Lynn Kachmarik on Life, Team USA and Five Decades in Water Polo

Editor’s Note: This interview with Lynn Kachmarik was originally published on the Collegiate Water Polo Association website in 2017.

The U.S. Women’s National Water Polo Team has been amazingly successful including back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016 — thanks to pioneers like Lynn Comer Kachmarik, who helped start the National Team nearly forty years ago.

Now in in her fifth decade of involvement with the sport, Kachmarik has shattered numerous glass ceilings throughout her athletic career. In 1976 she joined the Slippery Rock women’s water polo team playing for legendary coach Dr. Richard “Doc” Hunkler. Kachmarik spent 10 years as a member of the national team including two as an assistant coach.

In addition to her playing career, for 19 years she held multiple coaching positions at Bucknell University, highlighted by being named head coach of the men’s water polo team in 1986, replacing Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame member Dick Russell upon his retirement.

In assuming her new position, Kachmarik became the first woman to serve as the head coach of an NCAA men’s water polo team. In 1987, her first year on the job, she was named Eastern Water Polo League Coach of the Year. She served as the men’s water polo coach at Bucknell from 1987-90 and from 1994-98.

As part of an interview about her involvement with the Fighting Flamingos 55+ Masters water polo team, Kachmarik — a 2003 inductee to the CWPA Hall of Fame — spoke at length about her career, the U.S. National Team’s journey to becoming the best in the world, the impact of Title IX on women’s athletics, and her enduring passion for polo.

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- How did you get your start in water polo?

Back when I was growing up in Bucks County, PA girls had few options. You could play basketball, field hockey, softball or you could be a swimmer. I didn’t start competitive swimming until I was 12. I ended up going to the Philadelphia Aquatic Club for higher-level training.

There was no water polo in Pennsylvania then so my senior year in high school a coach – Paul Bergen — came from Cincinnati and brought water polo to our club. The minute I got the water polo ball in my hand I was like: “This is my sport.”

I didn’t know how to tread water, I didn’t know how to catch the ball. I didn’t play until the fall of my senior year in high school and in a three-month period of time we went from the worst team on the East to winning Junior Olympics in North Carolina. It was three months of the most intense training and learning.

Before water polo I intended to go to West Chester University, which was a great school for a physical education degree as well as a strong college swim program. However I was in love with water polo so I went to my guidance counselor in high school and said: “You need to find me a school with water polo.”

I ended up going to Slippery Rock where Dr. Richard Hunkler was the coach — he’s an institution in his own right — back in the late 70’s when Slippery Rock was the first full women’s collegiate team in the country. At that time, there were pockets of women’s water polo clubs around the country, and other colleges in California had teams but Slippery Rock was the first “official” team [fielding] only enrolled students.

My freshman year [Hunkler] said: “Either were going to USA Water Polo Nationals” — which coincided with the spring — “or we’ll continue to play inter-squad [club].” Off we went to our first U.S Water Polo Nationals in the spring of my freshman year. Another teammate, Sue Bow, and I were invited to play on a club team in Merced, CA that summer. The USA Women’s National Team began with an international tournament that next Christmas in Commerce, CA, and both Sue and I were on the team., So this is truly how it all began as I was named to the National Team for the next decade.

- How were you able to support yourself and play polo?

For 10 years I was the only woman outside of California, on the national team. There were a few other players from Slippery Rock who made the team one year or the next but no one was on the team for as long as I was. There were also coaches along my journey who believed that you could not be a great water polo player if you were not from California.

My secret to getting through some very rough times was my college coach, Doc Hunkler. He would call and give me a great speech about being a pioneer and opening doors for many women from the East.

From a financial standpoint, it was really tough. My dad was a proud US Steel worker who worked extra hours and jobs to make sure we had shoes and all the things we needed but nothing extra. When I was out training in California I lived with families of other players on the national team who treated me as their own. My older sister Sue Comer — who was putting herself through college while holding down a full time job — found ways to support me financially.

- What were the early days of the U.S. National Team like?

Our journey during those years was so important in terms of women’s water polo gaining full Olympic status. The Europeans, who controlled so much of our sport, felt that water polo was too violent for women to play. So, many of their countries did not support teams for their women.

The first huge event for women was back in 1978. We were invited to play in the Aquatics World Championships in Berlin but at the exhibition level. After we played we gained support from FINA and official status in all future Aquatics World Championships.

I could fill a book from story after story of our journey to get women’s water polo to the Olympics. Our women enjoy full Olympic status today because of all the women who played this game from 1978 to 1990, as well as many incredible leaders who fought for the women along this journey, such as Sandy Nitta, Doc Hunkler, Jane Hale, and others.

The first countries that competed in women’s water polo at the 1978, 1982 and 1986 were Australia, Canada, Holland, USA, New Zealand and Hungry and then many others followed. We knew that when Australia hosted the World Championships in 1991 women’s water polo would get that final push it needed to gain full status.

