No-Cut Deal?

Chi Kredell had a chance to go to the Olympics in 1996, but turned down the offer and went surfing in Mexico instead. It wasn’t that he preferred that to competing for the U.S. men’s water polo team in Atlanta, but he did choose sitting in the waves over sitting in the stands.

Kredell was one the last players trimmed from the U.S. Olympic men’s water polo team roster in 1996 and couldn’t bear watching his buddies compete when all he could do to help was cheer.

“I was given the opportunity to go with the team [to watch the Olympics], but I turned it down,” Kredell said. “I wanted the team to win, but I didn’t want to go. . . . So I took a little trip to Mexico and did a little surfing.”

After some wave riding and soul searching, Kredell rededicated himself and now he’s back in prime position to make the 2000 U.S. Olympic team.

This week, Kredell is home with his U.S. teammates, hosting the UPS Cup international tournament at the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center. The top U.S. team opens the tournament tonight against Australia at 8:30. The final is at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Considering that the U.S. men’s coach calls him one of the best defensive players in the world, it’s a pretty safe bet that Kredell, who grew up in Seal Beach, attended Long Beach Wilson High and Long Beach State, has a spot secured this year.

Coach John Vargas understands what Kredell went through: Vargas was one of the final cuts from the 1988 squad. He bounced back to make the 1992 U.S. Olympic team and was an assistant coach for the ’96 team.

He encouraged Kredell after the disappointment of ’96.

“I told Chi that I thought he was an Olympian,” Vargas said. “It was a bad deal. I went through that too. But you’ve got to use that to motivate you, daily if you have too.

“If that’s what it takes to get you out of bed and into the pool at 6 a.m. before all the other guys, just thinking about what happened when you didn’t make it, then do it.”

Kredell’s drive has impressed many, including someone he idolized as a youngster, current U.S. teammate Robert Lynn.

“Chi has become a high-level player, probably higher than me,” said Lynn, a three-time All-American at USC who also graduated from Long Beach Wilson.

Like Kredell, Lynn was a late cut from the U.S. Olympic team. Although Lynn led the U.S. in scoring at the 1990 World Championships, he was left off the ’92 Olympic team. That disappointment, Lynn said, was a blessing in disguise.

He left the U.S. to play professionally in Europe, where he matured as a player and a person. He plans to return to France--hopefully after fulfilling his U.S. Olympic dreams this summer--where he can finish his playing career in Marseilles. After his playing days, Lynn plans to coach at the same club, which is just a short walk from his home and the Mediterranean. But even a paradise in France couldn’t extinguish his Olympic dream.

Lynn approached Vargas, a former U.S. national teammate, about returning to the U.S. team and was welcomed back with open arms.

“Talk about growing up,” Vargas said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked.”

So Lynn, a versatile scorer in the European leagues, is now focusing more on two-meter defense, a position Kredell grew into.

“He’s a very physical player and he has matured,” Lynn said of Kredell. “He’s still physical, but he doesn’t make silly plays now. And after he spent a season in Greece, he came back more fundamentally and technically sound. He’s just playing at another level now.”

“I’m just the muscle on this team,” Kredell said with a laugh. “I’m more like the [former King hockey enforcer Marty] McSorley on the team. I’m the last line of defense in front of our goalie.”

And knowing their roles seems to be a common thread for the players on a U.S. team that seems quietly confident as the sport’s highest-profile event approaches.

“I’m excited,” Kredell said. “I think we should win an Olympic medal. I don’t see a team out there that we can’t beat.”