Treading Water

Let's be honest, Tony Azevedo doesn't need an introduction. As former captain of Team USA and a 5 x Olympian, we jumped at the opportunity to have one of the greatest water polo players of all time on the podcast when we hosted him in Australia during September. In the episode, Tony gives incredible insight into winning an Olympic Silver Medal, going through BUD/S Training, his vision for the future of water polo and much more. __________________ CHECK THIS STUFF OUT: If you want to...

Last month, Fours team members Scott and Michaela went to South Korea for the first ever Beach Water Polo exhibition at the FINA World Championships. They have calmed down since claiming a bronze medal and sat down to talk about the success of the tournament, what it was like to be apart of the first ever Australian Beach Water Polo Team, and what the future of the sport looks like. __________________________ CHECK THIS STUFF OUT: Learn more and register for our Winter Classic:...

Season 2 of Treading Water has voiced some truly incredible stories from people inside the water polo community. To wrap up the season, Emma and Scott re-play the best snippets and stories from every guest. To keep up with Beach Water Polo Fours during our break, check out the links below! Facebook: www.facebook.com/beachwaterpolofours Instagram: www.instagram.com/beachwaterpolofours Website: www.beachwaterpolofours.com

This week on the Treading Water Podcast, we were lucky enough to have Aussie Shark, Jarrod Gilchrist, sit down and answer questions about life in and out of the pool. When the busy 'Gilly' isn’t taking care of his 3-month-old daughter Ivy or helping the UNSW West’s win a National League Championship, you’ll find him running his business, Chapter 1 Early Learning Centre. In this week’s episode, Jarrod discusses business, fatherhood and the success of the Aussie Shark’s during his tenure as an...

On this weeks episode of Treading Water, we take a dive into the world of music with former water polo player, Ben Goldstein. After a promising junior career was cut short due to dodgy hips, Ben focused his attention on music, even featuring on the hit show, 'The Voice Australia.' In this episode, Ben talks about everything from water polo, to his time traveling in the Middle East and his new ecological project in the Southern Highlands. ___________________________ CHECK THIS STUFF...

On this weeks episode of Treading Water, we welcome our first guest from the West, Australian Stinger Zoe Arancini. Zoe has been a staple of not only the Aussie Stingers, but also the Fremantle Marlins for the last decade, achieving over 200 international caps and being voted in the world’s best 7 players at the 2015 World Championships. Zoe is a great example of doing everything it takes and more to be the best you can be – and we want to wish a big good luck to her and the rest of the...

We are joined this week by the new Head Coach of the Australian Stingers Squad, Predrag Milhailovic. Through his work with the ACU Cronulla Sharks and NSWIS, there are more than a few water polo players in Australia that have had the pleasure to be coached by Predrag, but few would know the incredible story of how he and his family migrated to Australia from Serbia. In the episode, Predrag talks about everything from growing up through the Civil War and trying to compete for Yugoslavia as...

Jon Harker has had a career in media stretching nearly 30 years, working his way through the ranks to become one of Australia's pre-eminent sports journalists. Jon has worked as a huge part of 2GB's radio sport coverage and has been the host of Channel Seven’s flagship national sports program, Sportsworld. As a commentator, he has been involved in the Olympic and Commonwealth games since 1996, commentating not only water polo, but boxing, weightlifting and tennis. This is a must listen to...

Water polo gave Nathan Thomas many great thrills and wonderful moments as a player, and now it is doing the same as a father. The former Tamworth High protege’s daughter Nioka is making waves in the sport that took him to two Olympics, and saw him have the distinction of captaining his country. __________________________ CHECK THIS STUFF OUT: Nioka's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nioka_thomas/ Treading Water Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/265479804332662/ Beach...

When former Australian Stinger Patrice Minton (nee O'Neill) hung up her water polo cap, she dove straight into a career with animals. With stints at the world famous Australia Zoo and Sydney Wildlife Zoo as a penguin trainer and koala handler, Patrice has enough hilarious stories and extraordinary Instagram photos to fill a book (one that we would most definitely buy). More recently, Patty has combined her passion for the ocean and her passion for animals by taking people free diving with...