Unfortunately, me and many of my teammates could not hang on. We were already in our 30’s and life took over. Only one of our teammates, Maureen O’Toole — the most decorated female water polo player in history — made that first Olympic team. But our journey is what set all of this in motion. I’m really, really proud of the women I played with [and] the coaches on that journey because we’re the ones that opened the door for the women of today.

- What makes the Fighting Flamingos go?

It was a combination of Slippery Rock alumni — and that’s who started this — Tracy Grilli is the hero…. She’s the one who started this team. I’m so thankful for Tracy and all the other women who have played with the Flamingo’s since it was started. With the addition of some of my former National Team teammates they have played a long time together with nothing but success.

It is pure joy to play with women who have been on this journey with you since you were 18. Every year there’s a core group of our team who have competed in World Championships at Stanford, Canada and this upcoming August hopefully we will have a team in Budapest representing the USA. When we started this journey into masters there wasn’t even a 40’s age group. So we’re the ones pushing it from 40’s to 45’s to 50’s. Now we’re getting ready to have 60 – 65 age group, which is incredible.

I’ll never forget this past summer at Master’s when young women who were in the 20’s and 30’s would come up to us and said: “Oh my God we hope we’re playing when we’re your age.” And our thoughts are: “They’re really thinking “Those ladies should be dead and how on earth are they still playing this game?”

- How was this year’s Masters for you?

I was playing for two age groups this year — not only with the Flamingos, which is all I should have been playing with, but a younger age group team from Hawaii wanted me to play with them. I was on my fifth game in a day and a half — swimming wise in great shape — but I have a bad shoulder from years on the national team and have already had two prior surgeries. During a game my shoulder dislocated so far that it got lodged under my shoulder joint. I was nursing it along to get to nationals [but] ended up having to go to the hospital; after three pretty painful attempts by the doc, he finally got in back into the joint and stabilized it so I could travel home. I am very proud of the fact that I was able to get back to the pool and coach our final game.

I am 14 weeks post-complete reconstructive surgery. The surgeon said that my shoulder was a train wreck. I had everything: I had to have the rotator cuff reattached along with the labrum and both bicep muscles. I had bone spurs taken out and he had to fix the head of the humerus. The doctor told me it would be a minimum of nine-months to even take a swim stroke with many more months to recover. Prior to the surgery I told my doctor: “I’m not rehabbing this to make Christmas cookies. I want to come back to play water polo.”

His response: “You are crazy! I can do the surgery but you’ve got to do the rehab.”

I’m sitting here in an arm brace — I travel the world constantly — thinking: “How am I going to do this?!” I have to do it! It’s for my teammates. I haven’t come this far to have my journey end with this injury. I want it to end on my terms.

So, I’m going to rehab it and it’s going to be brutal but I want to come back for my teammates. Even at 60 it doesn’t end. I am happy to say that my physical therapist has me already swimming breaststroke with lots of water exercises that are strengthening my shoulder every day. 

- It doesn’t matter how good you are as long as you have a sport you can play for as long as you like.

I’m 59 and I’m going to be 60 — I still get to play my game. It doesn’t look like what it was when we were forty, let alone thirty but it doesn’t matter. It’s such a privilege to have this opportunity and for Tracy, Debbie [Cavanaugh] and Cindra [Mirales] to continue to play and organize this team all these years later just for the joy is such a gift. At the same time even at sixty, we still want to win that gold medal. We continue to play this game because it has given us so much starting with lifetime friendships. We love each other and support each other through life’s challenges throughout the year but then we get together and play our sport. 

- What has been the impact of Title IX on your athletic career?

I was someone who was absolutely impacted by Title IX. Title IX became law in 1972 when I was in high school.

It’s proven time and time again that when girls are given the opportunity to play they will show up and show up big. I still would not have changed my journey as driving across country, sleeping on gym floors and homes everywhere is what helped to define who I am. I have so much gratitude for what I have now and thankfulness for all those who have helped me along my journey.

What I do worry about today is how many colleges have dropped sports for men instead of increasing opportunities for women. Instead of putting financial limits on college football those same leaders dropped sports such as water polo, swimming and track for men. This was not what Title IX was about. Many were angry at women for taking away these men’s teams when the anger should have been put on the male leaders making these very poor decisions.

There is so much research out there about how sports participation for girls and women has led to the success of many female leaders around the world. Things such as learning how to be a teammate, discipline, building confidence, humility and passion for their sport has had a direct impact on their future earnings and careers.

After those initial years, progress for women slowed again as many leaders were not willing to make the tough decisions. For example, back in the early 80’s when I arrived to coach at Bucknell University, the men’s teams were traveling in nice buses while the women were still driving vans. There were meal, recruiting and many other budget differences and as a young strong female coach it was not easy to step up to fight for equality.

