Word: pike
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...going to make a difference," promises rookie coach Stephen Pike, who served as adviser to the water polo club for the last two years. "There's going to be more of a commitment to water polo...
...Pike, who doubles as aquatic director at the Belmont Hill Club, acknowledges that dreams of a championship are just that. "Brown is still the best team in New England," he says, adding, "We're playing as aggressive a schedule as we can get." The team will use the battles against opponents "to learn as much as we can and apply that when the playoffs come around," Pike says...
Aside from a tougher schedule--and the daily four-mile runs and two-mile swims the coach will require--varsity status means that the University can start to recruit better players. In the past, Pike explains, it was hard to bring in all-Americans, who knew that because Harvard only had a club, they could never compete on NCAA qualifying squads...
...everything else is changing, however, team members hope that the new status will not hurt the open atmosphere and friendliness that characterized water polo as a club sport. Although the varsity team will carry only a 16-man squad at home, pike says he will keep everybody who can meet minimum requirements--"good swimming skills and a knowledge of the game." The coach adds that he will also encourage women to try out for the squad and will emphasize the women's program in the spring...
...this year, Pike contends, water polo will no longer be viewed as a second-rate sport or a conditioning ground for swimmers. Last year, team members "proved to the athletic department that they were very serious about the sport," the coach says. Varsity status--and the ability to schedule tough matches--"puts us on the first step to parity" with the big guns, he explains...