Michael Rojas, from Cali, Colombia, is a star for Salem International.
Photo Courtesy: Salem Athletics
By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor
BRONX, NY. It might be said that one never knows who might be in the crowd at a water polo match. It might be Mehmet Oz cheering on his beloved Harvard Crimson. Or—as happened at Fordham University last Saturday night, it might be the Orozco family—Salvador, Patricia and daughter Salma and Angelica Sanchez, Patricia’s sister—in town to cheer on Salvador Jr., a center for Salem University’s men’s water polo team, as they squared off against Fordham.
Also on hand was Robert Bullion, the Tigers’ head coach who spoke with Swimming World immediately after Salem dropped a 14-8 decision to the host Rams a Fordham’s Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center.
Bullion, who ultimately succeed his father Keith as the Tigers’ (7-12; 2-1 MAWPC-West) head men’s water polo coach, had his team in New York City a week after a second-place finish at the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division II Championships.
– You brought your team to Fordham, which has one of the best pools in New York City for polo. What’s the allure of this pool and our city?
We come here every year. It’s a good, late-season tournament to come to. We have conference games next weekend and then we have championships after that. Getting ready for better play, better officiating, so this is a good tournament for us to end the year on.
Robert Bullion.
Photo Courtesy: Salem Athletics
– After a tough loss in the morning to Iona it looks like your team simply ran out of gas against the Rams.
We’ve been averaging 15 goals a game but our offense kind of stalled [today]. We put a lot of emphasis on defense, and they’ve played very well this weekend. We’re trying to improve more in those areas, so the more focus on defensive play has perhaps hindered our offensive play.
We’ll get back at it and be better next weekend.
– For a school in West Virginia, you’ve got a roster of players from all over the world.
We’re actually the only water polo program of any level in the state of West Virginia. College, age group, high school—we’re the number one in West Virginia! We get our players from all over the place.
We have a unique academic system in our school that works very well with internationals as well as domestic [students]. We breed a brand of high-level water polo along with getting the job done in the classroom. [We have] the number one GPA in the nation the last three years. [That includes] Division I, Division II and Division III—and we’d like to make it four.
– You’re a veteran of polo in the area around Pittsburgh, a real hotbed for the sport in the middle of the country.
I played four years of polo for Gannon—and [the sport’s] definitely growing in the region. I would love to tap in even more to Western Pennsylvania. I’ve gotten some kids from Eastern Pennsylvania, but Gannon scoops up a lot of the Cathedral Prep kids. Then you have McDowell High School and North Allegheny and Pittsburgh, so they’re really growing. I know Pittsburgh water polo—we try to help them out as much as we can—I’ve gotten in with my assistant, Justin Kassab, with the Pittsburgh water polo master’s team.
We’re not far from Pittsburgh so we try to help grow the sport as much as we can.
– There’s a reservoir of talent out in the region, including Nikola Malezanov…
Who is a Salem alum! He was a graduate assistant for my father.
– … who was also a coach at Salem. He handed off the reins directly to you?
He spent four years keeping the program afloat until a revolving door of coaches finally came to me! [The administration said]: Rob, either get the program going or we may have to drop it. it took a couple of years but I’ve been [at Salem] for eight seasons; we’ve grown the level of water polo on the men’s side. We just brought on our women’s program for this coming spring, and we’re very excited about that.
Keith Bullion coaching.
Photo Courtesy: Robert Bullion
Our swimming program just competed this weekend Urbana University They won their meet on Friday—and I don’t know how they did today [a loss to Notre Dame College, Ohio].
As aquatics director I’ve been put in the helm of growing aquatics as a whole, starting with men’s water polo then spreading the wealth and getting it going on all the other fronts.
– Would you agree that the outlook for water polo is positive?
As long as the programs can continue to come [online], as long as we don’t lose programs—like Hartwick, who we lost this past year on the women’s side. And that was terrible.
The goal is to keep growing programs and not lose them.
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Up in the stands overlooking the Rams’ pool was the family of Salem junior Salvador Orozco. His mother, father, sister and aunt came all way from Commerce, California to cheer on the Tigers and their top center.
Salvador Orozco, Sr.:
– Why did you come to New York City from Commerce, California?
We thought we’d come see our son play far away for two times during the season. This is one of the trips we wanted to take because we’d never been to New York, and we get to watch him play, which is a huge bonus. Then we want to go to conference [tournament] wherever that’s going to be at.
It’s a great trip! It’s been a lot of fun. We played this morning, it was a great game against Iona. it was even throughout the whole game. We lost at the end by one goal. But it was a fun time watching my son play. We haven’t seen him play this whole season.
He’s a junior transfer from Cerritos College in California. It’s fun to come and watch him play.
Salvador Orozco applies pressure on the ball.
Photo Courtesy: Salem University
We have two other daughters that are retired from playing. Priscilla Orozco is the older one, and the next one is Sarah Orozco. They played for Team USA, [and] on Team Mexico as well. They were national champions at UCLA in 2009. Our daughters were All-American water polo players
Both are now coaching in water polo; Priscilla coaches at Commerce and at Montebello High School. Sarah coaches at Azusa Pacific University. So they remain very involved in the sport. They accomplished a lot in the sport—both of them played overseas in Spain and Australia.
My son has some good examples from his own sisters’ success. He’s hoping to play on the Mexican National Team and travel the world.
Patricia Orozco:
– Commerce is renowned for the polo players it produces—especially talented women.
Our athletes start at a very young age with swim lessons—Mommy + Me, they get in as young as three months or six months old with lessons at the aquatics center. The city is very supportive of its community. The kids get to experience a lot due to the fact that the city sponsors [programs]
– Your pool is indoors, which is a rarity in California.
In LA it’s very unusual—Commerce is seven miles from Los Angeles.
Salem’s pool is a shallow/deep facility.
Photo Courtesy: Salem University
– Brenda Villa is one of the most famous graduate of the Commerce water polo program. What has her impact on your community been?
Our girls have watched [Villa’s] career through all her success. It’s a great example for them. It shows them that anything is possible. If they work hard and dream big, it’s possible.
Angelica Sanchez; “Auntie”; also from Commerce:
This is a great experience. I’ve seen all my nieces and my nephew play. My little one is eight and I’m hoping that she’ll soon come up in the ranks. We’ll see what happens, but it’s great to be supportive.
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