On picking up water polo:
Parsons (started playing at age 15): “A buddy of mine was like, ‘Hey, jump in the pool!’ and I was like, ‘What, no way!’ I always played basketball and baseball, but I picked up (water polo) as a third sport.”
On playing with the junior national team:
According to Parsons, head coach Robert Lynn was one seriously intense trainer. He once cut a kid from the team for smiling during a practice.
The team’s trip to Greece was marred somewhat by local protesters mobbing the opening ceremonies. They were angered by the demotion of a national Greek soccer team that had been fixing matches.
On European athletes:
Sibley: “It’s like a different style of play. Water polo is like football over there, the best athletes play. They know they’re going to go pro from a young age … it’s more serious, more intense. They focus on water polo rather than university.”
On competing against Aleksa Saponjic of Serbia, who is now a freshman on the Cal team:
Sibley: “We kind of ignored the fact that he was going to play with us (at Cal). We focused on the fact that we were playing for the U.S. At that moment, Cal didn’t matter.”
Parsons: “He wasn’t part of the family yet.”
Favorite Cal memories:
Parsons, on winning the Big Splash last Nov: “The stands were packed. It was pouring down rain, and I couldn’t even see the other half of the pool, the other goal, it was so foggy. Yeah, and it was the first time we’d won it in four years. I was in the goal and it felt good to give our coach that win.”
Sibley, on the same match: “I was sitting in the bleachers, and it looked like I had been in the pool.”
On future plans:
Parsons: “I wouldn’t mind, before we have to enter the real world, to venture off and play in Australia.”
On their different styles of play:
Sibley: “Our ways of using our body and arms. We learn from each other and make small adjustments.”
Parsons: “It’s a different anticipation of feeling for a shot. I’m taking a look if Jon’s in and I’m watching him, see something that’s working for him. Then it’s mimicking off each other.”
On blocking a shot:
Parsons: “You have to trust your defenders, then figure out which side of the cage you’re gonna block. You always have to have leg RPM’s going super fast. Make sure your hands are sculling.”
Sibley: “The shot’s coming, you push off with one hand, lunge with the other … it’s kind of weird to describe.”
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