Headed for big time

Annika Dries has had a busy summer at the pool.

Fun and games? You bet. Call it a pool party, of sorts.

But it’s been a lot of work, too, and the experience has proved to be invaluable to the Laguna Beach High athlete.

Dries recently returned from Australia where she played on the USA ’91 Women’s Junior National Team that competed at the ’90 Global Championships in Brisbane.

Last week, she played on the USA Junior team that competed at the ’88 Global Championships in Los Alamitos.

In each instance, USA won the tournament title.

The tournament in Australia “” Dries returned from Down Under on July 7 “” was a double round-robin format that pitted teams from the USA, Australia (two) and New Zealand against each other.

The Los Alamitos tournament also had a double round-robin setup and featured teams from the USA, Australia and Canada.

“I had a great time in Australia,” said Dries, a two-meter player who will enter her senior year at Laguna Beach in September. “We came out as the second-place team from our bracket but ended up winning the tournament.

“When it comes to playing internationally, you really have to play as a team, play your role, especially on defense, and fill your responsibilities.

“There are some really exceptional players at this level, but what I learned is that you really need to come together as a team in order to be successful.”

The 16-year-old said that going up against international competition has taught her to play “more aggressively,” and that the speed and intensity of the game is “higher.”

Dries has been a part of the Olympic Development Program for several years.

She said she had to go through a national team tryout process to become part of the Women’s Junior National Team. This year marks her first “official” year on the Junior Team training roster, she said, although she has been part of the program with the Cadet National Team in 2005 and 2006 and with the Youth National Team in 2006 and 2007.

In addition to her Junior team duties, Dries is on the nine-member 2008 Women’s Senior National Olympic Scout team. The scout team learns and simulates the offensive and defensive schemes of opponents that the USA women’s water polo team could face next month at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

Dries was selected to the team during a camp held at the end of May, competing against athletes from several colleges and international clubs for a spot on the squad.

She said she trained with the Olympic-bound team for a week, and possibly will train with it in the coming week.

“I was given the opportunity to train with the team as they prepare for the Summer Olympics,” Dries said. “It gave me the chance to see the level that I would like to play at in the future.

“I got to see how intense the practices were. It’s like a job for these girls, playing on the team. It was a great experience.”

Said Bernice Orwig, USA Water Polo coordinator for the Women’s National Team: “Annika has been a part of our Olympic Development Program for several years now and we are excited to be part of her continuing development as an athlete.”

Dries said she’ll be watching the USA Olympic team as it competes next month for a gold medal in Beijing.

“I’m really excited to see how they do,” she said. “If they work hard they can win it. They have the talent. I’ve seen that first-hand. I really hope things work out for them.”