[Applause]
hello I am Deon gray I teach third grade
in Irvine and I coach swimming and water
polo here at Woodbridge one of my
Woodbridge high school players asked me
to speak today so I’m very honored and I
thank my players for doing that my life
of water polo began at UCSB I have to do
the work be an EC SV I had some swim
team teammates who had played water polo
and wanted to start a team not only did
these people become lifelong friends but
we paved the way for girls to get
college scholarships in water polo and
eventually started playing nationally
and internationally those tournaments
ended up paving the way for some of the
future Olympians today diversity comes
into play in many ways for me through
water polo I was fortunate to be able to
travel and play international water polo
on several continents during those trips
I learned a lot of history firsthand and
the diversity of the people who lived
through those times this is the Kaiser
Wilhelm Memorial Church in West Berlin
Kaiser Wilhelm helped to preserve it
after it was hit during a 1943 bombing
raid the people of Berlin wanted to keep
it as a memorial to peace and
reconciliation when we arrived in Berlin
we instantly knew that it was a reminder
over World War two it was quite a sight
it was eerie to think that we were
standing on the land or such a horrible
war had started my team was in West
Berlin for the world swimming and diving
championships in 1978 I was two years
old it was a first for women’s water
polo even though we were only playing
exhibition which means we were
unofficial
the World Championships of aquatic
sports had a fantastic opening
ceremonies it was like an Olympics for
us was kind of our dream we were
marching albeit without permission with
the USA swimming diving and water polo
Olympians
someday we hoped we would be official it
was held in the Olympic Stadium that was
built for the 1936 Olympics yes
Adolf Hitler’s propaganda Olympics
another eerie moment to think that
Hitler had been in that Stadium last but
not least of our historical journey was
a visit to East Berlin through
checkpoint charlie and many armed scary
guards
this is the Brandenburg Gate a
continuing symbol of the separation of
East and West Berlin even though the
wall came down about ten years after we
were there another aspect of diversity
through water polo was a cultural
diversity we were able to experience
during our travels a couple years after
our Berlin trip we went to play water
polo in Holland and Malta we were
expecting an island paradise in the
Mediterranean but Malta was not exactly
that the pool was built out into the
ocean complete with long sea grass
wrapped around our legs and very salty
water the best part was that all of the
locals especially the kids would come
out to support their local teams and
celebrate wins and probably losses too
by jumping into the water in jubilation
water polo was pretty popular in Malta I
took a photo of our team hanging out in
the stands between games only to notice
years later the difference between the
closeness of the Italian team members
and the personal space needed by the
Americans can you tell who is who one of
my last international trips as a player
was to Spain for the world swimming and
diving championships again eight years
after Berlin my five month old son came
along for the event he now coaches with
me here at Woodbridge when I returned to
teaching that fall one of my fifth-grade
students returned from China and with
our picture from a Chinese newspaper the
kids jumping into the water after a
victory so we were receiving our medals
sometimes you just never know where your
picture or influence may end up I still
play water polo these days masters or
old people’s water polo has national
competitions every year sometimes
international two years ago at the in
Montreal at the world masters water polo
championships we met up with some former
Canadian and Australian players who we
had played with 30 against
thirty years earlier those acquaintances
we made then we’re still solid so many
years later the diversity of people I
have met as well as the diversity of
lifestyles my teammates have chosen
still influenced me today one of my UCSB
teammates now runs a nonprofit that aids
women in the poorer areas of Belize one
of the ways they help is by sending
crews of volunteers to build homes that
is my friend and I in the center right
after completing a home in three days
another teammate teaches character
development to coaches athletes and
parents at schools around the world
where would I be without my water polo
friends for life my diverse water polo
experiences have made me the person I am
today and I only hope that I can
contribute to the development of
characters open to diversity here at
Woodbridge High School thank
you
hello I am Deon gray I teach third grade
in Irvine and I coach swimming and water
polo here at Woodbridge one of my
Woodbridge high school players asked me
to speak today so I’m very honored and I
thank my players for doing that my life
of water polo began at UCSB I have to do
the work be an EC SV I had some swim
team teammates who had played water polo
and wanted to start a team not only did
these people become lifelong friends but
we paved the way for girls to get
college scholarships in water polo and
eventually started playing nationally
and internationally those tournaments
ended up paving the way for some of the
future Olympians today diversity comes
into play in many ways for me through
water polo I was fortunate to be able to
travel and play international water polo
on several continents during those trips
I learned a lot of history firsthand and
the diversity of the people who lived
through those times this is the Kaiser
Wilhelm Memorial Church in West Berlin
Kaiser Wilhelm helped to preserve it
after it was hit during a 1943 bombing
raid the people of Berlin wanted to keep
it as a memorial to peace and
reconciliation when we arrived in Berlin
we instantly knew that it was a reminder
over World War two it was quite a sight
it was eerie to think that we were
standing on the land or such a horrible
war had started my team was in West
Berlin for the world swimming and diving
championships in 1978 I was two years
old it was a first for women’s water
polo even though we were only playing
exhibition which means we were
unofficial
the World Championships of aquatic
sports had a fantastic opening
ceremonies it was like an Olympics for
us was kind of our dream we were
marching albeit without permission with
the USA swimming diving and water polo
Olympians
someday we hoped we would be official it
was held in the Olympic Stadium that was
built for the 1936 Olympics yes
Adolf Hitler’s propaganda Olympics
another eerie moment to think that
Hitler had been in that Stadium last but
not least of our historical journey was
a visit to East Berlin through
checkpoint charlie and many armed scary
guards
this is the Brandenburg Gate a
continuing symbol of the separation of
East and West Berlin even though the
wall came down about ten years after we
were there another aspect of diversity
through water polo was a cultural
diversity we were able to experience
during our travels a couple years after
our Berlin trip we went to play water
polo in Holland and Malta we were
expecting an island paradise in the
Mediterranean but Malta was not exactly
that the pool was built out into the
ocean complete with long sea grass
wrapped around our legs and very salty
water the best part was that all of the
locals especially the kids would come
out to support their local teams and
celebrate wins and probably losses too
by jumping into the water in jubilation
water polo was pretty popular in Malta I
took a photo of our team hanging out in
the stands between games only to notice
years later the difference between the
closeness of the Italian team members
and the personal space needed by the
Americans can you tell who is who one of
my last international trips as a player
was to Spain for the world swimming and
diving championships again eight years
after Berlin my five month old son came
along for the event he now coaches with
me here at Woodbridge when I returned to
teaching that fall one of my fifth-grade
students returned from China and with
our picture from a Chinese newspaper the
kids jumping into the water after a
victory so we were receiving our medals
sometimes you just never know where your
picture or influence may end up I still
play water polo these days masters or
old people’s water polo has national
competitions every year sometimes
international two years ago at the in
Montreal at the world masters water polo
championships we met up with some former
Canadian and Australian players who we
had played with 30 against
thirty years earlier those acquaintances
we made then we’re still solid so many
years later the diversity of people I
have met as well as the diversity of
lifestyles my teammates have chosen
still influenced me today one of my UCSB
teammates now runs a nonprofit that aids
women in the poorer areas of Belize one
of the ways they help is by sending
crews of volunteers to build homes that
is my friend and I in the center right
after completing a home in three days
another teammate teaches character
development to coaches athletes and
parents at schools around the world
where would I be without my water polo
friends for life my diverse water polo
experiences have made me the person I am
today and I only hope that I can
contribute to the development of
characters open to diversity here at
Woodbridge High School thank
you
Please follow and like us: