LIVE CHAT WITH
TONY AZEVEDO
by the Washington Post, July 28, 2004
The 2004 Olympic Games begins in just 16 days. One of the most anticipated
teams to watch is the U.S. Men's Water Polo Team. The team narrowly
missed winning a medal at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia.
Top-scorer Tony Azevedo had a tournament-high 33 goals in
the 2003 Pan Am Games, an event that helped the U.S. team qualify for
the Athens Games. Azevedo was online Wednesday, July 28, at 4:30 p.m.
ET to discuss his quest for gold in the water polo event at the summer
olympics. Azevedo was named the world's seventh-best male athlete in
the June 2003 edition of Men's Journal. He starred for Stanford University,
where he holds the school record with 252 goals and was a three-time
recipient of the Peter J. Cutino Award, given annually to the nation's
top collegiate player. A native of Rio de Janeiro Azevedo resides in
Long Beach, Calif.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions
for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
________________________________________________
Long Beach, CA: Water polo in the U.S. is still a long
way from being how it is in Europe. But do you feel that you guys are
getting more attention today than you were when you first joined the
team?
Tony Azevedo: Yeah.I think for sure. It's amazing how
much more popular it is growing. It is growing all over Southern California,
especially. It's really popular in Florida and Chicago. Our numbers
of water polo players/folks who signed up doubled over the last five
years.
_______________________
Washington, DC: Who is the U.S.'s biggest rival in
water polo?
Tony Azevedo: It's tough b/c the gold medalist, silver
medalist and bronze medalist are all in our brackets. Our biggest rivals
right now are Croatia and Russia b/c though we have to go and beat Hungry
and Serbia, Croatia and Russia are more obvious teams to beat to play
for the medal rounds. _______________________
Washington, DC: Why isn't water polo more popular in
the U.S.?
Tony Azevedo: It's tough b/c water polo is not a TV sport.
Not only is it not a TV sport, but the rules are different in water
polo and so if you go and watch another game you can catch on easily
in one or two games, but not necessarily with water polo. Everyone who
knows the rules loves it, but it's hard to get it to catch on.
_______________________
washington, dc: Hiya Tony With all the controversy
surrounding the performance-enhancing drugs, do you ever thing the IOC
will simply permit any and all drugs? Let the athletes choose what they
want to injest and let the records fall where they may. Seems like an
easy way to end controversies, innuendos, and all the bad blood that
surrounds the event winners and losers. Whaddya think?
Tony Azevedo: No, I don't think they will ever legalize
drugs. This controversy has gotten bigger over the last year, but I
think it will actually bring out a different breed of athlete... one
who will train harder and better. But, no I don't think drugs will ever
be allowed.
_______________________
Washington, DC: Are you worried about the security
in Athens?
Tony Azevedo: No. It's not my job to worry about it.
It's the US and the IOC's job and they've a great one so far. My job
is to go out and win a gold medal for the country. Greece has also spent
a lot of money on security. So, I feel safe.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: What do you think are the prospects
for starting a pro water polo league in the U.S.? (like in Australia,
etc.) Where can I sign up?
p.s. Go El Toro H20 Polo!;!;!;
Tony Azevedo: Laughter at the PS. The problem w/staring
a pro water league in the US is that there is already college and the
NCAA. In Europe, their pro teams are at the college level. I think the
closest we can get to it is an elite top 4 club and they can get paid.
But as far as a professional team for the whole US, a lot of things
will have to change for that to happen.
_______________________
Harrisburg, Pa.: It has to be nerve wracking to spend
so many hours over years training for events that are over in seconds
and where the difference between victory and second place are so small.
At what age did you begin training for the Olympics, and how many time
in total have you put into training?
Tony Azevedo: I started playing water polo when I was
8. At the age of 14, after coming back from the '96 Olympics as a spectator,
was when I realized I wanted to be an Olympian. Over the next 3 years,
I drastically changed my swim times and weight and made the 2000 Olympic
team. All in all we work out 7 hrs a day. In an Olympic year, we work
out 10 hrs a day. 8 1/2 hour of that are in the pool itself.
_______________________
Washington, DC: What was it like to always have your
water polo accomplishments at Stanford overshadowed by the basketball
and football teams?
Tony Azevedo: It wasn't, I don't think. It seems like
it was b/c basketball and football were such popular sports and everyone
is watching that on TV. The great thing about Stanfrod is everyone is
so supportive. I feel like at a lot of other schools the football players
are untouchable. It's a totally different atmosphere at Stanford. At
our final game, we actually had the entire football and basketball teams
cheering us on. In a lot of aspects, I can see the football and basketball
teams saying why is the water polo team getting so much coverage and
we aren't? It's almost like that. It's amazing.
_______________________
Washington, DC: Do you have a girlfriend?
Tony Azevedo: I do.
_______________________
washingtonpost.com: Thank you for joining us today.
