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Charlalne Brown/The Orange County RegisterYou can’t be afraid you’re going to be hit with the ball,” says Corona del Mar junior Robbie Pike, who is considered one of the best in the county.POLO: Goalies learn quickly to face up to the physical threatFROM 1“I’ve overcome any fear,” Pike said. “If I didn't, I wouldn’t last long with (Corona del Mar coach John) Vargas. You can’t be afraid you’re going to be hit with the ball.“When I worked out with varsity as a freshman, I saw Chris Oeding and Hagen Grantham. They had a lot of power. But the guy on our team (last year) was Josh Speier. He had a very hard shot.”Pike said he loved playing the position so much that he overlooked the side-effects.“(Getting hit) doesn’t really bother me,” Pike said. “It’s never happened in a game, but I had my nose broken last year by (teammate) Scott Tucker.“It’s part of the job. It’s not different than getting hit with an elbow playing set (two-meter).” Though the physical threat is always there, both goalies and coaches agree the psychological problems are the ones that need to be resolved.“To play goalie, a kid has to have a certain makeup,” Sunny Hills coach Keith Nighswonger said. “It has to be someone who can take a lot of abuse — not as much physical, but mental.“When we look at kids (freshmen) as potential goalies, I’m impressed by the ones who come back and still want to do it the next day.”Said El Toro coach Don Stoll: “They obviously can’t be afraid to take one in the face. They have to shake it off and not turn away from shots. They have to want to take the next shot.”Vargas, who in addition to coaching Pike, coached 1987 4-A Player of the Year Jim Wagner, said it is isn’t only mental toughness but intelligence that makes for a good goalie.“He has to be smart and know the game really well,” Vargas said. “Probably better than the rest of the players out there.” Kittredge, who spent most of his junior year playing in the field, agrees.Coaches’ credo: Putbest athlete in goalStrength imperative, especially in the legsBy Chris MonahanThe Orange County RegisterMental toughness might be a highly desirable quality in a water polo goalie, but coaches still want a good physical specimen guarding the goal.“You like to have your best athlete in goal,” El Toro coach Don Stoll said. “He has to be able to pass, read the situation and play defense.“We have a history of stronger athletes in goal like Kevin Stringer (1981-83) and Eric Ter-williger (1988-89).”Capistrano Valley coach Don Cholodenko said strength is also important.“You look for size, quickness and athletic ability,” he said. “You watch how well he follows the ball and how he uses his legs in the water. That’s important.”Cholodenko has perhaps his best athlete in goal in Nick Kittredge. Kittredge is 6-3 and has a wingspan of 77 inches.A year ago, when he had Chris Bowman in goal, Cholodenko had Kittredge playing — effectively — in the field.Villa Park coach Jeff Ehrlich echoes Cholodenko’s comments, with emphasis on the legs.“You look for someone with natural ability,” he said. “You want someone with strong legs, which is why a lot of goalies are good breaststrokers because of that egg-beater kick.”Because the action is not always right in front of a goalie, stamina is not often mentioned as a factor, but even when the ball is at the other end of the pool, a goalie is always treading water. When the ball is in his end, he must be treading water and be ready for that extra kick to get out of the water to stop a shot.There is a rule against touching any part of the pool or the goal, which means that he cannot rest by holding on to the edge of the pool or goal. Goalies usually play the entire 24 minutes of game time. The four six-minute quarters can take 40 to 45 minutes of actual time.Sunny Hills coach Keith Nighswonger, who coached 6-5 Andrew Tinseth last year, said reaction time is something he looks for.“You want him to have good hand-to-eye coordination,” Nighswonger said. “You want him to get the ball out in front where he can see his hands. We have drills we do to help.”“Playing goalie is tough, because there are so many things to be thinking about,” he said. “I have to watch where the ball is and, if it’s coming into set, decide if I need to help or try and steal the ball.“When we’re on offense. I’mtalking to the players because they can’t always see the whole offensive setup. I’m directing them on both ends.”Like a quarterback in football, the goalie is directing most of what’s going on. And like a quarterback. he is going to get a lot ofthe blame when something/someone breaks down and the ball gets into the goal.Villa Park coach Jeff Ehrlich believes that in the water, the goalie is in charge and all other players are to listen and obey his commands. But the responsibility comes with a price.“Mentally, I want the goalie to take the blame for everything that gets by him,” Ehrlich said. “I don’t want him to hit the water or throw the ball, but to show poise and say to the team that it was his fault. That way the field player who may have made a mistake will play a little harder.“In practice, we will runs drills just for him and take some of the blame away from him and put it on the field players. But during a game, it’s his fault.”With the mental well-being of the goalie linked to the stability of his play, coaches have their own methods to ease the pain of a bruised psyche.“You tell the kids that no matter how well you play defense, the other team is going to score some goals,” Stoll said. “You try to have them make the next time positive and you do that by shifting the focus toward the whole team.” Nighswonger tries to make things seem easier on his goalie the next time in practice.“1 never have my best shooters shoot at mt best goalie,” he said. “It’s not good for the shooters if he’s blocking them and it could destroy a goalie mentally.“You want him constantly block ing shots, so you do it subliminally and have some of the younger shooters goat him. That will help.” They accept the physical pair and mental strain and one pther bil of indignity: a distinct lack of cred it when they are successful.“A goalie has to like to play hi: position,” Kittredge said. “Even i he doesn’t get the credit from out side, he has to know he played wel and made a difference.”Whether with his mind or witf
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Santa Ana Orange County Register
Santa Ana, California, US
Tue, Oct 30, 1990
Page 19
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