Former Cal star Chris Oeding, left, helped lead Team USA to the gold medal in Rio.
Photo by: Cal Athletics
10/11/2016 1:17 PM | Men's Water Polo, Inside The Lair
This feature originally appeared in the football game program from the Utah-Cal game on Oct. 1.
Having had a few weeks to reflect on what he was part of in Rio, former Cal men's water polo star Chris Oeding could only describe his Olympic experience one way.
"In a word, amazing."
The setting wasn't altogether new for Oeding, who competed as a member of Team USA as a player at both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. This time though, his contribution came on the deck as an assistant coach for the United States women's team that rolled through its competition en route to winning gold.
So, from that perspective, Oeding's Olympic journey certainly differed from what he saw in Atlanta and Sydney. His task in 2016 was to take a group that ranked among the favorites and mold it into a group that could execute when given the opportunity.
To do that, the 1992 co-National Player of the Year took a sabbatical from his usual job as head coach of the water polo and swimming programs at Long Beach City College. He, along with head coach Adam Krikorian and assistant Dan Klatt, spent the better part of 2016 shaping a 13-person team that had just four players with Olympic experience.
"I don't think there's any preparing for an Olympic games," Oeding said. "You can go to as many tournaments as you want and the reality is yes, the Olympics are just another water polo tournament, but just the spectacle that it is and from distractions across the board, it's hard to put into words. It's so much different and so much more than going to any other tournament."
Team USA rolled through the preliminaries, beating Spain, China and Hungary along the way, and beat Brazil and Hungary in the knockout round to advance to the final. A 12-5 win over Italy in the gold medal match meant Oeding would come home with a very special piece of hardware to add to a career filled with highlights.
"You never know how a team is going to execute after you've been preparing for so long for an event that only lasts 12 days," Oeding said. "The women's team clearly had established itself as the team to beat in Rio and there's a lot that goes along with that, with being the favorite. Not only did they show what a beautiful team that they are, they exceeded expectations."
When he wasn't busy preparing for Team USA's matches, Oeding did get a chance to pay attention to a few fellow Golden Bears who were also making waves, mostly watching from his spot in the Olympic Village.
"It's unbelievable across the board. It's phenomenal to be a part of an alumni group and college that sent so many people to an Olympic games that it could be its own country," Oeding said. "Seeing someone like Anthony Ervin with his story come back and win a 50-meter freestyle gold gives you chills when you watch that happen. Here's a guy that hasn't been part of the Olympic movement for a couple quads and what he went through and sacrificed to get back to almost a young man's sport and compete in the fashion that he did was very admirable."
Having had a few weeks to reflect on what he was part of in Rio, former Cal men's water polo star Chris Oeding could only describe his Olympic experience one way.
"In a word, amazing."
The setting wasn't altogether new for Oeding, who competed as a member of Team USA as a player at both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. This time though, his contribution came on the deck as an assistant coach for the United States women's team that rolled through its competition en route to winning gold.
So, from that perspective, Oeding's Olympic journey certainly differed from what he saw in Atlanta and Sydney. His task in 2016 was to take a group that ranked among the favorites and mold it into a group that could execute when given the opportunity.
To do that, the 1992 co-National Player of the Year took a sabbatical from his usual job as head coach of the water polo and swimming programs at Long Beach City College. He, along with head coach Adam Krikorian and assistant Dan Klatt, spent the better part of 2016 shaping a 13-person team that had just four players with Olympic experience.
"I don't think there's any preparing for an Olympic games," Oeding said. "You can go to as many tournaments as you want and the reality is yes, the Olympics are just another water polo tournament, but just the spectacle that it is and from distractions across the board, it's hard to put into words. It's so much different and so much more than going to any other tournament."
Team USA rolled through the preliminaries, beating Spain, China and Hungary along the way, and beat Brazil and Hungary in the knockout round to advance to the final. A 12-5 win over Italy in the gold medal match meant Oeding would come home with a very special piece of hardware to add to a career filled with highlights.
"You never know how a team is going to execute after you've been preparing for so long for an event that only lasts 12 days," Oeding said. "The women's team clearly had established itself as the team to beat in Rio and there's a lot that goes along with that, with being the favorite. Not only did they show what a beautiful team that they are, they exceeded expectations."
When he wasn't busy preparing for Team USA's matches, Oeding did get a chance to pay attention to a few fellow Golden Bears who were also making waves, mostly watching from his spot in the Olympic Village.
"It's unbelievable across the board. It's phenomenal to be a part of an alumni group and college that sent so many people to an Olympic games that it could be its own country," Oeding said. "Seeing someone like Anthony Ervin with his story come back and win a 50-meter freestyle gold gives you chills when you watch that happen. Here's a guy that hasn't been part of the Olympic movement for a couple quads and what he went through and sacrificed to get back to almost a young man's sport and compete in the fashion that he did was very admirable."
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