Watching the women’s water polo players splash each other during their morning workouts or listening to the laughter and chatter that spills out from the women’s locker room in the evening after practice, one is tempted to say that the Bruins are as close as sisters. And you wouldn’t be too far off.
Senior Kelly Rulon and sophomore Katie Rulon are not your average pair of sisters.
Kelly, a member of the 2004 United States bronze-medal Olympic team and powerful driver for the Bruins, and her younger sister Katie, an up-and-coming driver for the Bruins, share a passion for UCLA water polo.
Born and raised in San Diego, the Rulons were in the water at a young age.
“We started swimming early; I was 7 and Kate was 4,” Kelly said. “I had a really good friend that I swam with that also played water polo. She told me I should come try it out, and I did. I was in eighth grade.”
Katie began the same year, when she was just a fifth-grader.
Regardless of their shared affinity for water polo, while the Rulons lived under the same roof they were not as close as they have become.
“We weren’t that close when we were younger,” Katie said. “Once she left the house, it was a lot better. I started getting older and missing her.”
Despite this, family is very important to both the sisters. When Kelly went to Athens, Greece for the 2004 Olympics, she went with the support of her family and friends.
“(Traveling to Greece) was fun,” Katie said. “Our parents, grandparents and two of her friends all came along.
“It (the Olympics) was a lot of work, but definitely worth it. It was the experience of a lifetime. I didn’t get to hang out a lot with all of them, but it was nice to know that they were there supporting me.”
The girls’ parents have been nothing but supportive throughout their dealings with water polo.
“As long as I can remember, my dad’s only missed one or two of my games,” Kelly said. “It’s the same with Kate, too.”
Katie echoed her older sister’s sentiments.
“Our parents are very supportive. The only time they missed my games was when they went to her games,” Katie said.
Now, during a period of their lives when most siblings go in separate directions and do different things, the question is whether the time the Rulons spend together in the pool and at school translates into too much sisterly bonding time.
“No, it’s cool,” Katie said. “Unless she tries to treat me like a sister instead of a teammate, but she’s a really good role model.”
“Its vice-versa too. She’ll snap back at me when she wouldn’t snap back at a teammate,” Kelly said. “It’s hard for me sometimes. Because she’s my sister, I care about her more. She takes it personally sometimes.”
Nevertheless, UCLA considers itself extremely fortunate to have snagged such a pair of players.
“They work very well together,” coach Adam Krikorian said. “I think they have a great relationship, and I think it carries into the pool.
“You can tell that they really enjoy playing with one another. There’s the occasional sister bickering, which is comedy. I think we all enjoy listening to it.”
The rest of the team also appreciates having the duo in the pool.
“They play really well together,” teammate Kacy Kunkel said. “They are very similar in their playing style, as in they’re fast, good on drives, and really good shooters. I like playing with both of them.”
Krikorian praised the older Rulon for the leadership role she takes.
“Kelly makes Katie better. Kelly has the experience. She’s older and has been through it all. I’m really proud of Kelly and the leadership she has shown, not just with Katie, but with this whole team,” Krikorian said. “She does a really great job of communicating and instilling confidence in her teammates, including Katie.”
“To Katie’s credit, she is leaps and bounds better than she was last year,” he added. “She has made tremendous progress on a conditioning level, intelligence, and confidence. She was close to the bottom of the totem pole last year and this year she has worked her way into being a major contributor. I think Kelly has helped that, helped to push her to become a better player as well.”
As the 2007 water polo season gets underway, the Rulon sisters are poised to play an active role in the Bruins’ lineup and make the most of their last opportunity to play in college together.