Rowena Webster

Rowena Evelyn Webster (born 27 December 1987), known as Rowie Webster, is an Australian water polo centre back and a three-time Olympian. She is one of three Australian players to play more than 300 international games for Australia. She has represented Australia as a member of Australia women's national water polo team on both the junior and senior level. Webster is a London Olympic bronze medalist, Junior World Champion, and was rated in the top 3 players in the world two years in a row (2013, 2014). Webster was the Australian Women's Water Polo Captain at the 2020 Olympics.

Rowena Webster
Webster in 2012
Personal information
Full nameRowena Evelyn Webster
Nickname(s)Rowie
NationalityAustralian
Born (1987-12-27) 27 December 1987
Melbourne, Victoria
Height177 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight81 kg (179 lb)
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportWater polo
Event(s)Women's team
College teamArizona State University
ClubRichmond Tigers
TeamBalmain Tigers
Turned pro2008
Achievements and titles
Olympic finalsLondon 2012, Rio 2016
Medal record
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place2012 LondonTeam competition
World Championships
Silver medal – second place2013 BarcelonaTeam competition
Bronze medal – third place2019 GwangjuTeam competition
Canada Cup
Gold medal – first place2011 Canada CupTeam competition
FINA Junior World Championships
Gold medal – first place2007 Porto, PortugalTeam competition
FINA Women's Water Polo World Cup
Bronze medal – third place2010 World CupTeam competition
FINA World League Super Finals
Silver medal – second place2010 La Jolla, USATeam competition
Bronze medal – third place2009 Kirishi, RussiaTeam competition

Personal life

Webster was born on 27 December 1987 in Melbourne, Victoria.[1][2][3][4] Her grandfather was Warwick Wathen, who competed in the Davis Cup as a junior. Her mother is a physiotherapist, her father a builder. Webster is the youngest of four children and her oldest sister Larissa Webster also played water polo for Australia.[5]

Webster is 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) tall, weighs 81 kilograms (179 lb) and is right handed.[1][5] She has five tattoos and loves how she can express herself through body image and art.

Webster attended Korowa Anglican Girls' School and used to play Australian rules football as a youngster. She has always been extremely competitive in basketball and surf life saving, and is the current vice-captain of the National women's water polo team.[5][6] She took up surf lifesaving as a seven-year-old at the Anglesea Surf life saving club.[7] She studied for her Victorian Certificate of Education in 2005.[6] She spent a year studying at Arizona State University on scholarship where she studied physical education secondary teaching and completed her degree here in Melbourne at Deakin University.[7] She is currently on scholarship at the Victorian Institute of Sport. She completed a Bachelor of physical education in secondary teaching, and is living in Balwyn North, Victoria.[1][5]

Her Stingers teammates say she is a fierce competitor and loves to win. She has a huge Nike shoe collection and adds to it on every international tour. She is openly lesbian.[8]

Water polo
five women in bathing suits sitting on chairs
The third of a five-game test series against the Great Britain women's national water polo team on 25 February 2012. Australia won 15–6. On the far left is Bronwen Knox, then Zoe Arancini, Melissa Rippon, Hannah Buckling, Rowena Webster.

Webster started playing water polo as a ten-year-old,[7] and more seriously as a twelve-year-old in Melbourne, Australia[1] acting as a fill-in for her older sister's team at that age.[9] In 2010 and 2011, she had a water polo scholarship from the Victorian Institute of Sport.[1][10][11][12] She prefers to wear cap number seven and is a utility player[1] who can be found in the centre back position.[5] She has scars on her back from opposition players biting her there during games.[5] She feels a need to wear a mouth guard during every game she plays.[1] Her water polo club is the Richmond Tigers.[1] In 2003, she played for the club at State League Level 1, the highest ability league open to players of all ages.[7] She first represented the state of Victoria in 2000.[7] In 2003, she was Victorian team captain.[7] In 2003, she woke up at "4.40 am twice a week for training and swimming three afternoons a week".[7] In 2005, she was putting in "three gym sessions, three swimming drills, [and] six rounds of water polo practice" a week.[6] That year, she represented the state of Victoria at the Australian Water Polo Championships.[6] She also represented the state in 2005 at the National Schoolgirls Water Polo Competition held Noosa, Queensland.[6]

