The Schuler family is one deeply entrenched in sport.
A New Zealand All Black father and five siblings who played water polo at one point during their childhood, among whom two brothers are now competing for glory at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games.
Josef and Isaac Schuler began their campaign on Friday, 18 July in the men’s preliminary round in Duisburg, with a loss against host Germany.
“You don’t really get many opportunities like this, where you get to go up against the home team (in the) first game,” Isaac, the younger brother, said.
New Zealand faces very experienced teams in Group B, rounded out by Hungary and the USA. But Josef believes being the less fancied side could be an advantage.
“(We are) uni students. So for a lot of boys, it’s their first, proper international tournament,” he said.
“And for a lot of the German guys, Germany (has a) proper professional league, a lot of them are at uni and still professional athletes. In New Zealand, you (have) to juggle it; the studies, the sport, the work.”
“So for us, it’s a pretty exciting (game), because we’ve got nothing to lose.”
A burgeoning family legacy
The brothers exude the New Zealand spirit – calm and collected – as they sat in the shade of their Duisburg hotel.
They attribute their mental ease to their father, Kevin, a decorated All Black in rugby union who made 13 international appearances, including during the 1995 World Cup.
“He’s a rugby player, but he’s just got a sports brain,” Josef said.
“I feel anyone that’s at that level, you just understand sport and competition to such a high degree. There’s so much he’s taught us throughout the years; mindset-wise, preparation-wise, even just handling situations with coaches or players.”
“He loves to be involved,” Isaac added, laughing as he remembered an anecdote. “He was my manager for my last year at (high) school. And even after I left, he stayed on because he loved it so much. He’s a man of sport.”
Writing a new chapter, together
Both brothers, students at the University of Sydney across the Tasman Sea studying accounting and commerce, are relishing the opportunity to interact with student-athletes from different cultures at the FISU Games.
“I’ve never really experienced a kind of environment like this… world games, where you’re staying in a place with a bunch of athletes from a bunch of countries for a bunch of different sports,” said 18-year-old Isaac.
For Josef, 25, being one of the New Zealand flag bearers at the opening ceremony and leading the contingent in the Parade of Nations became a crowning moment of his water polo journey.
“Stepping out, carrying the flag and… hearing the roar (in) that massive stadium full of people. It was surreal,” he reflected.
“I knew going into it, it would be the highlight of my sporting career so far (and it) definitely was. Having (my) little bro behind was pretty cool to turn around and share that whole experience with him.”
For New Zealand, their first few games against heavyweight water polo countries will decide their fate into the quarter-finals.
The medal games in the men’s water polo competition are set for Saturday, 26 July.
The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games take place from 16-27 July. Watch all the competitions live on fisu.tv. Click on the link to find the full schedule.
Written by Sophie Wisely, FISU Young Reporter, Australia
The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.
We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.
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