Years later the NCAA stepped in and implemented a process whereby schools had to [document] all of the spending in men’s and women’s sports and it was at this point where progress for female teams improved again.

I have stood up my entire career fighting for equality but if were not for the support of Doc Hunkler, I know that I would not be where I am today. Along with strong women we also had male leaders in the 70’s who were far ahead of their time in terms of seeing female athletes and teams as equal to their male counterparts and that was Doc.

I remain even more concerned about one aspect of Title IX that has really hurt women and that is coaching and at the administrative level across all levels of sports. Back in the 70’s and 80’s 85% of the coaches for woman’s team were women. You take all of Division I, Division II, Division III and NAIA coaching positions, and we have dropped well into the 40th percentile. If you cannot see us, you cannot strive to be us. If you ask me this is a crisis. Most of the decision makers at the collegiate and high school level are men. They seem to be more comfortable hiring males for so many of these positions.

- How have your life’s pursuit impacted your family?

First and foremost that part of my life did not start until after I retired from the National Team. Every break and holiday was spent either training in California or traveling around the world playing water polo. I was well into my 30’s when I got married and started to have children. Along with my husband Scott I have raised three of my own and helped with a fourth .

Of course I had to marry someone who was strong in his own life but also saw women as equals. To be the partner of a coach at any level is not easy, but when I was coaching at Bucknell with three little ones having someone who saw Scott as part of my team made our life so much better. He was the guy watching the kids on training trips but also the one who took my swimmers wherever they needed to go as I was exhausted.

Once my son — who was very young at the time — made a statement saying that “boys can do so much more then girls” which clearly got lots of attention. I think my husband was the first to say: “Yep, he will never ever say anything like this again.”

My passion for coaching and sport gave my kids some amazing opportunities. They were always around smart and high achieving collegiate student-athletes. They grew up in gyms and pools all across the country, which also gave them a great love for sports and leadership. What we as parents are the most proud of is that our kids have grown up to be kind and caring adults. Serving others with exceptional kindness is what I see in all of my kids and so much of this came from who they were surrounded with as young children.

From a leadership standpoint I have been a high school athletic director, a collegiate athletic director and I’m back coaching boys and girls swimming when I’m in town. As much as we all want to win, coaching and success is about relationships. I’m a relationship-driven leader, coach and mentor. [Through] my own company True Brand Sports I travel around the world and do workshops for coaches on how to inspire their students-athletes, how to weave character development into skills and drills. I share that it is a privilege coaching someone else’s child and that we as coaches have so much power. Power that can transform for the better each child but we can also hurt those we coach with weak coaching. Coaching is leadership in action and I know that are many great coaches out there but there are still coaches who use fear, bullying and negative behaviors in their coaches and this needs to stop.

We know the impact of a great coach; it’s transformational for life. Like Carl Quigley at St. Francis Brooklyn] who you get to see. But we need to give coaches more education and opportunities to learn how to coach for character, caring and love. Many coaches coach how they were coached and do not receive the training they need to coach the age group that they are coaching. They need to be experts at child. Would you go to a doctor that had no training or continuing education on a regular basis? Would you go to a lawyer that had no training? There’s no real training for coaches, which is why I am so passionate about what I do and the message that I deliver.

I say to coaches: “It is so important to get it right. This athlete that you’re coaching may come back to be the coach of your beautiful grandchild. What do you want him/her to know?”

- What is your feeling about the current U.S. Women’s National Team?

As you can imagine I am a huge fan of this team of women and every team since I retired from playing. We all carry so much pride for the team over the years. I am also a huge fan of their coach, Adam Krikorian. He just gets it and represents our country, sport and profession with so much dignity. You see how the women respond to him. I have loved watching him with this team and hearing from the ladies on the team about his coaching style and his love and care for each of them. He is a relationship driven coach and you can clearly see the results from that type of coaching.

This year I — along with everyone who follows the team — had such heavy hearts as Adam continued to coach our ladies after the sudden death of his brother. To see the ladies drape their gold medals around his neck after the Gold Medal Game was not just to honor his brother but to celebrate the fact that they love him to his core because of how he coaches them.

When the women played in Sydney — the first Olympics after I retired — it was 3 o’clock in the morning when the gold medal game was being played. I lived on the East Coast while my coach, Sandy Nitta was in Las Vegas and my teammates scattered around the West Coast. It was so awesome as we were all texting and calling each other during the game. We were sharing our own memories but enjoying the fact that our teammate Maureen O’Toole was representing all of us in the Olympics and she carried our hearts and spirit with her.

I remember how excited I was without no jealousy and thoughts that it should have been us. We had our time and we carried the torch right up to the finish line and the next generations has carried it forward with such character, pride, passion, integrity and grit that just thinking about the teams over the years makes me smile.