UH water polo coach Roy goes by book
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
While Michel Roy (pronounced me-SHELL wa) wades through the paperwork that bridges Vancouver and his new career as University of Hawai'i water polo coach, he has two assignments for his new players in Manoa.
• Education College of Business Administration College Saint-Foy and College Merici (Quebec) • Water polo job experience 1995-present: Pacific Storm head coach 1999-present: Canadian junior national men's coach 1985-present: B.C. Water Polo Association technical director, provincial coach 1995-99: Canadian senior national women's head coach 1985-94: Canadian men's national program coach (A, B and Junior teams) 1991-92: Assistant to U.S. men's national team head coach Rich Corso 1987-91: University of British Columbia Water Polo Club head coach 1985-95: Vancouver Reign Club head coach (senior and junior men, women) 1982-85: B.C. Provincial senior women's head coach • Playing experience 1982: Senior men's national champion (B.C.) 1980: Junior men's national champion (St.-Foy)
Learn to "read Canadian" and think speed.
Michel Roy resume
"If you're not fast," Roy says, "you can get scared."
When Roy gets here — and it took UH track coach Carmyn James, also from Canada, months to work through the visa quagmire — he will bring his precious "Canadian Tactical Book." He began composing his system in 1985, published it nearly a decade ago and revises it annually.
It will be the Rainbow Wahine bible for as long as he is here. Roy, who expects to actually touch Hawaiian ground next month, hopes it is a long time.
"It's a great challenge," says Roy, officially hired Aug. 2 but still in North Vancouver. "I'm really looking forward to it. First, Hawai'i is a beautiful place. And second, with the right coach, Hawai'i could be a powerhouse. Who would not want to go to Hawai'i for four years and study and play water polo? They are at the top level, in the best league with the best teams. It's my challenge to make them an NCAA champion one day. It's my goal."
Roy was born in Quebec City in 1960 and began playing water polo at 14. In 1982, early in his coaching career, he moved to Vancouver. From there, he has coached teams to 30 national titles in six divisions. More than 50 of his athletes have played on national teams and another handful have become U.S. collegiate All-Americans.
That last group includes former Rainbow Wahine Marie-Luc Arpin and Karin Umemura, who both wrote letters of recommendation for him. Roy also sent Lila Fraser and Christi Bardecki this way, helping previous UH coaches Shari Smart and Cindy Rote to a 112-68 record in the program's first five years.
Right man for job
"When we were in Vancouver, he built our program pretty much from nothing and I think it's the best club in Canada now," says Umemura, a special education teacher in Modesto, Calif. "His player interaction is really good and tactically he's very good. And he's got lots of international experience. He's excellent. He'll do good things."
UH spoke to former Olympians Chris Duplanty and Maureen O'Toole about the position. The timing wasn't right for either to leave California.
Duplanty, a Punahou graduate, was married during the UH search. O'Toole, a former UH swimmer who expressed early interest, eventually decided it would be too difficult to devote herself to a new job and care for her 12-year-old daughter without her support system.
At that point, Hawai'i couldn't look past Roy's 18 years of international experience and four UH proteges.
"I think he's a great guy," O'Toole says. "The Canadian national team has always been good and he's been involved in it. I've seen him coach. He's positive and disciplined. They'll have a great connection for Canadians coming in, which will help."
Roy knew after his first visit that Hawai'i would be the only place he could live in the U.S. When he came back 18 months ago and heard Smart was thinking of leaving, he started seriously pondering the possibilities in paradise. He liked the program and the fact that Smart had recruits from "all over the place."
"One of my first thoughts when I filled out my application was, if you have a good coach there you'll have athletes for life," Roy said. "People will go home and say Hawai'i is a great place to be."
Extensive recruiting
He hopes to bring in "world-class athletes" not only from Canada and Australia, but all over the Pacific Rim. When they get here, there will be tactics to learn and "Canadian expressions and numbers" to comprehend. He characterizes his tactics as a road map to a game that emphasizes quickness and counter-attacking.
"I hope they'll be scared to play offense against us because we have a strong counter-attack," Roy says. "I hope my experience, knowledge, and my little book, will change water polo in Hawai'i.
"I have international experience and connections. I hope people will understand this is a good program to learn about water polo. The goal is to produce U.S. national team athletes so (U.S. coach) Guy Baker will have to break his unwritten rule that they all must be from California."
