One of the most potent forces on the men’s water polo team never takes the pool.
Rick Offsay ’05 played his last game for Harvard last year. Instead of
leaving his beloved team, Offsay postponed his matriculation at Harvard
Law School for one year to work side-by-side with Coach Erik Farrar
during the season.
After leading the team for two years as a captain, Offsay has easily
transitioned to the role of coaching his former teammates and friends .
“Everyone who plays makes a certain impact in the program,” Farrar
said. “Rick is a guy who is going to leave in serious footprints, not
only for shepparding the team through turbulent areas, but also for his
leadership.”
Offsay, who was just the third player to be an All-American in the
twenty-five year history of the water polo program, now complements
Farrar’s coaching style with his incredible knowledge of the game. He
was a powerful offensive force during his time at Harvard, playing the
hole set position and known for scoring goals in dramatic fashion while
being plunged under water.
“He and I have a different set of views on the game,” Farrar said. “He
brings a superb knowledge of the game, and he’s a great teacher. On a
team like ours where have a many men learning the craft, it’s an
excellent asset to have him there to teach us.”
THE “RICK RULE”
Even though Offsay stays on the sidelines during games, he still enjoys leading the team by example during practices.
“They guys haze him a little bit in the pool,” Farrar said. “We had to
have a ‘Rick Rule’ during scrimmages that it was not appropriate for
all five perimeter players to come in on him. The guys are severely
tested; if he gets his hands on the ball cleanly, something will
happen.”
Because of his knowledge and skills, Offsay commands respect from both his former teammates and the new freshmen.
For his fellow teammates, it feels as if he has not left yet. The
players are glad to still have access to the wealth of knowledge he
offers.
“It almost feels like Rick is part of the team still,” junior John
Voith said. “Rick’s the type of guy where he gels with all of us just
as if nothing has changed, but he can also turn it on so that the
coaching element comes out; he can be real serious and let us know what
has to be done in terms of being successful.”
Offsay has helped the team in a variety of ways, from jumping in the
pool during practice to helping encourage the team during games. His
talents range beyond the pool as well, as he has been known to drive
the athletic van around to pick up recruits.
BEATING THE BEARS
Both Offsay and the players recall the team’s win against Brown earlier
this season as a momentous turning point during the season. Earlier in
the year, the young team was having trouble creating offensive
chemistry and scoring.
Voith recalls Offsay telling the team it had the potential to succeed, but needed to change its attitude.
“He said you guys just need to get it done. He just kept repeating that
it was all about attitude,” Voith said. “When we came out and we beat
Brown, it was a huge turning point in our season.”
Offsay agrees that beating Farrar’s alma mater, and the team’s biggest Ivy rival, was the best part of the season.
“We beat them the last three times I was there,” Offsay said. “Once as
a player in sudden death overtime, once as a spectator to watch the
women win in dramatic fashion, and as a coach. I feel like we own that
pool a little.”
AN INFLUENCE THAT ECHOES
As for Offsay, he sees water polo being in his future for a long time.
After traveling to Australia to play in the national league in the
spring, Offsay will return as a volunteer coach next year while he
begins studying law.
While in Australia, Offsay will be playing with the Freemantle Mariners, a team located in Perth.
Since Australia has no collegiate system, he will be entering a league
with both young college players and more experienced national team
players and Olympians.
Offsay is no stranger to playing in international waters, as he spent
the last summer playing in Israel making a name for himself.
Upon returning to Harvard, however, his closeness to the team has
helped the new coach discover how to teach the people he had played
alongside with just a few months earlier.
“I feel like I know what they’ll respond to because I’ve spent so much
time with them,” Offsay said. “I know who I can yell at and who I need
to coddle a little more. I know who will respond to what coaching
styles, which helps me, since I’m new to coaching.”
Observing Farrar has also helped Offsay learn to become a coach. While
Offsay helped give the new coach information about the team, Offsay
says Farrar helped him learn how to achieve a “balance” while coaching.
“He’s as much of a competitor as the other players, but he knows when
to back off and to gave positive feedback,” Offsay said. “He’s been the
stable guy the team can look to, particularly in comparison to the
other coaches we’ve had in the past.”
The team of Farrar and Offsay has helped the water polo team reach the
Eastern Championships, something the team missed out on during the two
years before Farrar arrived. Men’s water polo placed third at Eastern’s
his freshman year, and Offsay, along with a team of strong seniors,
helped bring the team back into contention for that title last year,
restoring the program to where it was earlier.
Regardless of how the team performs this weekend, according to Farrar,
Offsay has undoubtedly had a positive impact on both the team and the
program in general.
“He has an influence that echoes far beyond the years he has spent in the program,” Farrar said.
—Staff writer Megha Parekh can be reached at parekh@fas.harvard.edu.
Read more in Sports
SIDEBAR: Defense Overwhelms Green