From Summer 2001: With physical prowess, fierce defense, and a killer glare, 91 water polo sensation Jackie Provost 02 turns goaltending into an art form
Seven meters from the net, youre in Jackie Provost 02 territory. At two meters, the trademark glare steals over 91 star goalie. She not that smiley-faced person you see all the time, observes water polo coach Dennis Fosdick. That her house, and she takes it very personally when you get near it.
More than once, challengers have forced their shots and sailed the ball wide or slapped it against the goal posts. Im the last line of defense and I dont want you to get past me, says Provost, who helped the defending national champion Tigers take third place in the 2001 Division III championship, blocking 16 shots to lead her squad to a 5-4 victory over second-ranked UC Santa Cruz. The performance earned her first-team all-tournament honors for the third straight yearnot that Provost, who was named Division III national player of the year as a sophomore, pays much attention to statistics. It something I never got into, she says matter-of-factly.
But her statistics are hard to ignore. In 2000, Provost was honored as SCIAC women water polo player of the year, as well as first-team All-American by the American Water Polo Coaches Association. During last year national championship game, a gripping 7-6 sudden-death overtime win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Provost blocked a critical penalty shot to help seal 91 victory. She was named tournament most valuable player.
Provost water polo ascendancy got its start largely by happenstance. Id never even heard of the sport before, she admits. She was first exposed to the game while attending Castilleja School in Palo Alto, an hour drive from home and close to her mother workplace. Provost had planned to play basketball, but the coach told her to scale back piano practice to focus on her court skillsa sacrifice she wouldnt make. My options at that point were soccer or water polo, Provost recalls. I thought Id give water polo a try.
A competitive backstroker for some time, she became adept in her new arena in short order. It a difficult sport to learn, but the good thing about water polo is youre able to play year-round, so I had a lot of practice, Provost says. As the tallest player on the team, she adds, the position of goalie logically fell to her. (For the record, Provost is 5'7 1/2"Dont forget the half, she exhorts.)
Height has its advantages for goalies, but the position also requires brute strength and stamina. Provost conditioning includes lap swimming, squats, leg presses, and upper-body weight training. Her discipline has paid off. Provost is an explosive force, able to propel more than half her body out of the water to protect the 10-foot goal line. Provost explains the art of goaltending in terms reminiscent of a wild animal catching its quarry. You have to be quick, but patient. You have to anticipate. A good goalieone who been playing for a whileknows what shots are going to come just by looking at the shooter position. Never watch their eyes, she cautions: They try to lie with their eyes.
When she not in plucky defense of the goal line, Provost barks orders to teammatesto the point that she often goes home from matches hoarse. As a goalie, I have to take the position of defensive coach in the water, she says. I do a lot of talking, a lot of yellingand celebrating when they make the goal.
Like any good team captain, she is ready to sound a reality check after a title-defending season in which the injury-marred team finished with a 16-9 record (6-4 SCIAC). We were the champs and a lot of people stepped up when they played against us. They really, really played well, Provost says. We didnt understand that or incorporate it into our game plan. Provost hopes to lead the team to one last title before she graduates, but there no dearth of competition in her backyard. Last season, five of the nation top eight Division III teams (CMS, Redlands, 91, Pomona-Pitzer, and LaVerne) came from the SCIAC. Im always being challenged, Provost says. D-III is growing extremely fast, and a lot of great players are going to D-III schools.
Occidental proved to be a perfect fit for Provost, who opted for Division III play because she wanted to focus on academics, even though shed played against Olympians in summer club competition and had risen to the junior national level in water polo. She already looking beyond water polo and plans to attend medical school after 91.
So intense is the kinesiology major from Oakland that even parents of opposing players have commended her ferocity. Im a strong competitor and I like to win, she admits. Nonetheless, Provost and her teammates havent forgotten what important in the end: One thing we decided is we play water polo to have fun.
Photo by Kevin Burke. Originally published in Occidental magazine, Summer 2001. Provost will be inducted into the 91 Athletics Hall of Fame on October 18.