The discussion will continue for a few more minutes.
_______________________
NYC: How many hours do you spend training everyday?
Tony Azevedo: To expand on my earlier answer....Usually
we go and an hour and half on weights, an hour of watching a video and
then the rest of our time is in the water. Sometimes if we are lucky,
we get to play soccer. It's our endurance training. And then it's back
in the pool.
_______________________
Harrisburg, Pa.: Don't you wish there were a professional
water polo league where star athletes made millions of dollars a year?
Do you see the public and more television stations becoming more aware
of water polo and demanding that the sport be shown more?
Tony Azevedo: How to recruit folks and get them interested?
Well, I think the best way is to show them the atmosphere by showing
them the personalities in water polo. Water Polo guys are outgoing,
successful and friendly. I think it might be having to do w/wearing
Speedo half your life. Laughter....Ha-ha. But, seriously, I've found
that water polo athletes tend to be also more successful out of the
water too. I think there is more of a success rate in that arena (like
in business)than other sports.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: What are you looking forward to the
most in this year's Olympics and being in Athens?
Tony Azevedo: We leave on Saturday to start our trip
there. My whole family is going so that'll be great. We start competing
I think on August 14... the day after Opening Ceremonies.
_______________________
Anonymous: You're from Brazil. Do you ever go back
to visit? How is water polo viewed over there compared to the U.S.?
Tony Azevedo: I go back to one a year. I'm going to
go there for 2 weeks after the Olympics for vacation. Water polo over
there is popular... about the same popularity as the US.
_______________________
Washington, DC: Do you think Michael Phelps would make
a good water polo player? How much are swimming skills involved?
Tony Azevedo: Swimming is a very, very important aspect.
Most of the time we spent in the water is swimming. But competitive
swimming like Phelps does is a lot different. Our stroke is a lot shorter.
We require more upper body strength than they do. If you look a water
polo player, they have a huge chest and little legs vs a swimmer who
is usually more even overall. But Phelps is a talented guy and if he
wanted to work as hard as he does in swimming for water polo, he'd do
fine.
_______________________
Washington, DC: What are your plans for after the Olympics?
Will you continue to compete?
Tony Azevedo: Yes, of course. I'm planning to go back
to Stanford for my last season. Then hopefully after winning my 3rd
national championship, I'm going to go and play professionally in Italy.
_______________________
Birmingham, AL: Having lived in Budapest for several
years, I can tell you that you guys have your work cut out for you.
The Hungarians are serious about this. And they particularly like beating
the Russians (most of all) and then the Americans.
Tony Azevedo: No, it's true. The Hungarians are the
best in the world and they've proven it by winning most of championships.
They have a lot to put up with when they face us. We are the team they
dislike playing with. We are the only team that matches up physically
and endurance wise.
_______________________
Anonymous: How long have you been training with the
U.S. team? Do the athletes across the board ever mingle together or
train together -- or do you just meet each other at the games.
Also, which athletes will you be rooting for in the other aquatic events?
Tony Azevedo: Most of the time, like in 2000, the times
you meet are in the food court in the Olympic Village and when the whole
US team has bonding sessions. But far as our sport goes we are competing
for most of the Olympics. I'll be cheering in my mind for all of the
athletes out there, but I won't have time to see them.
_______________________
Anonymous: How did you get into water polo? and why
did you choose the sport over another?
Tony Azevedo: Water polo to me is such an amazing sport.
It combines such physical endurance and strength w/instincts like decision
making skils and intellingence. I feel like every aspect you'd want
in a sport is all in water polo.
I was lucky to have been raised around the sport. My Dad was an Olympic
coach (he is an assistant now, but he was the Olympic coach in 96).
And growing up in Long Beach, my whole aura was toward water polo. Most
of the people I know were into water polo so I gradually chose it.
_______________________
Boston, Mass.: Aren't you one of the youngest players
ever on the water polo team? What's that like?
Tony Azevedo: Yeah, I am. I am the third youngest player.
I was the youngest in 2000. I think my experience in 2000 was intimidating
and scary, but it was fun at the same time b/c I'm out there playing
w/my idols, persay and I'm so proud I've come so far to make this team.
I have this desire to do everything I can and play as hard as I can.
Now, I feel that although I am still one of the youngest, but I almost
feel like a veteran, a leader. It's hard at some points, but I feel
like I have 2 maybe 3 more Olympics under my belt as a leader.
_______________________
Tony Azevedo: I have to go b/c I only have my 2 hr
break in practice and it's almost over. I hope everyone gets a chance
to watch the sport. You have some time between now and when we are in
the Olympics to look up the rules! I'll try to go out there and bring
home a gold for us.
_______________________
washingtonpost.com: Thank you to Tony Azevedo and all
of you for joining us today. Be sure to log back on to washingtonpost.com
over the next several weeks for more discussions with Olympic athletes
and Post sports writers live from Athens.