Club water polo

Webster currently plays for the Balmain Togers National Team and captains the side. She played for the Victorian Tigers of the National Water Polo League in 2004 during the team's first year of existence.[9][13] She also played for the team in 2005,[9] 2007,[13] 2009,[14] 2010,[15] 2011[16] and 2012.[17]

University water polo

Webster attended Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona on a water polo scholarship when she was an eighteen-year-old but only spent a year with the team.[5][9][18]

Professional water polo

As a nineteen-year-old, Webster played for a professional team in Greece[5] for five months in 2008. While playing in Greece, she had to deal with a culture of water polo that tolerated biting of other players during games. She left Greece to concentrate on making Australia's national team for the Olympics.[18]

Junior national team

Webster has represented Australia at the junior national level and won the World Championships at the FINA World Champions in Portugal 2007. She was a member of the junior team for 3 consecutive years.

Senior national team

Webster is the captain and a member of the Australia women's national water polo team and has played over 300 games for Australia.[2] She was a member of the London Olympic Team that won bronze in 2012 and has been an integral part of the 2013 World Championships team that won silver and the 2014 World Cup team that also won silver. Webster was the highest goal scorer for Team Australia at the 2012 London Olympics. Webster holds the Australian record for most goals in a National League Season (99 goals). She has also played over 250 games in the league.

Webster was a member of the Australian Stingrays squad that competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Webster was captain. By finishing second in their pool, the Aussie Stingers went through to the quarterfinals. They were beaten 8-9 by Russia and therefore did not compete for an Olympic medal.[19][20]

See also

References
  1. "Australian Water Polo Inc.: Webster, Rowena". Sydney, Australia: Australian Water Polo. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  2. "Aussie Stingers finish Canada Cup undefeated after claiming gold over China : News Centre : Australian Sports Commission". Bruce, Australian Capital Territory: Australian Sport Commission. 20 December 2011. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  3. "London 2012 – Stingers announce 2012 senior squad". 9 September 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  4. <-train-squad-announced.htm "Final Aussie Stingers Olympic train on Squad Announced". International Business Times. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  5. Johnston, Chris. "Feisty young gun isn't one for treading water – OLYMPIC DREAMS 2011". p. 7. 20110917000034681694. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  6. "Sacrifices for success". Leader – Progress Press. Melbourne, Australia. 14 June 2005. p. 17. PPV_T-20050614-1-017-303828. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  7. Adams, Chloe (21 October 2003). "Surging to major goals". Leader – Progress Press. Melbourne, Australia. p. 6. PPV_T-20031021-1-006-069713. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  8. "'You'd have to chop my leg off' by Rowie Webster". AthletesVoice. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  9. Rolfe, Peter (1 February 2005). "Big sis the catalyst for career". Leader – Progress Press. Melbourne, Australia. p. 20. PPV_T-20050201-1-020-957212. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  10. "Southern makes Stingers". Innisfail Advocate. Australia. 18 August 2010. p. 16.
  11. "Canberra Times: SCOREBOARD". The Canberra Times. Canberra, Australia: Financial Times Limited – Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. 15 May 2010. WCTS78802884. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  12. "AAP News: Water Polo Team Australian Women". AAP News. Australia: Financial Times Limited – Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. 14 May 2010. WAAP78793873. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  13. Australian Water Polo Inc. (2008). "Vic w". Sydney, Australia. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  14. Australian Water Polo Inc. (2009). "Victorian Tigers". Sydney, Australia. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  15. Australian Water Polo Inc. (2010). "Vic Tigers". Sydney, Australia. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  16. Australian Water Polo Inc. (2011). "Vic Tigers". Sydney, Australia. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  17. Australian Water Polo Inc. (2012). "2012 Victorian Tigers Women". Sydney, New South Wales. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  18. Sharkie, Michael (14 December 2008). "YOUNG ACHIEVERS". The Sunday Age. Melbourne, Australia. p. 23. 20081214000030643200. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  19. "Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  20. Australia, Water Polo. "Aussie Stingers – Rowie Webster". waterpoloaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
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