Olympic water polo champion Ashleigh Johnson enjoying return to high school alma mater
There’s probably no continent on Earth at this point — except maybe Antarctica — that Ashleigh Johnson has yet to visit or compete in during her career playing international water polo.
But Johnson said no venue matches the feeling she gets when she comes home and jumps into the pool at her alma mater, Ransom Everglades.
“Every time I come here, it’s jarring how beautiful this pool is,” Johnson said. “It’s world class. I’ve traveled to so many pools, and I really don’t see anything like this. My teammates’ jaws always drop. I love training here and being next to the water, and the people here are always so welcoming.”
Johnson, 29, is a little more than a decade removed from the days when she led Ransom Everglades to three state championships.
But it takes just one splash in that pool located a little more than 100 yards away and within sight of Biscayne Bay to bring all those memories rushing back.
Even now after leading Team USA to a pair of gold medals and being widely considered the best goalie in the world, Johnson cherishes any chance to come home.
“The feeling still comes back,” Johnson said. “My [high school] coach, Eric Lefebvre, on the deck coaching us and me playing here with the girls and boys. I don’t get nostalgia anywhere else like I do here. I really do appreciate having all of this now.”
This week, Johnson is enjoying the opportunity to share her origin story with her USA teammates and coaches as well as potential future water polo stars at her alma mater.
Johnson and Team USA kicked off a three-week training tour in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics this week with training sessions at Ransom Everglades and highlighted by an exhibition match against Spain on Thursday at 5 p.m. The teams will also play a second match on Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center.
But the experience goes beyond just the training for Johnson, who had the opportunity to speak to Ransom Everglades students in the school’s auditorium Tuesday.
Johnson shared her journey which began as a 9-year old student from Redland near Homestead who had never played water polo.
Johnson would go on to become a four-time All-Dade water polo selection and earned Player of the Year honors with a full ride to Princeton University while also becoming a two-time All-Dade swimmer.
After a successful college career, Johnson went on to become a trailblazer in the sport of women’s water polo. At age 21, Johnson became the first Black woman to make the U.S. Olympic team in 2016, leading them to the first of their two gold medal finishes with her as starting goalie.
Johnson was also a pioneer for women’s water polo athletes from South Florida. In 2016, she was also the only player not from California on the team.
“It’s a really special opportunity for me to be back here at Ransom and see who’s coming up and tell them where I’ve been and what I’ve learned,” Johnson said. “Their support is palpable, and I know I’ve always been a part of it but being able to come back and share these experiences is really special to me.”
Johnson, who has also competed professionally in recent years in Italy and Greece, will next take part in Team USA training sessions with Italy and the Netherlands during the next two weeks.
The next big tournament for Johnson will be the World Aquatics championships in Doha, Qatar in February.
Johnson smiles when she thinks about what comes after and the chances of competing for a third gold medal next summer in Paris.
“We’re excited for the next Olympics, and we have a lot of building to do,” Johnson said. “We’re playing Spain, one of the best teams in the world, and it’s a great motivation for us and there’s great lessons to be learned.”
Johnson said being around the next generation of potential stars reminds her never to lose the feeling of excitement that inspired her own journey in the sport.
“I’m always giving advice to people younger than me, but I’ve really learned a lot seeing younger people jumping in the water and being joyous about it,” Johnson said. “Something you lose as you develop in sports is the joy for that first moment, jumping in for the first time or stepping on the field. Seeing kids do that and be so excited to watch us play makes me feel reinvigorated and reminds me how lucky I am to do a sport as my job and get paid to have fun.
“It reignites that joy and passion for me too.”
On Tuesday, flanked by Lefebvre and her Team USA coach Adam Krikorian, Johnson recounted her experiences growing up in the sport and the drive that helped her become the accomplished athlete she is today.
“I have a lot of appreciation for how much I’ve been able to do and what we’ve accomplished as a team,” Johnson said. “The likelihood of me getting here was slim. The appreciation and context of the world I’m in is grand. And now I have that opportunity to inspire that for someone else. That’s really special for me. There are so many places that water polo and aquatics can take you so for me it’s showing these kids that there’s no limits.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2023 at 3:21 PM.
