Catching Up With: Chris Oeding

Steve Virgen

It’s payback time for Chris Oeding and he doesn’t mind. No, not at

all.

This form of payback is actually quite rewarding for Oeding, the

two-time Olympic water polo star who was a standout at Corona del Mar

High.

He’s giving back to the sport that gave so much to him.

Oeding is the chief of aquatics, a coach of four water sports, at Long

Beach City College and he’s thriving in the challenge of renewing what

was once a winning water polo program.

“I’m a really lucky person,” said Oeding, 30, who lives in Costa Mesa

with his wife, Eden. “I get to have a career that’s really based on what

I love ... aquatics. To be around it daily, the kids I’m around with, the

strengths, to see them develop, to help them get on that path of success,

teaching individuals to be adults and members of society, that’s the

bigger picture. That is all rewarding.”

Since hired in May of last year, Oeding has made quick work in his

quest to rebuild the Vikings. He earned Coach of the Year honors in the

South Coast Conference this past season relevant to his men’s and women’s

water polo teams’ improvement. He was also named Coach of the Year in the

Southern California region because his women’s squad that finished fifth

in the state. The men took third in the state and it was the first time

in the school’s history that both teams competed in the state

championships.

A full-time instructor at Long Beach City, Oeding also coaches the

men’s and women’s swimming teams in the spring. Needless to say, he

maintains a busy schedule. But for Oeding, he wouldn’t have it any other

way.

His work ethic is a huge reason success has followed him where ever he

goes. To his days at Corona del Mar High, where former coach John Vargas

regarded him as, “the best player ever at CdM,” to his days at UC

Berkeley, where his teams won two NCAA national titles, Oeding’s passion

to win and put forth his best effort became his trademark.

When Oeding played in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, there were instances

when he had to dig deeper for that passion because the U.S. squad was out

of medal contention. The men finished seventh in Atlanta and sixth in

Sydney.

“I didn’t want to hold anything back,” Oeding said. “I wanted to be

able to say that I did everything I possibly could. Those are hard games

to play for because there is no medal. Getting out of those games, I can

honestly say that I did everything I could.”

After the Olympics in Sydney, Oeding said it was difficult to retire

from the sport he loves, but he was content with his achievements and

excited to start coaching the Vikings.

With Oeding in charge, the aquatics program at Long Beach is returning

to its heyday of the 1980s, when the teams were coached by Monte

Nitzkowski, a former U. National team coach who guided the men’s water

polo squad to a silver medal in Los Angeles at the 1984 Games, and later

coached by Hank Vellekamp, who provided consistent success.

“(Long Beach) opened the position because there wasn’t a full-time

coach,” said Oeding, who coached at Orange Coast College while training

for the 1996 Olympics and seeking his master’s degree. “The program took

a dive. But I have big shoes to fill here from when Monte was here. I’m

up to the challenge. I was very fortunate to get my opportunity at Long

Beach. It’s incredible for me to have my career in what has really meant

so much in my life. To give back to these kids is such a great

opportunity.”