RE Log - Fall 2021

30 Ransom Everglades LOG FALL 2021 Golden Again Two days after winning an Olympic gold medal on August 7, and a day after the Summer Games Closing Ceremony, Ashleigh Johnson ’12 and her U.S. water polo teammates flew from Tokyo to their training home in Los Angeles. Feeling a mix of elation and exhaustion after the 11-hour flight, Johnson was met by a USA Water Polo marketing coordinator at baggage claim. “Can you go to New York City to- night?” the marketing coordinator asked. Johnson stared at the coordinator in disbelief. “That’s a quick turnaround,” she recalled saying. That night, after a four-hour stop at her apartment in Los Angeles, Johnson arrived to Manhattan, jetlagged and disoriented but determined to enjoy the moment. The next morning, she rang the bell to open the New York Stock Exchange. She did an interview with CBS This Morning . She had meetings RE Sp ts “I’ve been getting lots of messages from kids on Instagram, and on Twitter, saying how cool it is to see someone that looks like me out there.” – Ashleigh Johnson ’12 with her growing list of sponsors. She did a number of television interviews and posed for photos next to the Fearless Girl statue. “It’s been,” Johnson said by phone from New York, “a whirlwind.” But well worth it. After claiming her first gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Johnson found winning the second brought more attention, more responsi- bility and, she noted, more opportunity to make a difference. “These things are once-in-a-life- time,” she said by phone. “The mission has always been to elevate our sport, continue to grow our sport and bring positive change. It’s been very, very cool to be representing all of my communities … and also being a role model for Black youth in our sport. “That’s really important to me,” she added. “I’ve been getting lots of messages from kids on Instagram, and on Twitter, saying how cool it is to see someone that looks like me out there.” The U.S. women’s water polo team was an overwhelming favorite to win the gold, yet the journey to the 14-5 title-game victory over Spain – Johnson, a goalkeeper, saved 11 of 15 shots – was anything but easy. In March 2020, the team took a break from training as COVID-19 emerged, and the break turned into months of isolation, doubt and worry. Johnson and her peers were devastated when the Olympics, origi- nally scheduled for that summer, were canceled because of the pandemic. Ashleigh Johnson ’12 wins second Olympic gold medal in Tokyo