Mohawk swimmer preparing for Olympics

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Waneek Horn-Miller will, in all likelihood, fulfill a childhood dream next year.

Horn-Miller is expected to be on the Canadian women's water polo team, which has qualified to compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

The Canadians earned their Olympic berth by winning the gold medal at the recent Pan American Games in Winnipeg.

Women's water polo will make its Olympic debut in Sydney. And Horn-Miller, a 23-year-old Mohawk from Kahnawake, is rather keen to be part of the Canadian entry.

"Ever since I was young I've always wanted to be in the Olympics," she said. "When I was growing up, though, (women's) water polo was not in the Olympics. I just played it because I really loved it. And then when it became an Olympic sport, it was like kharma."

Official word that women's water polo would be included at the Sydney Olympics came in November 1997.

The women's water polo tournament in Sydney will feature six nations. The Netherlands and host Australia are the only two other countries which have been assured spots.

Horn-Miller was a rather accomplished swimmer before taking up water polo 10 years ago. She quit swimming at age 13 and joined her high school water polo club in Ottawa at the urging of her older sister, Ojistoh, who was already playing the sport.

"I just really loved it," she said. "It was different from swimming and a lot more social. It wasn't all work and no play, which is what swimming had become for me."

Horn-Miller has been part of Canada's senior team for the past five years. And prior to that she was a member of the national junior side for two seasons. She's is one of 19 players on the national squad, which has been centralized in Montreal since June of 1998. Canada, however, can only take 11 players to the Olympics. Its Olympic squad is expected to be announced next May.

Horn-Miller, who was a co-captain for the Canadian entry at the Pan American Games and provides plenty of offensive punch from her driver (outside shooter) position, should be among those considered shoo-ins for the Olympic club.

She's now participating in a Montreal women's water polo league during the months of September and October. Members of the Canadian senior and junior national clubs have been divided up among the league entrants.

When this circuit concludes, Horn-Miller will still be rather busy with the sport. In late November, the national side will play host to the Canada Cup, an international tournament in Montreal.

The Canadians are then entered in another international tournament in Long Beach, Calif. in December.

And in the new millennium, the Canadians have already planned trips to Greece, Holland and Hungary where they'll compete at events against numerous foreign foes.

Though these events will be time-consuming and costly, Horn-Miller said they are a necessity, especially when building a team for Olympic competition.

"You've got to get as many international games as possible in," she said. "And that's where we have to go to play. It's not like we're in Europe and we can just get into a car and drive to the next country [to face an international opponent]."

Horn-Miller doesn't mind making plenty of sacrifices in order to be a top-notch player.

"Water polo basically rules my life," she said, adding her hectic athletic schedule means she can only seek the occassional part-time job.