Sandra Nitta

In her earliest years coaching Water Polo, Sandy helped found and coached the City of Commerce Water Polo Team, from 1970 to 1980 where she had been a competitive swimmer, formally establishing the team in 1971. In her first year of coaching, she led the City of Commerce Water Polo Team to win their first National Junior Championship.^[13] She led the team to National prominence, and having gained recognition, she began national coaching as the first Woman's USA Water Polo Junior National Head Coach in 1979.^[1] During her earlier years of coaching with the City of Commerce Club, the position was unpaid, and Sandy made a portion of her income as a professional gambler, a profession she later pursued during her long coaching career in Las Vegas. She also had investments which gave her income including ownership of a hotel in Las Vegas.^[13]

In one of her most formative coaching experiences in 1980, Nitta became Head Coach of the U.S. Women's National Water Polo Team, remaining there until 1994.^[4] It was not until 1986, when Women's Water Polo was recognized as an official sport at the Fina World Championships. The women's sport would not be part of Olympic competition until the 2000 Olympics, though the team began training in earnest by 1995.^[4][14]

In its early years under Coach Nitta, the team received a bronze medal in 1986 and 1991 in the World Championships and silver medals in World Cup competition in 1980, 1983, and 1984.^[4] One of her players prior to 1984, Brenda Villa, made the winning goal in a game against Italy in 1990 which qualified the United States Women's Water Polo team to attend the Olympics. In 1997, Sandy also helped recruit Maureen O'Toole, who became a valuable member of the 2000 Olympic Team. The Women's team did not make an Olympic appearance until the 2000 Sydney Olympics where the Australian team took the gold medal over the United States team, with six nations competing.^[13][14]

During her tenure, Sandy faced challenges due to limited corporate and government funding. Through 1994, Women's Water Polo was not an Olympic Sport and members of the team had to pay their own way for international travel. Outstanding distance swimmer and author Lynne Cox served as the U.S. Women's team's manager, attempting to raise corporate funds. In 1984, the team was pushing to gain recognition by the IOC as an Olympic participant.^[12] During Nitta's tenure as head coach through 1994, the National Women's Water Polo team had not gained access to the Olympics as a participant, but gained admission in 2000, and have since received the gold medal in the 2012, 2016, and 2020 Olympics.^[15][16]

She coached Team Vegas/Henderson from 1994 to 1999 and 2004–14. In shorter assignments, she was the Wilson High School JV Coach from 1979 to 1980, the Queensland, Australia State Team Coach from 1981 to 1982, and was Head Coach at Rio Hondo College from 1990 to 1991.^[1]

Her international coaching experience in Water Polo included the Brazilian Women's team. Sandy coached in the first Pan Am Water Polo Game for Women, and coached the Brazilian Team to their first win ever over the United States Team. She coached the Tualatain Water Polo Club in Oregon, and later coached a Masters team to the 2006 Women's Masters World Championships.^[4]

Sandy hosted the first International Women's Water Polo Tournament in Commerce, California on December 27–29, 19977 at the Commerce Aquatorium with teams competing from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Holland, and Australia, which paved the way for additional international events for women in the following years. Commerce also hosted the AAU Women's Water Polo Indoor National Championships on December 16–18 at the Commerce Aquatorium.^[4][17]

In 2017, she returned to coaching at Team Vegas/Henderson Water Polo, a Junior Olympic Program, and would serve as a Director of the program.^[18][19]

Sandy worked as a Water Polo referee, receiving an "A" rating in Senior, Junior, Collegiate, and Junior Olympic National Championships from 1979 to 1990.^[1] She was the Water Polo Women's International Chairperson from 1976 to 1979, and served as a member of the Women's International Committee, as well as the United States Water Polo Inc. Rules, Laws, and Legislation Committee. She also served on the Long Range Planning Committee, and the National Referee's Committee.^[1][20] Sandy served on the FINA sub-committee which successfully promoted women's water polo on the global stage, and helped make rule changes for the women's sport which included a smaller ball, and a shorter course.^[21]

She was inducted into the American Water Polo Hall of Fame in 1998 and in 2012 received a Paragon Award for her work in American Water Polo.^[1]

As a tribute to Sandy's contributions to American Water Polo, the Sandy Nitta Distinguished Coaching Award was established, which annually recognizes coaching excellence in the sport.^[1][20][19]