Beach in the afternoon.

In other highlights, top-ranked Newport A defeated fifth-ranked Newport B, 9-8, in an early game, then came back and defeated New York Athletic Club, 12-6. Beach defeated San Francisco, 10-5, in its second game. Only eight of the 12 teams advanced to today’s play, beginning at 9:20 a.m. at Canyon View.

“They wear the other teams down,” said Malibu Coach Dave Myers of the two-meter position. “No other team in this tournament has two-meter men as strong as ours. We have three in that key position. Other teams don’t have that luxury.”

In the first game, Schroeder scored five goals, four in the third quarter. He had a single goal in the second game as Malibu came back from a three-goal deficit in the third quarter. Six players scored for Malibu for the day.

“There was good consistency in scoring,” Myers said. “Usually against weaker teams, the best players will be more dominant, but in closer games, it’s more balanced. This was a complete team effort. We’ve have some injuries, and they’re working through them.”

Said Schroeder: “The guys did a great job of staying focused and staying in it.”

None more so than Schroeder, 30, a national team member from 1978 through last year.

“Terry has just gotten in better and better shape,” Myers said. “He’s one of the best players in the world and has so much experience.

“Experience is a big factor in this game, and we’re fortunate to have some players with international as well as collegiate experience.”

Schroeder, now working as a chiropractor in Thousand Oaks and enjoying more free time with Lori, his wife of two years, said he plans to remain at Pepperdine and play club water polo.

“I have no desire to coach a national level team,” he said. “To me, the reward is greater as a player. Coaching is different. Being on the deck, you lose control of the situation. But I would like to continue coaching, playing on a club and continue to see the sport grow.”

Schroeder enjoys what he is doing now: playing in an environment that lacks the high intensity of Olympic-caliber competition.

“I’m looking on it as fun, a less pressure situation,” Schroeder said. “This competition comes down a level or two from the Olympics. It’s not high pressure.”