Chris Mayer
Staff Writer
Ben Young / Photo Editor
Over the years, thousands of students, teachers, faculty, fans, opponents, refs and lifeguards have come and gone from Raleigh Runnels pool. Of these thousands, perhaps a few hundred are regulars, living day-to-day with the smell of chlorine and wet hair. Of these hundred perhaps a dozen or so stay more than four years. Of this dozen, only one, Terry Schroeder, can say he first jumped in when he was a freshman in 1977 and to this day can still be found poolside almost every day. Schroeder is a four-time Olympian and current coach of Pepperdine men’s water polo team.
Schroeder graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine in 1981. While playing water polo at Pepperdine, he was a three-time all-American and in 1978, during his sophomore year, he was invited to join the national team. Schroeder’s first opportunity to play in the Olympics two years later was disappointed by the boycott of the 1980 games.
Four years later, Schroeder returned to the Olympics in 1984, when Pepperdine played host to that year’s water polo games.
“Having been there as a student was great,” Schroeder said. “It was a like coming home.”
Team USA brought home a silver medal that year, a feat that they would repeat in the 1988 games in Seoul.
During his time as a water polo player, Schroeder was recognized as both a leader and an example worth following. He had a reputation of never losing his temper during a game and maintaining control of himself, whatever the situation.
“I let my actions control my emotions instead of letting my emotions control my actions,” Schroeder said.
Schroeder played the two-meter position, which he likened to a center in basketball. Unlimited penalties are allowed in water polo, making fouling the two-meter man a popular strategy. Schroeder would often receive up to 75 fouls a game and even needed 100 stitches in his face on one occasion. Despite this, Schroeder never lost his cool, and would go on to lead his team to many international victories throughout the years.
“The way to get back was to score or assist,” Schroeder said. “I made sure we won on the scoreboard.”
Not only was he known for his emotional composure, but also for his leadership and loyalty to his team. Schroeder was elected team captain in 1981 and stayed through 1982. He would again be elected to lead the team to a fourth-place Olympic victory in 1992, after coming out of a four year retirement.
As a team captain, Schroeder exemplified the concept of a servant leader. It was this idea of serving the team that made him a respected captain and honored player. He was never afraid to take the blame for something to take the heat off of a teammate.
“I did whatever it took to make the team work,” said Schroeder.
He went on to explain that he has tried to be a servant leader not only in the arena of water polo, but in all aspects of his life.
Schroeder’s chance to coach at Pepperdine came in 1984 when Howard White, president of the school at the time, approached him with the opportunity.
“I think it was God’s plan for me to end up back at Pepperdine,” Schroeder said. He said he could not refuse the chance to return to the same pool in which he had won so much prestige in the past. He considered the chance to coach as “a great opportunity to learn to be better, a better person and a better father,” Schroeder said.
In addition to his position as Pepperdine’s water polo coach, Schroeder is also a father of two girls, husband and chiropractor.
From playing as a college student, to the Olympics, to becoming a coach, Schroeder has competed all over the map. He has been hailed as one of water polo’s greatest players for both his talent and quality of character. These experiences in competing have taught Schroeder some important lessons on life. He learned the value of taking responsibility for his actions, win or lose, along with the value of being a servant leader.
“The most important thing I took away was learning the fact that what lasts in life are the relationships between the people we touch and between those who touch us,” Schroeder said.
02-02-2005
