‘Passion for a greater purpose’

Olympic gold medalist discusses drive to succeed

ROLE MODEL—Celebrity Grand Marshal Amanda Longan, an Olympic gold medalist, takes part in the Moorpark Country Days parade earlier this month. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers

ROLE MODEL—Celebrity Grand Marshal Amanda Longan, an Olympic gold medalist, takes part in the Moorpark Country Days parade earlier this month. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers

Each week, the Acorn Newspapers presents a new episode of “Branching Out,” a podcast that explores the issues in our community and the people who make the news.

In this installment, Thousand Oaks Acorn editor Kyle Jorrey and Moorpark Acorn reporter Makena Huey sit down with Amanda Longan, a goalie for the U.S. women’s water polo team who recently won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Longan, a Moorpark native, discusses her drive to succeed and why she’s interested in mental health. Here are some highlights:

Huey: This past summer opened up a deeper conversation about mental health, and I know you’re interested in pursuing a career in being a psychologist or a therapist. Can you talk about why mental health is so important to you?

Longan: In this sports journey, I struggled self-confidence-wise. Some days were super, super good, and some days were really, really not. And that’s partly because I was so caught up in trying to win and be the best. . . .

 

That’s why I think mental health is so important. Because in this day and age, we get caught up with successes and failures, and we have to understand that we aren’t our successes and failures only. We are, hopefully, good people. And that’s how you want to look at yourself. At the end of the day, are you a good person and did you put effort into your relationships? That’s what really matters. You need to learn to love yourself. That’s so important, or this life journey is going to be a really hard time. And so that’s why I want to be able to talk and share my story.

Jorrey: People that know your story know that for now you’re the team’s backup goalie. You play behind a two-time gold medalist and goalkeeper. What was that like for you?

Longan: I learned how to be, through this process, a way better teammate than before. It’s easy to be a good teammate when you’re playing all the time. . . . It was tough at first, and it was still tough through the end. I wish I would have played a lot more, 100%.

But to experience that authentic joy when I watched girls click on certain plays that we’ve just been trying to get for the last five years and make those strides— there was nothing more fulfilling for me than that at the Olympics. It was so awesome.

And I will root for Ashleigh (Johnson) until the day I die. That girl is great. But in the chance that something happens, I still want that spot and I know she would root for me just the same.

Huey: You’ve done several meet-and-greets in Moorpark, and I’ve seen lots of photos of you with very excited young girls holding your medal. Why is it important for you to be a role model for young girls especially?

Longan: What’s important for me is to be able to take what I’ve learned and give back, not just to the sport that’s helped me figure out my way in life but to anybody to make their route a little bit easier if I can. I think wanting to work hard is important and to do something you’re passionate about is also important. But even bigger than that is your purpose behind it. I want my purpose to be to help other people.

Jorrey: You’re now an Olympian, and that’s something you will have forever. Have you accepted that?

Longan: I know that I’m an Olympian and I won a gold medal, but I think I’m almost nervous to let it really hit me in the heart. I’m a very emotional person—I actually cry a lot—and I think I’ve tried to push off just accepting that fully because I’m afraid to see what the tears look like if I do.

Jorrey: I’ve got to imagine your parents have probably seen 90% percent of your games. What was that like for them and then what was it like for you not to have them there?

Longan: For them to not be there, that was tough. Because if anybody deserves to be there, it’s the people that raised you, the people that loved you the most, and that was them.

But I knew they were watching from home. And I knew that wouldn’t be the last water polo they saw me play. And I knew they were going to be just as happy at the outcome, whether they were there in person or not. Because it’s not about physically needing to be there, it’s about what’s happening. And so I was OK, and they were OK. And when I got home, that first encounter was just the same as it would have been there. . . .

That was the moment where it was, ‘We did it, team.’ I had that before with the girls when we were there, but then with my own personal team, it was, ‘You guys are part of this gold medal. This gold medal is partly yours. It’s not just mine.’ It was never just mine because I wouldn’t have made that team if I didn’t have the emotional support they provided to me.

Huey: When I interviewed your mom, she said, ‘I don’t think Amanda has a finish line.’ With that in mind, what’s next?

Longan: I’m going to try and make the roster for 2024, and I’m going to try and start. I was already trying to, but I’m going to try again. I want to start and play. . . . I love what I do, and I love the idea of also diving into the mental health world and becoming a therapist—simultaneously if possible—and just sharing my love of God with everybody. That’s something I feel like we all need. Everybody needs to know that they’re loved by someone, and for me that’s what does it. You need to know that at the end of the day, if you make a mistake, you’re going to be OK.

So what’s next is to start and play and use my passion for a greater purpose. And that greater purpose is to share God’s love with people, let them know they’re loved, and want better for America. I want everybody to appreciate where we come from and strive to make it even better.

This interview has been edited for length. Listen to this complete podcast and other episodes at buzzsprout.com/396817.