Rowena Webster

Rowena Webster
Personal information
Nationality  Australian
Born 27 December 1987
Melbourne, Victoria
Residence Balwyn North, Victoria
Height 177 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 81 kg (179 lb)
Sport
Country Australia
Sport Water polo
Event(s) Women's team
College team Arizona State University
Club Richmond Tigers
Team Victorian Seals
Turned pro 2008

Rowena Webster (born 27 December 1987 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian water polo centre back. She has attended Korowa Anglican Girls' School and Arizona State University. As youngster, she played Australian rules football and was involved with surf lifesaving. She started playing water polo as a ten-year-old. She has played for the Richmond Tigers, the Victorian State team, Arizona State University and a professional side in Greece. She has represented Australia as a member of Australia women's national water polo team on both the junior and senior level. She has earned gold medals at the 2011 Canada Cup, and the 2007 FINA Junior World Championships. She earned a silver medal at the 2010 FINA World League Super Finals. She earned bronze medals at the 2010 FINA Women's Water Polo World Cup and the 2009 FINA World League Super Finals. She is one of seventeen players fighting for thirteen spots to represent the country at the 2012 Summer Olympics in water polo.

Personal

Webster was born on 27 December 1987 in Melbourne, Victoria.[1][2][3][4][3] Her grandfather was Warwick Wathen, who competed at the Davis Cup as a junior. Her mother is a physiotherapist. She has a sister who also plays water polo, but her sister has not represented Australia on the national team.[5]

Webster is 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) tall, weighs 81 kilograms (179 lb) and is right handed.[1][5] She has two tattoos: ""One life no regrets" & a compass of the latitude and longitude of Melbourne and Anglesea".[1]

Webster attended Korowa Anglican Girls' School and used to play Australian rules football as a youngster.[5][6] She took up surf lifesaving as a seven-year-old.[7] She studied for her Victorian Certificate of Education in 2005.[6] She spent a year studying at Arizona State University on scholarship where she studied physiotherapy.[7] She is currently on scholarship at the Victorian Institute of Sport, working on a Bachelor of physical education in secondary teaching, and[1] living in Balwyn North, Victoria.[5] Her Stingers teammate Melissa Rippon says she is "A girly girl but not too girly. She loves her shoes, loves getting her hair done."[5]

Water polo

five women in bathing suits sitting on chairs
The third of a five game test series against the Great Britain women's national water polo team on 25 February 2012. Australia won 15–6. On the far left is Bronwen Knox, then Zoe Arancini, Melissa Rippon, Rowena Webster, Hannah Buckling.

Webster started playing water polo as a ten-year-old,[7] and more seriously as a twelve-year-old in Melbourne, Australia[1] acting as a fill in for her older sister's team at that age.[8] In 2010 and 2011, she had a water polo scholarship from the Victorian Institute of Sport.[1][9][10][11] She prefers to wear cap number seven and is a utility player[1] who can be found in the centre back position.[5] She has scars on her back from opposition players biting her there during games.[5] She feels a need to wear a mouth guard during every game she plays.[1] Her water polo club is the Richmond Tigers.[1] In 2003, she played for the club at State League Level 1, the highest ability league open to players of all ages.[7] She first represented the state of Victoria in 2000.[7] In 2003, she was Victorian team captain.[7] In 2003, she woke up at "4.40 am twice a week for training and swimming three afternoons a week".[7] In 2005, she was putting in "three gym sessions, three swimming drills, [and] six rounds of water polo practice" a week.[6] That year, she represented the state of Victoria at the Australian Water Polo Championships.[6] She also represented the state in 2005 at the National Schoolgirls Water Polo Competition held Noosa, Queensland.[6]

Club water polo

Webster played for the Victorian Tigers of the National Water Polo League in 2004 during the team's first year of existence.[8][12] She also played for the team in 2005,[8] 2007,[12] 2009,[13] 2010,[14] 2011[15] and 2012.[16]

