Olympic Medalist Grows Girls Water Polo Participation

Courtney Johnson

Courtney Johnson knows that player development comes first when growing girls water polo programs at Pegasus Aquatics. 

Winning and national recognition will be an eventual byproduct.

Johnson would know. She was a silver medalist for the United States at the 2000 Olympics in Australia — the debut for women’s water polo at the Summer Games — and has been a prominent ambassador ever since.

Johnson relocated with her family from California to Texas more than five years ago. And in 2023, she became a coach at Pegasus, which is based at SMU and includes athletes from the Park Cities and Preston Hollow on its rosters.

“I was looking to get back involved in water polo,” Johnson said. “Water polo gave me so much to who I am today. I want to give girls an opportunity to excel at a sport that pushes you to the limit and gives you the skills to be successful.”

The club didn’t have a dedicated girls program upon her arrival. Coed teams combined girls with the boys, both in games and training sessions.

That’s how some of the elite Pegasus players got their start, including Jailynn Robinson, a former Greenhill student who now trains in California and is a member of the U.S. national team. Same with Highland Park senior Kylie Williams, who will play collegiately next year at Indiana.

Pegasus now has three full girls teams at various age groups. The club’s 18U squad placed third in September against a national field at the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics in California, which is the traditional hotbed for the sport.

Two months later, Pegasus entered its 12U team in a state youth tournament, but because there were no other girls teams in the division, they competed against the boys. 

“That was a great first year for us,” Johnson said. “The whole philosophy is the development of the girls. It really gives us an opportunity to develop leaders in whatever aspect of life they’re looking to do after water polo.”

Interest has continued to increase due in part to the club’s new Swim to Score program, where athletes in younger age groups learn swimming and water polo fundamentals simultaneously as a bridge to more intensive year-round training.

“We’re trying to provide a pathway to water polo for kids who don’t have a background in swimming,” Johnson said. “Water polo is a very exciting and very fun sport. It gives girls an opportunity to try something new that will be a challenge and something they really enjoy.”