Feb. 17, 2009

BERKELEY - The California women's water polo team has begun its 2009 campaign with a 13-0 record, which is the best start in program history. Junior driver Remy Champion is helping the cause, scoring 14 goals and having multi-goal games four times already this season. The Palo Alto, Calif., native comes from a very athletic family - her mother, Barb is in the Cornell Hall of Fame for ice hockey and father, Craig, competed in track and field at Cornell, and sister, Haley, swam at Stanford and sister, Laurel, competed on the Cardinal water polo team. CalBears.com took a few minutes with Champion to find out more about her.

CalBears.com: What will you be doing this summer?
Remy Champion: "Celebrating the graduation of some of my friends! Maybe doing some traveling - both here in the States and abroad. I want to go on a West Coast road trip, spend some time in Washington, D.C., and possibly travel to Germany!"

CalBears.com: What is the strongest part of your game?
RC: "I cannot reveal this information because of scouting purposes...but really, I can't!"

CalBears.com: What is your weakness?
RC: "Chai tea lattes with soymilk, vegan cookies, and sunny, warm days."

CalBears.com: Do you have a hidden talent? What is it?
RC: "I have many! But one of them is that I can put my leg around my neck."

CalBears.com Your parents were active in athletics at Cornell, was attending Cornell an option for you?
RC: "The only water in Ithaca, N.Y., is of the frozen variety! Cornell was never really an option for me. I wanted to play Division I water polo, and Cornell didn't have at the time. I also wanted to stay on the West Coast because I think East Coast winters would be too much for me. I need my sun."

CalBears.com: Both of your sisters were student-athletes at Stanford, was attending Stanford ever in the picture for you? Is that a source of competiveness for you and your sisters?
RC: "That other Bay Area school (Stanford) was one of the universities that I was considering. However, Cal turned out to be the perfect fit for me. My sisters and I basically don't talk to each other on days that Cal plays Stanford. But I think I'm close to getting them to wear a Cal shirt!"

CalBears.com: What is one thing about your hometown of Palo Alto, Calif., that you miss?
RC: "My backyard. There resides my cat, Princess, a huge trampoline, and lots of nice-smelling flowers."

CalBears.com: You have a very unique name, is there any story behind why your parents named you Remy? Also, if you could change your name, what would it be?
RC: "My grandma suggested my name, but my parents liked it because they wanted names that couldn't be nicknamed! Remy is French and means `from Rheims.' If I could change my name, I would change my middle name to `the,' so my full name would be Remy The Champion."

CalBears.com: In the last women's water polo Q&A, Meghan Corso wanted the next women's water polo student-athlete to answer, if you could be any animal what would you be and why?
RC: "If I could be any animal I think I would be a pangolin. Go look that one up! Or maybe a penguin because of the movie "Happy Feet.'"

CalBears.com: What question would you want the next women's water polo athlete to answer?
RC: "Would you rather eat a glass full of live wasps or eat glass?"

For a complete listing of past Q&As with the California women's water polo team, click here or look on the sidebar on the main women's water polo page.