Mercado at the World University Games: Blog No. 5: Farewell to Italy and Coming Home
7/15/2019 10:55:00 AM | Men's Water Polo, Women's Water Polo
Brown University men's and women's water polo head coach Felix Mercado is serving as an assistant coach with USA Women's Water Polo for the 2019 World University Games in Naples, Italy. Competition at the tournament is slated for July 2-13, and during his time in Italy, Mercado will provide blog updates.
As I packed my luggage I wanted to make sure I submitted one more entry to my first-ever blog. While some of the goals the team and I had coming in were not accomplished, we all got better in many ways. We learned the importance of teamwork and chemistry. We learned that Italy is a beautiful country and Naples a beautiful city, and most importantly, we learned that we are fortunate to live in a great country that teaches us the importance of acceptance and curiosity. This was a fun trip, but I am ready to get home!
Japan and China Recaps: We fell behind in the first quarter to both Japan and China due to poor shooting and defensive lapses, but we rallied hard and fell by one goal in both games. In the Japan game, we went down 6-1 and had a hard time adjusting to their speed and quickness. In the China game, China took advantage of some defensive miscommunications to build a 5-0 lead on us. To the team's credit they battled back. Our goalies stepped up, and we outscored both teams over the last three quarters before falling 10-9 to both. We had no excuses – we didn't achieve our goals. As a coaching staff, we struggled to find the right ingredient for a good start. We took full ownership, and hopefully not only the coaches but also the athletes can learn from this experience. We were one to two goals away from possibly winning a medal, but it just wasn't our year.
Go USA: While the women's team fell short of medaling, our USA Water Polo World University Games men's team made it all the way to the gold medal game. It was great watching them beat world powerhouse countries like Russia, Croatia, and Hungary to get all the way to the final where they fell to the host country, Italy. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing. It was my first experience with what seemed to me like 50,000 people in an indoor pool to watch water polo. I really hope I can get that next season in the most beautiful water polo facility in the world – the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center at Brown. That is the goal!
Bringing the Experience back to Brown: Every day I was going back to my journal to make sure I noted every good idea, quote, and tactic that I came across, whether it was from my fellow USA coaches – men's and women's staff – or another country's coach. I did achieve one of my goals, which was to get better by watching and learning. I feel that I will arrive back on College Hill with a new sense of vision, combining what I learned with what I know. I am sure my athletes are excited to see the changes, especially the new training ideas!
A Heartfelt Thank You: I would like to acknowledge everyone that made this trip possible. First, thank you to USA Water Polo for the selection. It was such an honor to be part of this group and go through this process. Of course, thank you to the Brown University athletic administration, led by my administrator Carolan Norris and Director of Athletics Jack Hayes, for giving me their blessings to represent my country and my sport. I love promoting the best University in the world – BROWN. Lastly, thank you to my family for allowing me to be away for this trip. I am sure my to-do list is prime and ready for me when I get home!
Signing off for the summer – have a great rest of your summer and always stay Ever True!
Team USA Women's Water Polo Results
July 2 | 5:30 p.m. | Vs. Russia | Game 3 (Group Stage) | Loss, 10-9
July 4 | 5:30 p.m. | Vs. Italy | Game 8 (Group Stage) | Loss, 8-6
July 7 | 5:30 p.m. | Vs. China | Game 15 (Group Stage) | Win, 14-11
July 8 | 5:30 p.m. | Vs. Australia | Game 19 (Group Stage) | Loss, 11-9
July 9 | 7:30 p.m. | Vs. Czech Republic | Game 22 (First Round) | Win 25-5
July 10 | 1:30 p.m. | Vs. Canada | Game 23 (Quarterfinals) | Loss, 5-5 (5-4 PS)
July 11 | 5:30 p.m. | Vs. Japan | Game 28 (Consolation) | Loss, 10-9
July 12 | 9:30 a.m. | Vs. China | Game 30 (Seventh-Place Game) | Loss, 10-9
(All Times Local Time)
As I packed my luggage I wanted to make sure I submitted one more entry to my first-ever blog. While some of the goals the team and I had coming in were not accomplished, we all got better in many ways. We learned the importance of teamwork and chemistry. We learned that Italy is a beautiful country and Naples a beautiful city, and most importantly, we learned that we are fortunate to live in a great country that teaches us the importance of acceptance and curiosity. This was a fun trip, but I am ready to get home!
Japan and China Recaps: We fell behind in the first quarter to both Japan and China due to poor shooting and defensive lapses, but we rallied hard and fell by one goal in both games. In the Japan game, we went down 6-1 and had a hard time adjusting to their speed and quickness. In the China game, China took advantage of some defensive miscommunications to build a 5-0 lead on us. To the team's credit they battled back. Our goalies stepped up, and we outscored both teams over the last three quarters before falling 10-9 to both. We had no excuses – we didn't achieve our goals. As a coaching staff, we struggled to find the right ingredient for a good start. We took full ownership, and hopefully not only the coaches but also the athletes can learn from this experience. We were one to two goals away from possibly winning a medal, but it just wasn't our year.
Go USA: While the women's team fell short of medaling, our USA Water Polo World University Games men's team made it all the way to the gold medal game. It was great watching them beat world powerhouse countries like Russia, Croatia, and Hungary to get all the way to the final where they fell to the host country, Italy. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing. It was my first experience with what seemed to me like 50,000 people in an indoor pool to watch water polo. I really hope I can get that next season in the most beautiful water polo facility in the world – the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center at Brown. That is the goal!
Bringing the Experience back to Brown: Every day I was going back to my journal to make sure I noted every good idea, quote, and tactic that I came across, whether it was from my fellow USA coaches – men's and women's staff – or another country's coach. I did achieve one of my goals, which was to get better by watching and learning. I feel that I will arrive back on College Hill with a new sense of vision, combining what I learned with what I know. I am sure my athletes are excited to see the changes, especially the new training ideas!
A Heartfelt Thank You: I would like to acknowledge everyone that made this trip possible. First, thank you to USA Water Polo for the selection. It was such an honor to be part of this group and go through this process. Of course, thank you to the Brown University athletic administration, led by my administrator Carolan Norris and Director of Athletics Jack Hayes, for giving me their blessings to represent my country and my sport. I love promoting the best University in the world – BROWN. Lastly, thank you to my family for allowing me to be away for this trip. I am sure my to-do list is prime and ready for me when I get home!
Signing off for the summer – have a great rest of your summer and always stay Ever True!
Team USA Women's Water Polo Results
July 2 | 5:30 p.m. | Vs. Russia | Game 3 (Group Stage) | Loss, 10-9
July 4 | 5:30 p.m. | Vs. Italy | Game 8 (Group Stage) | Loss, 8-6
July 7 | 5:30 p.m. | Vs. China | Game 15 (Group Stage) | Win, 14-11
July 8 | 5:30 p.m. | Vs. Australia | Game 19 (Group Stage) | Loss, 11-9
July 9 | 7:30 p.m. | Vs. Czech Republic | Game 22 (First Round) | Win 25-5
July 10 | 1:30 p.m. | Vs. Canada | Game 23 (Quarterfinals) | Loss, 5-5 (5-4 PS)
July 11 | 5:30 p.m. | Vs. Japan | Game 28 (Consolation) | Loss, 10-9
July 12 | 9:30 a.m. | Vs. China | Game 30 (Seventh-Place Game) | Loss, 10-9
(All Times Local Time)
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