Deaf water polo coach eliminates communication barriers

by Martin Dale-Hench on September 3, 2009

Since the inception of the U.S. Deaflympics Water Polo Team in 1981, no deaf coach has commandeered the team. That barrier will be broken this year by Julia Velasquez, a young woman with Division I water polo playing experience. This will be a boon to the United States team, since it has suffered from communication hardships at past Deaflympics. “My first and second Deaflympics, our coaches were hearing and knew no sign,” said Jordan Eickman, president of United States Deaf Water Polo, three-time Deaflympian and a current player on the team. “We had to rely on our hard-of hearing teammates to interpret for us. It wasn’t right. Last time, we fought for an interpreter and got one, but our coach still wasn’t very accommodating to our communication needs.” Along with her fluency in American Sign Language, Velasquez brings a lot to the plate with her experience and knowledge in water polo. She played on the Division I team at California State University-Northridge for 2 ½ years, facing powerhouses such as Stanford, UCLA and USC. The 2009 Taipei Deaflympics will be her first time coaching a team, but she is prepared to attempt to lead the team to a gold medal, something the team has not achieved since 1993 in Sofia, Bulgaria. “I'm eagerly anticipating my first-ever Deaflympics as a coach, never having been an athlete myself,” Velasquez said. “The same is true for most of the players of my team who have yet to experience the Deaflympics.” While most of the team resides in southern California, which makes it easier to plan camps for the team, Velasquez said, she has had to make cross-country trips from the east coast to join them. “However, I do not mind one bit,” she said. “I consider myself very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to contribute my knowledge in this sport to the program, and I couldn't have asked for a better team to coach.” With a core of seven players who have trained with each other for two years, the team is primed to make a splash in Taipei, but Velasquez also hopes the team’s play will spread awareness of the sport to the United States and participating countries and help recruit teams for the 2013 Games in Athens. Moreover, she sees another potential impact her appearance can have on the future of water polo. “I truly hope that my presence as a female coach in the male-dominated sport of water polo will help bring attention to the fact that women are just as capable of knowing this sport just as well as men do,” she said.

Deaf water polo coach eliminates communication barriers

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