Currents

At 8:08 pm on 08-08-08 the Opening Ceremonies of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, China will begin, officially opening the largest sporting event in the world. This will be my third opportunity to represent the United States as a member of the Olympic Women’s Water Polo team.

By Heather Petri, W-178

The first time we walked into the Olympic stadium during the Opening Ceremonies in Sydney, 2000 that one moment seemed to stand still. It is frozen in my memory forever. I was wearing a red, white, and blue outfit and vigorously waving our nation’s flag with a permasmile plastered across my face. One look to my left or right and I found an equally ecstatic teammate. That first step onto the track, as your country’s name is announced, is something that you do not just see, but feel. The lights and camera flashes feel hot on your skin. The thousands of screaming people, the sheer excitement and happiness of people all around vibrates through your entire body. I like to compare it to standing right next to a speaker at a rock concert. Just thinking about it now, eight years later, gives me goose bumps, makes my heart beat a little faster.

I participated in SEA the year after I got back from Sydney. My next goal, post- Olympics, was to finish my degree at Berkeley. I read a brochure about SEA posted outside the science department and thought it sounded a lot like being on a water polo team – a group of people working together whose main focus happened to be scientific study rather than winning medals.

Arriving in Woods Hole was the first time I had ever been to the East Coast. I had no idea how to sail and had never been on a boat as big as the Westward. This was farther out of my comfort zone than my coaches would ever get me. The only thing I wasn’t scared of was falling off the boat into the ocean. I knew I would be able to tread water for days thanks to all those water polo practices. And sharks are not as intimidating as some of the Hungarians I have played against.

Once on the ship, focusing on the skills we learned on land made the idea of floating on a boat in the middle of the ocean an awesome adventure rather than something scary. And if I ever had any doubts, there were my fellow students, the mates and the captain to turn to. I soon realized that being successful at SEA took the same tools it takes to be successful in sport at the Olympic level. Both situations are unique, intense and dynamic. Both require focus, determination, communication and respect. In water polo you must respect your opponent; at sea it’s the ocean that demands your respect. I came back home after SEA believing that I could be successful in any situation in the future, no matter how uncomfortable I felt.

I earned my degree in 2001 and have devoted the past seven years to water polo. I have now won two Olympic medals – Silver (2000) and Bronze (2004). I have been a part of two World Championship teams (2003 and 2007). And most recently, our team won the Pan American Games in Brazil to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. What I dream about now is having the opportunity to stand on the top tier of the podium at the Olympic Games. The work that the team is doing now is more difficult than it has ever been, and at the age of 29 I am playing the best water polo of my career. I am privileged to be playing with 14 extremely gifted athletes from whom I learn new things every day. I truly believe we have the right combination to make it a golden year.