Team USA artistic swimming coach Andrea Fuentes: "Be a game-changer"

When Andrea Fuentes was an athlete, she played an integral role in taking artistic swimming to a higher level in Spain and turning it into a national asset. Her success as an athlete was also reflected in her career achievements that include four Olympic medals - two silvers at Beijing 2008 and one silver and a bronze at London 2021.

Nowadays, Fuentes coaches Team USA and wants to be a part of a different type of change in her sport. 

Despite the USA team failing to qualify for Tokyo 2020, Fuentes already has her sights set on Paris 2024. However, she doesn't want her role as a coach to only be defined by results, she also wants to be part of something bigger; something she defines as being a 'game-changer'. 

Little by little, Fuentes is achieving that goal. With a new team in place, the USA have reached the podium of every World Series event they have competed in during 2022. 

There are two more World Series competitions in May before the Swimming World Championship takes place in Budapest between 18 June and 3 July. 

Find out more about the journey of Fuentes and Team USA in her exclusive interview with Olympics.com.

Olympics.com (OC): The U.S. programme has been very successful this season. You have won medals in both World Series events you have competed in. What do you attribute that to?

Andrea Fuentes (A.F.): This year we have a team that is really united. They get along well and nurture each other. This is the first time that I was able to pick the team and I did so taking into account each personality because I firmly believe in the power of the mind and cohesion among the team. I feel it is important to have a great atmosphere in which every member wants to help others to grow.

O.C.: And personally, as a coach?

I've grown as well. I am relatively new to coaching having spent just three years with Team USA, so I am growing fast because I am just beginning.

The staff have found a more efficient way of working, a balance that works really well with Anna Voloshyna, the other coach, and Lara Teixeira, the high-performance manager. We are the model of a united team. We know each other’s strengths and try to do our best. I’d like to thank the staff that work with me and USA Artistic Swimming - particularly our CEO Adam Andrasko, because his philosophy is one I think all presidents of federations should have: athletes first.

O.C.: Missing out on Tokyo 2020 must have been a real disappointment after all the work you had put into it. How did you manage to turn the U.S. programme around so quickly?

A.F.: Even though the duet did qualify, the team didn’t, and at that moment I reevaluated many things. Tokyo was very hard for me and I also reevaluated things about myself as a coach. But then I thought, it could really be a test of my destiny. The universe was trying to challenge me to ensure I really wanted to be a coach. I said to myself: ‘I’m going to prove it to you.’ My soul was broken after Tokyo but it helped me realise I wanted to reach my goals as a coach. 

O.C.: What was the beginning of the season like for you?

At first, the team was brand new [two members of last year’s team remain: Anita Álvarez and Daniela Ramírez] and the energy was really good. This group motivates me a lot.

O.C.: What are you doing differently now compared to before?

A.F.: Traditionally, we spend many hours in the pool and sometimes that’s not necessary. I am trying to implement a method in which we don’t need to be in the pool for 10 hours a day. Now we do what we were doing in 10 hours in six. It means the training sessions are shorter and more efficient and we can study and have a life. Now we are happier and that’s important in order to create the atmosphere we want within the team.

O.C.: What are you doing outside of the pool to ensure the energy within the group is good?

A.F.: It’s all based on communication. We want to ensure our athletes feel they can be themselves and are comfortable in the team without being judged. There needs to be empathy and the ability to see life from different perspectives. Then you can understand each other and feel accepted within the team. That’s how you create a safe, risk-free circle: a family. 

Sometimes you face difficult situations, tiredness or pressure, and that leads to problems. But it doesn’t matter, you need to speak about them and understand each other. Problems are an opportunity to grow, learn and unite. 

O.C.: Do you have anything special planned for the World Championship?

A.F.: We are going to present the new free team at the World Championships. This year has been amazing in terms of the new routines we have created. We have produced 12 of them and are in a very creative moment. The idea was to create all of the new choreographies before the PanAms, where we will try to secure the Olympic quota. After that, we can devote ourselves to execution and technical elements. 

We're really looking forward to the World Championship in Budapest because we are shining as a team. We want to show the world our new choreographies and to prove that every team has their own style. That’s one of our strengths. 

O.C.: What ideas are those strengths based on?

A.F.: In the first meeting I have with the team I show them a list of values and one of those is ‘be a game-changer.’ I want these girls to revolutionise their sport, not just follow the most trodden path. I want them to contribute to their sport, to change it and make it better. It’s one of the main values our team has and one of our main objectives: to make this sport better as a result of what we do. That’s why our routines, our elements and our philosophies are a little different, because we believe in evolution, and that’s what makes us happy.