Exhibition Water Polo Is No Joke

The thought of exhibition water polo in a non-Olympic year might sound about as competitive as flying a kite. But don’t say that to U.S. national Coach John Vargas or team captain Chris Oeding.

“Oh we want to win, we want to win every game,” said Vargas, who once coached at Corona del Mar High School and who played on the national team (1985 to 1992).

The U.S. team fell a game short of sweeping the Australians in the three-game series, losing the final exhibition game Sunday at Corona del Mar, 10-5. The U.S. team beat the Australians Tuesday at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach, 8-7, and at Pepperdine Saturday, 5-4.

Oeding, a Corona del Mar graduate and member of the 1996 Olympic team, says he doesn’t have any problem getting motivated for international competition, whether it’s for a medal or just a pat on the back.

“Any time we have a chance to play at an international level I see it as a good opportunity to test ourselves,” he said. “I still want to perform to the best of my ability.”

Oeding also gets a kick out of playing in front of the hometown fans.

“This pool wasn’t even here when I played at this school,” Oeding said. “It’s nice to come back as a national team member, especially since water polo has become so popular in this area.”

The Australians finished fourth in January at the World Championships in Perth; the U.S. was a disappointing seventh. Although Vargas would have liked to have swept Australia’s A-team, which defeated the U.S. team, 7-6, in the first round of the World Championships, he knows the series also presents a good chance to evaluate younger players.

“We’re playing a lot of young guys in this tournament because we have a few members playing over in Europe right now,” Vargas said. “In some ways it’s good and in some ways it’s bad.”

National team members Chris Humbert, Gavin Arroyo, Kyle Kopp, and Robert Lynn are playing professionally in Greece. That gives players such as Servite graduate Brian Heiffron a chance to compete against top-level competition. Heiffron, 21, scored his first international goal Sunday.

Oeding, 26, has been offered a chance to play professionally in Europe, but he’s become rooted in Orange County. He’s the water polo and swimming coach at Orange Coast College and is also close to receiving his master’s degree in education.

“I’ve been given the opportunity to play in Europe but I didn’t take it,” he said. “It would be a great experience for someone who’s just out of college.”

The U.S. team lost Jim Toring, who died last month from injuries sustained when he was hit by a bus a day after the French Open water polo tournament.

Toring, who was 23, stepped from behind a parked bus and into the path of another. The proceeds from Saturday’s game at Pepperdine went to the Jim Toring memorial fund.

“He was one of the young guys that was hoping to make an impression on this team,” Oeding said. “He would have been one of the players getting a lot of playing time in this series.”

Vargas, who was named head coach in 1996 after four years as an assistant, says he’s hoping to have his entire team ready to play for the U.S. Cup, June 17-21 at Corona del Mar. That tournament will be the last major contest before July, when the Goodwill Games start in New York.

“We already gearing up for the Goodwill Games,” he said. “That’s our ultimate goal this summer.”