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Athletes Corner
Career Transition
 Julie Swail
Silver Medalist USA Water Polo
Collegiate Head Coach
Job Title: Head Water Polo Coach
Employer: University of California at Irvine
Undergraduate Degree: UC San Diego; BA - economics, minors in Black American Music and Urban Studies and Planning'95
Graduate Schools: Chapman University, elementary teaching credential Azusa Pacific University, master of education with
an emphasis in physical education '99
1. How many years have you been playing water polo?
I began playing water polo in 1986, but played only a handful of games. My true water polo career began in the summer of
1987, just before entering high school. I joined the summer league program at my high school to prepare me for the upcoming
season. I then joined the all boys team and competed with them throughout my four years in high school.
My competitive swimming background enabled me to succeed quickly in water polo. I began competitive swimming when I was 6 and continued through high school and my first year in college.
2. What were your greatest accomplishments in your collegiate and Olympic careers?
Collegiate: Winning the national championship twice in my four years at UCSD. We were rarely favored as the team to win,
but through teamwork and focus we were able to succeed.
Olympic: Representing my country at the Olympic Games and winning the Silver medal in the first ever Olympic Women's
water polo event. The experience is something that I'll remember forever.
3. Was it difficult playing water polo for the USA team and getting ready for this season as the water polo coach for
University of California at Irvine? What did you do to manage both?
I've had a lot of practice juggling multiple activities. In high school, I juggled water polo and swimming, both high school and
club, community service activities, school clubs and friends. In college it was much of the same, but I added national team commitments.
By planning and sticking to my schedule, I am able to fit in everything. The past 2 years have certainly challenged my planning
and time management skills. I needed to ensure that I was getting adequate rest and recovery so that my playing wouldn't
suffer. But I also had to ensure that I had enough time to get my job done. I made a big investment and bought a laptop to take
with me while our team traveled. I was able to hook up from various countries and do work "as usual" while I was away. I also
used this to telecommute from home 3 days a week. This saved me 1 1/2 hours of travel time each day.
4. Have you gained any other work experience during your playing days? If so, what?
Since I have been playing water polo for the past 8 years, I have had many jobs during this time to support myself. Until I got
the full time job at UC Irvine, I coached women's water polo on a part time basis for 4 years while I trained. Before that I was in sales. This job allowed me the flexibility that I needed for my training schedule.
I was a teacher and a substitute teacher. I am a teacher by nature so I really enjoyed this period in my life. Unfortunately, as
my training and competition schedule grew more intense, I was not able to continue teaching. During most of my jobs, I continued to coach swimming part time.
I also did a lot of temp work over the years. The temp agencies gave me assignments that fit into my schedule. I was able to
take short and long-term assignments and sample a variety of different jobs.
The most valuable work experience that I had over the past 8 years was simply being a player. I learned how I liked to be
treated, how I learned best, the importance of team dynamics and many different strategies and drills that I can use in my coaching career.
5. What steps did you take along the way to prepare yourself for a career after playing?
To prepare myself for my career, I continued my education. I knew that there would be no professional career for me after I
stopped playing so I made sure that I had the education and the tools that I needed to start a career after my playing days had
ended. I "sampled" a variety of jobs through temporary work. Not only did this fit into my hectic travel and training schedule, but it also gave me an idea of what I wanted to do as a career.
As an athlete, have you ever received any career support during you career with the USA Water Polo Team and/or
USOC, etc? If so, what and has it been helpful and beneficial?
As a USOC athlete, I received a free workshop that covered interview and resume skills. This was beneficial in designing my
resume and in preparing and handling interviews. We specifically covered how we could use our experiences and skills as Olympians to interview better.
6. Do you have an updated resume?
Yes
7. Since you have become the Head Water Polo Coach at UCI, what are your future plans with USA Water Polo?
I will have to wait to see what the future holds for me. US Water Polo has been far too important in my life to walk away from it
completely. It has opened a lot of doors for me and I am very grateful for that.
I am currently a Southern Pacific Zone water polo athlete representative to US Water Polo. I intend on running for head athlete
representative at the upcoming convention in January.
8. Do you have any mentors that you would like to recognize?
Mike Guest, my coach at Valencia high school, is a mentor. He is a role model for all. He is fair and honest in his daily
activities. He is disciplined and teaches this by example. He is a Christian and embodies Christian living again, being a role model for his students and athletes.
Maggi Kelly was a former teammate of mine. She has been a mentor in the water, showing me the ropes when I was just
breaking into the national scene. She was very encouraging and gave me confidence in my abilities, while at the same time, teaching me that playing should be fun.
9. What advice would you give current athletes about preparing themselves for a career in the future?
It's never too early to start thinking about what you want to do. Explore and get as much experience in as many different areas
as possible. Talk to people in various careers and find out what they do and what they like and dislike about their job.
Whenever possible, get experience in a job before getting too far along. Internships, temp jobs and seasonal jobs are great for
this. Lastly, envision yourself doing a job day in and day out. Imagine whether or not you'd enjoy that type of work.
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