University water polo

Webster attended Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona on a water polo scholarship when she was an eighteen-year-old but only spent a year with the team.[5][8][17]

Professional water polo

As a nineteen-year-old, Webster played for a professional team in Greece[5] for five months in 2008. While playing in Greece, she had to deal with a culture of water polo that tolerated biting of other players during games. She left Greece to concentrate on making Australia's national team for the Olympics.[17]

Junior national team

Webster has represented Australia on the junior national level. In 2003, she was chosen for the Youth Olympic Composite Team.[7] In 2004, she was a member of Australia's U17 team that played matches against the United States and New Zealand.[8] In 2005, she was chosen as a member of Australia's U20 national team[6][8] and played with the team during a 20-day tour of Italy, Greece and Spain.[6] She was a member of the junior national side at the 2007 FINA U20 World Championships in Porto, Portugal[18] that took home gold[1] after going undefeated in the tournament.[19]

Senior national team

Webster is a member of the Australia women's national water polo team.[2] She was a member of the team that earned a bronze at the 2009 FINA World League Super Finals in Kirishi, Russia.[1] In 2009, she was a member of a team that competed at the FINA World Championships. She played in the semi-finals game against New Zealand that Australia won 14–4. In the game, she scored three goals.[20] Her team finished sixth overall.[1] In 2010, she was a member of the national team that competed in the preliminary rounds of the FINA World League in Japan from 21–23 May and in China from 26–28 May.[10] In May 2010, she was a member of the team that competed at the FINA World League Asia-Oceania zone held in Osaka, Japan and Tianjin, China.[21] In the FINA World League Super Finals in La Jolla, California in 2010, her team earned a silver medal.[1]

In 2010, Webster was a member of the Stingers squad that competed at the FINA World Cup in Christchurch, New Zealand.[9][22] In the team's bronze medal finals 10–8 victory over the United States, she scored a goal.[22] Australia finished the tournament with a bronze medal.[1]

At the 2011 Canada Cup, Webster scored two goals in the first period in the gold medal match against China. She scored four total goals in the match. The team won the game.[2] In July 2011, she was a member of the Australian Stingers that competed in the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai as a field player.[23] In preparation for this tournament, she attended a team training camp in Perth, Western Australia.[24] She competed in the pool play match against Uzbekistan where Australia won 27–2. In the match, she scored four goals.[25]

