Emily Fong

What team was your rival when you played for Stanford club?
680. It was always back and forth between us and it’d always be us in the finals in JO quals.

What’s your favorite memory of the club?
Hard to say a single favorite memory, but there was a great moment in JOs when we were playing 680 to advance to the top 10 and our whole club came out to support us. That was really cool to see everyone coming together. I really felt the support of the whole club that night. And we won, which helps. 🙂

Do you remember any advice from your club coaches?
I don’t remember specific quotes, but I’m sure Kyle had a lot of good quotes. He emphasized playing my strengths. I’m not the tallest girl, nor the strongest, but he believed in my quickness and shooting. As long as you play as a team, with everybody playing their strengths, you can compete against any team across the country.

What high school did you attend?
Lynbrook in San Jose

What college do you currently in?
Chapman University

Are you playing water polo in college?
Yep!

What hobbies do you enjoy?
I love playing sports in general, playing and watching. I played basketball all my life and throughout high school. I also love to play the guitar and piano and cook. Favorite teams are the Warriors and SF Giants.

Any life milestones you’d like to share?

• One of my biggest accomplishments is playing in the NorCal championship in for basketball in my senior year of high school. That was the farthest my basketball team had made it in over 25-30 years. We played in Sleep Train Arena, the NBA’s Sacramento King’s court  which was really cool and got to go underground in the tunnels and use their locker rooms.

• Graduating high school

What are your high school/college grad years?
High School class of 2013. College class of 2017.

Are you planning on playing water polo after college?
Probably not.

What is your major in at college?
Creative Producing for film

Do you keep in touch with club teammates?
Yes I do. Though we aren’t able to see each other much over the school year, whenever we’re back home we try to get together. A lot of us are still really close.

Will you be attending the reunion June 26-27???
I’m going to try to come to everything depending on my internship. We might have a film shoot those days, but I’ll definitely be there for the 27th morning.

What advice do you have for a younger member of the club?
-You don’t necessarily have to be the biggest or fastest player in the pool as long as you play smart.

– Take the advice of the Stanford coaches, they really know what they’re doing. They’re the best of the best and I can credit almost everything I know about water polo and its fundamentals to their coaching.

-Support other Stanford teams when you can. The favor will surely be returned. When you have a big game, it’s so great to look into the stands and see it completely filled with Stanford teams cheering you on. As a younger player, it’s awesome to see the older players at your games. (they’ll most likely be cheering super loud in the crowd for you).  As an older player, it’s just as cool to see the younger players in the stands, because not long ago that was us. Going to the older girls’ games is a great time to see good water polo and (as an older player) be an example of what Stanford is all about.

– Be the loudest (but respectable) fans in the stands and constantly cheer. A loud crowd really pumps you up.

-Treasure the time you have with your teammates. You’re going to miss being able to see them every day.