Team USA's Elsie Windes Profiled On PowerBar.com
6/21/2011 12:00:00 AM
Huntington Beach, CA - June 21 - 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist and two-time World Champion Elsie Windes (Portland, OR/California/Tulatin Hills) was recently profiled on PowerBar.com. Check out the interview below conducted by Eric Velazquez that appeared on PowerBar.com.
During each Olympics cycle, it's the swimmers that capture the aquatic spotlight. In their neatly ordered world, these athletes chase a black line in the safety of their own designated lane. Back on deck, victors over clocks and competitors, they are celebrated for their athletic prowess and wreathed with medals before adoring crowds. But when the lane lines are pulled, the azure placidity of these waters is shattered. Starting guns are replaced with whistles and friendly races are swapped for white-watered battles where strength, stamina and raw aggression — not an inanimate timing pad — determine who wins. Welcome to the rough-and-tumble world of water polo.
Despite having the tactical stamp of basketball, the goal-to-goal game play of soccer and the raw physical exchanges found in wrestling, elite water polo is the most dynamic water sport in existence. Its athletes typically possess the long, lean builds of swimmers but quite often boast an overall muscularity usually seen in gymnasts. The reasons for their physiques can be found in the nature of their trade. Water polo players will routinely swim more than a mile in a single match, mostly in short bursts. But when they're not sprinting from end to end, you can expect to see players rising out of the water to shoot or pass, or pushing, pulling and dunking each other as they jockey for better position.
So whether you enjoy strategic contests or intense physicality, water polo provides a sporting fix. And once the first whistle blows, there are few countries in the world better at it than the U.S. The men's team broke a 20-year Olympic medal drought in 2008 with a silvery performance in Beijing and the women became the only team in the world to have won medals at all three (2000 — silver, 2004 — bronze, 2008 — silver) Games to feature women's water polo.
Defender Elsie Windes, who spends most of her time working to keep the ball out of the hands of the opponents' best players, was part of the women's silver medal run in 2008. And she is part of the returning core of players hoping to land the U.S. atop the medal stand in London next summer.
Elsie Windes
Position: Defender
Height: 5'10"
Hometown: Portland, OR
Residence: Huntington Beach, CA
Education: Cal Berkeley, 2007
Club: Tualatin Hills
Competition Highlights: 2010: FINA World Cup, 1st; FINA World League, 1st. 2009: FINA World Championships, 1st; FINA World League, 1st. 2008: Olympic Games, 2nd; FINA World League, 2nd. Fave PowerBar Products: PowerBar® Energy Bites and PowerBar® Energy Blasts gel filled chews (any flavors)
It doesn't look that hard when you see it on TV. Just how hard is water polo physically? Do you think it's the toughest team sport?
Elsie: I haven't played every team sport out there but it's definitely the toughest sport I've ever played. It might look easy but when people get in the water and try to keep themselves afloat while passing and shooting, they quickly realize how hard this sport really is. When you're being guarded by someone, their hand is on you, or if you're a two-meter player, you have someone on your back trying to keep yourself and that person afloat! When you're swimming down the pool, you're not just swimming laps — you're trying to cut someone off and be aware of the ball, or you have to get up on your legs to pass and shoot. You have people pulling on you, trying to steal the ball from you. It's pretty physical. Trying to do that on land would be tough, but you're in the water. When I first started playing, I didn't like getting dunked, but now, it just comes with the territory.
Two-meter player: In water polo, someone who plays two-meter offense (also called a "center") is akin to a center in basketball, "posting up" with his or her back to the goal, trying to score high percentage shots and draw ejections on the opponent. On defense, the two-meter defender works to prevent the center from receiving or shooting the ball.
Some games are more heated than others. How do you keep focused on your game plan when it gets so physical?
Elsie: There are definitely teams that are more physical than others and you have to mentally prepare for that before the game. I think we're a team that does well preparing for teams that are physical, teams that play in zones, or teams that counterattack. We just try to stick to our game play and not get influenced by what the other team is doing.
With the success of the women in the last 12 years or so, is there a lot of pressure to perform at a high level each time you suit up?