On the 7th of January 2017, on his 21st birthday, Nick Dempsey dived into his backyard swimming pool and changed his life forever. Dislocating his neck and compressing his spinal cord, Nick and his family had to face up to one of the worst outcomes – that Nick was facing life as a quadriplegic. Having to shelve his water polo aspirations, Nick has been focused on his rehab and has continually astounded his therapists with what he has been able to achieve. Originally being told that he would...

You may not recognise the face, but you might hear a familiar voice in this week's episode of Treading Water. Liam Stapleton began his radio career at the age of 14 at an Adelaide community radio station and is now one half of the nation-wide Triple J Breakfast Show. While he is normally heard talking about his love of Australian music, Liam is no stranger to the sporting world, having trialed for over 5 English Premier League Football clubs as a teenager. In this episode, Liam also talks...

In the water polo community, Mel and Bec Rippon hardly need an introduction. The sisters from Sydney have together been to 5 Olympics and share an Olympic Bronze Medal from Beijing in 2008. While both sisters have since hung up the swimmers (except for a few sneaky Beach Water Polo Fours appearances), Mel and Bec weren't ready to say goodbye to water polo, both becoming extremely successful coaches in the water polo community. Bec is now the NSWIS Head Coach and Aussie Stingers Assistant...

The Treading Water Podcast is back for Season 2! We will be dropping episodes with some of our favourite people in the sporting world every Wednesday, but in the meantime, we want to give you a quick update and introduction to the season. _________________________ CHECK THIS STUFF OUT: The Fours Four Favourite Season Moments: www.beachwaterpolofours.com/new-blog/2019/4/15/the-fours-four-favourite-season-moments The 2018/19 Season Wrap Up Video:...

We wrap up season 1 with a countdown of our top 5 episodes and feature what is coming up for our events this summer and season 2 of Treading Water. Facebook: Beach Water Polo Fours Instagram: @beachwaterpolofours _____________________________________________________________ The summer of Beach Water Polo Fours is fast approaching with registrations for our first event in Wollongong on 1 and 2 December open now. Head to www.beachwaterpolofours.com for all the info and to register.

This week we sat down with creative Anthony MacFarlane, part of the brains trust behind the famous 'Beached Az' video that has amassed 9.3 million views on YouTube in 10 years. Anthony also runs a successful bar and a number of other businesses that are discussed throughout the episode. Coming up to the 10 year anniversary of the Beached Az video, Anthony discusses how his love of the sport and the community within has remained his one constant throughout his career. Facebook: Beached...

Silver medals in World Cups don't happen overnight and the Australian Mens Water Polo team are no different. There has been a lot of hard work, sacrifice and heartache to get to the podium but the hard work is not over yet. Aidan Roach (nickname AJ), a fixture in the team since 2009 sat down with us on the back of the teams best ever performance at a World Cup to talk to us about how he and the team got to where they are today, including his personal story. Having played the game in so many...

After writing herself a contract to do whatever it takes to play Water Polo for Australia at the Olympics, Holly tells us about her olympic journey, 'that backhand goal' in the quarter final of the London Olympics and life as a new Mum. The summer of Beach Water Polo Fours is fast approaching with registrations for our first event in Wollongong on 1 and 2 December open now. Head to www.beachwaterpolofours.com for all the info and to register.

After shoulder surgery ended his time playing water polo, Nick Brbot redirected his love for the water and began taking on 8ft+ waves as a professional body surfer. Ten thousand Instagram followers later, Nick is an integral member of the Bate Bay Body Bashers and frequently surfs heavy breaks such as Cape Solander and Voodoo. In this podcast episode, Nick recounts his journey as both a water polo player and a body surfer, and gives insight into the terrifying moment he was held underwater,...

This week's episode features Michaela Davies, who is a current national league player for the Cronulla Sharks and a player/coach at the Sydney Stingers. The Sydney Stingers are a LGBTQI based, all inclusive water polo club that formed in 2001. They currently play competitively in the Sydney Metropolitan competition with over 180 playing members and continue to grow year on year. Mic has recently returned from Paris, where they sent three teams to the 2018 Gay Games. In a sport where...