Erika Figge's fourth-quarter goal Sunday in the championship game at the Canada Cup women's water polo tournament did little to impact the outcome--the United States lost, 14-8, to Australia--but it was monumental for the team's youngest member.
Figge, 16, a sophomore at Santa Margarita High, joined UCLA freshman Thalia Munroe as one of two teenagers who made their debut last week with the women's national team, part of a new effort by U.S. Water Polo to identify and develop younger players and future Olympians.
While driving home from the airport Monday, Figge said she was pleased with her performance--it was her first goal against senior international competition--and honored to participate in the five-day tournament in Montreal.
"It's a huge step for the future of the sport," Figge said. "I'm glad I can be one of the first."
Figge's invitation to join the team as a junior member was extended by Guy Baker, coach of the women's national team, who said gazing down the pipeline is just as important as preparing his team for the world championships next month in Fukuoka, Japan.
"We need to look to the future," said Baker, who coached the national team to a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics. "We think we're going to have a good team in 2004, but we want to make sure we have good teams in 2008, 2012 and so on."
Baker is also the national team director, which means he oversees the junior and youth programs. This allows him to stock those squads while keeping an eye out for potential contributors to the top-level team.
Baker is modeling his program after those in Europe, where players as young as 12 are identified for future Olympic teams. He is also following the lead of U.S. women's soccer, whose strong feeder program built the national team into World Cup champions in 1999.
"Mia Hamm was 16 years old when she started playing with the national team," Baker said. "You have to keep bringing in young players and keep the core group playing together to keep it fresh."
One of the fastest growing sports in America, the number of collegiate division I women's water polo programs has increased from 10 to 26 in the last five years. The number of club programs in the U.S. numbers more than 100, up from about 30 only five years ago.
This dramatic boost in the number of talented players available for U.S. national team selection makes it crucial to identify and develop top players early in their careers.