Webster competed in the Pan Pacific Championships in January 2012 for the Australian Stingers.[26] She scored a goal in a Stingers 8–7 win over the United States.[27] In February 2012, she was named to the final training squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics. She attended training camp that started on 20 February 2012 at the Australian Institute of Sport.[4] The team of seventeen players will be cut to thirteen before the team departs for the Olympic games,[28] with the announcement being made on 13 June.[29] She was part of the Stingers squad that competed in a five game test against Great Britain at the AIS in late February 2012. This was the team's first matches against Great Britain's national team in six years.[28] In the first game of the test series on 21 February 2012 that Australia won 13 – 5, she scored three goals.[30] She competed in the third match, where Australia won 15–6 and she scored three goals. She competed in the fourth match where Australia won 14–8. In the match, she scored two goals and was one of Australia's best players in the game.[31]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 "Australian Water Polo Inc.: Webster, Rowena". Sydney, Australia: Australian Water Polo. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Aussie Stingers finish Canada Cup undefeated after claiming gold over China : News Centre : Australian Sports Commission". Bruce, Australian Capital Territory: Australian Sport Commission. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "London 2012 – Stingers announce 2012 senior squad". London @ Australian Olympic Committee. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 <-train-squad-announced.htm "Final Aussie Stingers Olympic train on Squad Announced". International Business Times. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Johnston, Chris (17 September 2011). "Feisty young gun isn't one for treading water – OLYMPIC DREAMS – 'I have a scar on my forearm from being bitten'". The Age (Melbourne, Australia). p. 7. 20110917000034681694. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 "Sacrifices for success". Leader – Progress Press (Melbourne, Australia). 14 June 2005. p. 17. PPV_T-20050614-1-017-303828. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Adams, Chloe (21 October 2003). "Surging to major goals". Leader – Progress Press (Melbourne, Australia). p. 6. PPV_T-20031021-1-006-069713. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Rolfe, Peter (1 February 2005). "Big sis the catalyst for career". Leader – Progress Press (Melbourne, Australia). p. 20. PPV_T-20050201-1-020-957212. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Southern makes Stingers". Innisfail Advocate (Australia). 18 August 2010. p. 16.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Canberra Times: SCOREBOARD". The Canberra Times (Canberra, Australia: Financial Times Limited – Asia Africa Intelligence Wire). 15 May 2010. WCTS78802884. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  11. ↑ "AAP News: Water Polo Team Australian Women". AAP News (Australia: Financial Times Limited – Asia Africa Intelligence Wire). 14 May 2010. WAAP78793873. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Australian Water Polo Inc. (2008). "Vic w". Sydney, Australia. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  13. ↑ Australian Water Polo Inc. (2009). "Victorian Tigers". Sydney, Australia. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  14. ↑ Australian Water Polo Inc. (2010). "Vic Tigers". Sydney, Australia. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  15. ↑ Australian Water Polo Inc. (2011). "Vic Tigers". Sydney, Australia. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  16. ↑ Australian Water Polo Inc. (2012). "2012 Victorian Tigers Women". Sydney, New South Wales. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Sharkie, Michael (14 December 2008). "YOUNG ACHIEVERS". The Sunday Age (Melbourne, Australia). p. 23. 20081214000030643200. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  18. ↑ Australian Water Polo Inc. (2009). "Australian Water Polo Inc.: Junior Women Squad". Sydney, Australia. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  19. ↑ Sewell, Eliza (21 August 2007). "Green and gold gold". Leader – Progress Press (Melbourne, Australia). p. 62. PPV_T-20070821-1-062-082117. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  20. ↑ Jeffery, Nicole (24 July 2009). "Mitcham pushes the enevelope". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  21. ↑ Australian Water Polo Inc. (2012). "Australian Female Teams". Sydney, Australia. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Forrest, Brad (17 August 2010). "'Ticker' gets team a big win". St. George and Sutherland Shire Leader (New South Wales, Australia). 1915382. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  23. ↑ "Canberra Times: SCOREBOARD". The Canberra Times (Canberra, Australia: Financial Times Limited – Asia Africa Intelligence Wire). 6 July 2011. WCTS88924540.
  24. ↑ "AAP News: WPOL:Stingers squad named for worlds". AAP News (Australia: Financial Times Limited – Asia Africa Intelligence Wire). 5 July 2011. WAAP88910998.
  25. ↑ "AAP News: WPOL:Stingers dish out Uzbek hiding". AAP News (Australia: Financial Times Limited – Asia Africa Intelligence Wire). 21 July 2011. WAAP89326891.
  26. ↑ Packwood, David (1 January 2012). "London looms as a splash and grab job – – COUNTRY SPORT". The Sunday Telegraph (Sydney, Australia). p. 073.
  27. ↑ Paxinos, Stathi (12 January 2012). "First blood to Stingers". The Age (Melbourne, Australia). p. 8.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Tuxworth, Jon (21 February 2012). "Stinger survivors in the swim for third Olympics". The Canberra Times (Canberra, Australian Capital Territory). p. 19.
  29. ↑ Brinsden, Colin (15 February 2012). "Powerhouse attacking shot recognised internationally". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  30. ↑ "Scoreboard". The Canberra Times (Canberra, Australia). 22 February 2012. p. 19.
  31. ↑ "Australian Water Polo Inc.: Australia v Great Britain Test Series: Stingers too good for Brits". Sydney, Australia: Australian Water Polo. 27 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
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