Local businesses feeding U.S. water polo team
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers BREAKFAST FOR CHAMPIONS- Members of the US Water Polo Men's National Team pose with Stone Ground Bakery owner Abby Franke, far right, and The Deli at Agoura Liquor owner Salim Haddad, left of Franke, in Agoura Hills recently. The bakery and deli, both on Kanan Road, have been supporting the team during their Olympic training at Cal Lutheran University and Oaks Christian High School.

Members of the USA Water Polo Men's National Team who have been training for the 2008 Olympics in the Conejo Valley are being fueled by a local businessman who shares in their quest for gold.

Avi Frank, owner of Stoneground Bakery in Agoura Hills, was a world-class water polo player for the German water polo team, competing for the gold three times, starting with the summer games in 1976 in Montreal and ending with the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984. In all, the German team captured two bronze medals during the years Frank was on the team. Frank retired in 1986 and moved to the United States.

Frank's fond memories of the sport inspired him to donate home-baked bread to the team several times a week while they were training, but he decided to beef up his support after he got to know the national team's coach, Terry Schroeder.

Every Tuesday, Frank treats 17 of the 25 members of the team to a dinner at Dakota's Steakhouse in Westlake Village. Schroeder said eight members of the team are in Europe playing water polo professionally, and only 13 team members will make the final cut for the Olympic team, which will be determined on June 28.

Stoneground Bakery teamed up with Agoura Liquor and Deli to provide lunch for the team on April 12.

"It's about the team," Frank said. "They don't make much money."

Schroeder said the Tuesday evening dinners have "been awesome." Getting a free meal each week helps the team in many ways, especially with "team bonding," he said.

Frank said he is happy to feed the team until the Olympic town opens in Beijing in August.

"Water polo was my life . . . and I want to give back," Frank said.

Terry the torso

Schroeder, a twotime Olympic silver medalist for the U.S. water polo team (1984, 1988), coached water polo at Pepperdine for 20 years before taking on the assistant coach post for the national team for a year, followed by the head coach position in June 2007.

Schroeder may be the one to bring the U.S. men's team back to its glory days of the 1980s. Schroeder's body was used as the model for the bronze male torso at the gateway to the Los Angeles Coliseum. The headless torsos (one male, one female) welcome guests to the arena and "represent any athlete," he said.

Schroeder's zeal for water polo and his chiropractics business keep him pretty busy, but his fervor for both endeavors apparently fuels his energy level. With his team currently ranking ninth in the world, he says there's still work to be done.

And work they do- they practice six days per week, six hours per day, Schroeder said. The team generally trains at California Lutheran University but has also been welcomed to Oaks Christian School anytime they need to use their pool.

Several upcoming events will offer many opportunities for the team to keep in tiptop shape. They will compete in the Premier League Championships in Los Alamitos from May 16 to 18 and will battle it out for the World League title May 20 to 25. On May 29, Team USA will compete against the Croatian team in Corona del Mar and again at Oaks Christian on May 31. The Croatian team is the No. 1 team in the world.

The World League Super Final will take place in Genova, Italy, from June 18 to 22, and then the final team is off to Beijing, China, to compete in the XXIX Olympiad from Aug. 10 to 22. Opening ceremonies will commence on Aug. 8.

"We have our work cut out for us," Schroeder said. "Life is busy. . . . I'm looking forward to China," he said.