Krumpholz’s Play Is No Shoestring Operation

J.W. Krumpholz of Santa Ana Foothill doesn’t envision signing a million-dollar endorsement deal with a shoe company anytime soon. In fact, he owns one pair of sneakers, making him the rarest of teenage athletes.

“I’ve saved my parents a lot of money,” he said.

If Krumpholz isn’t walking around campus wearing sandals, he’s usually barefoot, preparing to plunge into the pool.

From 9 until he turned 16, his mother would drive him five days a week to a pool for water polo training. It was his aquatic version of Little League.

At 6 feet 3 and 200 pounds, he can dish out punishment as well as take elbows and shots to the ribs.

“You definitely get bumps and bruises,” he said. “That’s the fun part.”

Eric Mandel, who coached Krumpholz on the U.S. youth national team, said, “He’s arguably the best field player for his age in the country.”

This summer, Krumpholz, 16, traveled to Sicily and Germany for water polo competitions. Last year, he practiced with the U.S. national team.

“He plays very hard and has phenomenal end-to-end speed,” Mandel said.

Added Foothill Coach Jim Brumm: “He’s got all the tools. He’s blessed.”

It’s no surprise Krumpholz feels comfortable in a pool because it’s in his genes. His father, Kurt, was an All-American swimmer and water polo player at UCLA from 1971 to 1974 and once held the world record for 400 meters. His sister, Katy, is a freshman water polo player at UCLA and 12-year-old sister Carrie plays for a club team.

Krumpholz tried football, basketball and baseball, then concluded he was best as a swimmer, “and you stick with what you’re good at,” he said.

Besides, he found water polo the most exciting participation sport.

“You can score from anywhere and steal the ball from anyone,” he said. “You’re never bored in water polo.”

A defining moment for Krumpholz came two years ago, when he was in Yugoslavia playing for the U.S. cadet team. He injured an eye playing in a scrimmage, requiring surgery.

Instead of feeling frightened and uncertain about the future, Krumpholz came away convinced he could be successful in the sport.

“Just looking in terms of where I was and where I could go and seeing how I could play, that experience opened my eyes to bigger things,” he said.

What separates him is his speed for someone with his size. An opposing team that has a six-on-five power play could suddenly find itself giving up a short-handed goal because of Krumpholz’s abilities.

“I’ll just swim right past them,” he said.

Then there’s Krumpholz’s competitiveness.

“I don’t think I should ever lose in a water polo game,” he said.

Rich Corso, the goalie coach for the U.S. Olympic team and the coach at North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, said, “He is hard-nosed. He’s my favorite player.”

Krumpholz’s commitment is seen in how hard he practices. He doesn’t let up, even if there’s a freshman in the pool.

“It helps them out, letting them know what they can be and how they can train to become that,” he said.

Krumpholz continues to improve as a swimmer. He finished seventh in the Southern Section Division I 200 freestyle final with a time of 1 minute 43.80 seconds, faster than his father’s best high school time.

“I think he enjoyed going faster than me,” Kurt said.

Last season as a sophomore, Krumpholz helped Foothill reach the Division I semifinals before losing to Long Beach Wilson. It was a bitter defeat.

“It was a shock,” he said. “I was pretty upset.”

There was no moping after the defeat, only a renewed determination and urgency to push himself and his teammates to keep improving.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.