Elsie: I think we all got here because we all want to perform at a high level but I think we also want to carry on the tradition that the women have established. We all strive to play our best every time.
Is it tough staying motivated because water polo is such a fringe sport in the U.S.?
Elsie: We don't get a lot of publicity but that's okay for us. We still love the sport, love what we're doing and it's pretty amazing that this can be our job playing a sport that we love.
What are the most common kinds of injuries for water polo players?
Elsie: Shoulders are a common problem, but also hips and knees because they're being used a lot. But there are also broken fingers, broken noses. It gets pretty rough. It's definitely not synchro (swimming)!
Describe the typical practice day when you are getting ready for a major event like World Championships or Olympics.
Elsie: Right now, we're preparing for World Championships and Pan American Games this summer. We have two practices everyday but Wednesday, with weekends off. We go from 7:00–10:00 in the morning and three times a week during those mornings, we lift for about an hour and a half. Our trainer runs us through different exercises, some running, abs. Then usually we get in and swim around 3000–4000 yards. That's just the morning practice. Then we come back from 1:30–4:30 and that's usually more water polo, working on defense or drills, then scrimmages and stuff like that. Wednesdays is just one longer practice. It's a full-time deal. Then we'll go on training trips. For major tournaments, we'll go a bit early to wherever the tournament is and train with a team and do a bit more game-type stuff.
One former Olympic women's water polo player was quoted as saying that she needed to take in 5,000–6,000 calories a day. How many calories do you need to get everyday to keep up your strength, energy and muscle mass?
Elsie: A lot! It definitely depends on your weight and all that. We have a nutritionist that has been working with us but what I've learned is that your recovery is the most important. You can train as hard as you want but if you don't recover, you're not going to be able to maintain that training regimen for months at a time. So having something immediately after workouts has helped me not be starving by the time I get home. Also, hydration is a huge thing. Eating the right things — having a good balance between protein and carbs — is crucial. PowerBar® Energy Bites and PowerBar® Energy Blasts gel filled chews during practice help to maintain that energy for three hours. After weights, we'll stretch for a bit, so we'll grab some snacks. We'll also put them by the side of the pool so if we have a water break, we'll pop a few in our mouth.
As an elite athlete how important is it to learn as much as you can about nutrition?
Elsie: Just knowing what's in stuff is so important. I think it's helpful to learn what works for you and to get new ideas, likes and dislikes. It is important how you eat and fuel yourself. When I was younger I didn't really notice what I ate and how it affected my training but I'm starting to realize that if I eat a piece of pizza I don't feel as good as if I eat some chicken with spinach! I am definitely realizing how much better it can make you feel during your training, to be able to maintain a high level as long as you do.
With such a demanding schedule, are you able to get in as many meals as you need to each day?
Elsie: You don't want to eat right before practice — it can make you feel sick or heavy in the water. PowerBar ProteinPlus® Bites help me fill that gap. It's tough to eat a big meal and go swim 3,000 yards, so having those PowerBar products helps. Some girls don't like having the bars, so having the Gels helps them get those calories in. There's nothing worse than swimming and feeling your lunch start coming up.
What kind of dry-land training do you have to do to keep fit for competition?
Elsie: A lot of core work like planks and other abs exercises. We do squats, leg work, rows, push-presses — stuff like that. For water polo, you need strong arms and legs and a strong core but we also work on shoulder stability because they can be an injury risk.
So many women choose to avoid weight training altogether for fear of getting too "bulky." What's your take on that?
Elsie: There are days that we do lift hard, but we're strong — not heavy or weighed down. I think it's important to be strong in the water and be able to move people and have a powerful shot. For me, being a defender, I need to have strong arms and legs to push the center out and weights are an important aspect of water polo at this level.
The U.S. women have a couple of World Championships gold medals (2003, 2007, 2009) but an Olympic gold has been elusive. Can the current core of players help win that gold in London?
Elsie: Yeah. I mean, we always are looking to win the gold. We're putting in a lot of training and hard work. We have to take it game by game and tournament by tournament. I think we all believe that we can win the gold. That's why we're working so hard and that's why we're here. I feel like every team wants to beat us so we have to bring our A-game every time.
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Women's National Team