By Keith Kawamura
Aztec Media Relations
April 17, 2003
SAN DIEGO - An athletic program develops the natural talents of its athletes, encouraging them to excel and perform to the best of their abilities in every contest. But to achieve outstanding performances, it takes an athlete with the patience, dedication and motivation to develop skills and talents; after all, raw talent can only take an athlete so far in a career. San Diego State senior water polo driver Heidi Matsumoto epitomizes every one of these qualities and exemplifies a true athlete.
Even after practice, Matsumoto can still be found in the pool, completely immersed in her training. She is that athlete who displays dedication during practice and pushes harder than what is expected and, as a result, her intense training ethic and dedication has paid off. Ranking among the program's top 10 for career assists reflects Matsumoto's selflessness and dedication to team. But even more indicative of her team-oriented nature may be the fact that she has rarely lost the sprint for first possession in each quarter of every game played. And in addition, Matsumoto's aggressive defense makes her a key player in the pool and a lethal opponent for whoever has the unfortunate task of guarding her.
"Heidi has contributed much to this team in the past four years," said fifth-year head coach Carin Crawford, who brought in Matsumoto to SDSU as part of her first recruiting class. "It's going to be hard to find someone who has the speed and consistent hustle on defense that Heidi possesses. I can count on one hand the number of sprints she has lost. I feel as if I'm just taking it for granted that we're going to get first possession in every quarter. When she graduates, I might have to adjust to playing stronger defense for next year's team."
Often times it seems as if Heidi's contribution to the team is overlooked, as players who score the most goals or have the most saves likely command the attention of spectators. Yet, her role on the team is far from under-appreciated, as Matsumoto does not mind yielding the spotlight.
"I've always just wanted to do the little things," Matsumoto said. "If I don't get the goal it's okay, as long as we win. I'm just glad to still be in and get all this time to play, even though I'm not scoring all the goals."
Such love for the game epitomizes the mentality of a team player. As a sprinter and defensive specialist, often sets the stage for players like junior 2-meter Holly Hartzell, an All-America selection her first two seasons for her scoring outbursts, and fellow seniors Amber Prestegard and Casey Finnegan, each of whom rank among the program's top seven all-time goal scorers.
"I try to do what's best for the team," Matsumoto said. "I don't always take the shots or make the shots that I should, but if I draw the [defense and] someone else scores, that's good enough for me. I'm always happy about that."
Matsumoto sees her role on the team as part of an all-inclusive group bound by the attitude of contribution and doing what's best for the greater good of the team. She obviously feels that this edition of Aztecs have become more than just a team, but a family. "That's the one thing I will definitely miss at the end of the season," Matsumoto said. "You'll never see this big of a group on an every-day basis who have bonded the way we have. When you come in, and know and like everyone, it makes practice and competing a lot more enjoyable and efficient."
So, Matsumoto proves to be what we generally epitomize an athlete to represent - a dedicated team player. And not only is she a true athlete, she is a true student-athlete with the ability to excel in practice, games and the classroom. With academic honors from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and the American Water Polo Coaches Association accumulated in her first three years at San Diego State, Matsumoto proves that she can shine both in and out of the pool.
So when you look up the definition of what a true athlete represents, look up Heidi Matsumoto.
Heidi Matsumoto (n): Ardent, and selfless affection and devotion to her team and work ethics; dedicated, determined; talented.