Erika Figge Announces Retirement From USA Women's National Team; Joins Women's Junior National Team As Assistant Coach
3/23/2011 12:00:00 AM
Huntington Beach, Calif. – March 23, 2011 – Erika Figge, a six year veteran of the USA Water Polo Women’s National Team, has announced her retirement and accepted a position as Assistant Coach on the Women’s Junior National Team. Figge, a native of Rancho Santa Margarita, California who won a NCAA Championship at the University of Southern California concludes her playing career with medals at several international major championships. The haul includes Gold at the 2007 Pan American Games, Silver at the 2005 FINA World Championships, and four Gold Medals in FINA World League Super Final action. She departs on the heels of the 2010 competition season that saw Team USA earn Gold at the FINA World League Super Final in La Jolla, California. Figge joins the Junior National Team and Head Coach Heather Moody in time to prepare for the 2011 competition season which includes the FINA Junior World Championships scheduled for this September in Italy.
“I am honored to have been part of such a wonderful and successful team for so many years. While I am sad to know that this chapter in my life is finished, I am very much looking forward to what is coming next in my involvement with the Women's Junior Team. When God closes one door, another door is always opened, and this situation is no different,” said Figge.
“It is a great opportunity to strengthen my staff by adding Erika Figge,” said USA Women’s Junior National Team Head Coach Heather Moody. “She brings a lot to the deck. Being a Junior World Champion, knowing the National Team system as well as she does, being an ODP coach, having a strength training background, she has all this talent and skill and I think she’ll make for a wonderful addition.”
“I have a lot of great memories of Erika with the Senior and Junior National Teams. What I remember most is she was a born in 85er. When we started full time in 2001, we had a group of athletes who were born in 1985 that set the standards and foundation for the long term success of the program. Fig became captain of the 2005 Junior World Championship team (85er's) that won the Gold Medal in Perth, Australia. I am very happy she has decided to coach our Junior National Team with Heather. Our future is in good hands,” said Guy Baker, Figge’s longtime coach.
An outstanding scorer, Figge hit the Senior National Team scene in 2001 competing as a 16 year old at the Canada Cup and becoming one of the youngest players in National Team history to score in a match. She would go on to train with the group that would make up the 2004 Olympic Team while also becoming a staple of the Junior National Team earning Silver at the 2003 FINA Junior World Championships and Gold at the 2005 edition. In 2005 she joined the Senior National Team on a full time basis and would become a mainstay of the group over the next several years. Figge was part of an unprecedented run in 2007 by Team USA that saw the squad fail to lose a match over the entire calendar year. She served as the alternate for Team USA at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China and at the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy.
Figge is joined on the Junior National Team staff by Moody and fellow Assistant Coach Marcelo Leonardi. The team is coming off a 2010 campaign that saw a perfect record at the Four Nations Tournament held in Los Alamitos, California and a Silver Medal finish at the Junior Pan American Games held in South Florida. The Junior National Team will be looking to improve upon a Bronze Medal earned in 2009 at the last FINA Junior World Championships.
About USA Water Polo
USA Water Polo, Inc. is the national governing body for water polo in America, overseeing our United States Olympic program as well as 20 different championship events annually, such as Junior Olympics and Masters National Championships. With more than 40,000 members, USAWP is also the sanctioning authority for more than 500 Member Clubs and more than 400 tournaments nationwide. USAWP is committed to the development of the sport nationwide. It fosters grass-roots expansion of the sport, providing a national system of affiliated clubs, certified coaches and officials.
Women's National Team