Federico Juc Carsalade

For Frederico Jucá Carsalade, water polo is more than a sport; it is a family legacy. Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, “Tico” was the little kid following in the wake of his father, brother, and cousins, all of whom had played the game.

While Brazil is a land of immense water polo talent, the path to international recognition is often blocked by a lack of investment and visibility. Tico had a dream that felt a world away: to play for the UCLA Bruins.

He knew that to bridge the gap between Rio and Westwood, he needed more than talent – he needed a platform. In the spring of 2022, he found it with the 6-8 Academy.

Bridging Style Gap

The transition from Brazilian water polo to the American collegiate style is notoriously difficult. “The American style is different in many ways,” Tico notes. Through the Academy, he was immersed in that style daily, mentored by a “Mount Rushmore” of the sport: Tony Azevedo, Maggie Steffens & Ricardo Azevedo.

“Being surrounded by legends of the sport helped me tremendously. That environment prepared me not just as an athlete, but as a person.”

Frederico Jucá Carsalade

The Ultimate Differentiator: Access to Greatness

What sets the 6-8 Academy apart from any other training environment is the level of intimate mentorship. For Tico, the “game-changer” wasn’t just being in the pool, it was the access to the minds of the greats.

You had Tony’s mind available at all times. Having a legend in the water with you every day, teaching fundamentals and then reviewing video outside the pool, that level of access was the biggest differentiator. Even the morning drives to practice with Tony were special. We’d talk about everything: water polo, life, and future plans.

Data and The “Showcase” Moment

Before the Academy, Tico’s understanding of the game was traditional. 6-8 introduced him to the power of analytics. “Bringing statistics into the sport helped us better understand development and performance. It shifted the mentality from just ‘scoring goals’ to truly understanding every aspect of the game.”

But the most pivotal moment of Tico’s life happened at the 6-8 Showcase. For an international player, getting in front of a UCLA coach is nearly impossible without an intermediary.

The Showcase was the first time I met the UCLA assistant coach. That’s when the conversation started. For players outside of California, especially international players, it’s hard to get recognition. Without the Showcase, I might never have met the UCLA coaches, and my path could have been very different.

The Result: A Bruin and a Champion

Today, Tico is a standout Attacker for the UCLA Bruins, contributing to a program that consistently contends for National Championships. He is a multi-time member of the ACWPC All-Academic Team and the MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete list, proving that the discipline learned at the Academy translates to the classroom of one of the world’s most prestigious universities.

Honestly, 6-8 has been almost everything for me. I made friends that I’ll carry with me forever some I now compete against in college. Every time we see each other on the pool deck, it feels like nothing has changed.

Frederico Jucá Carsalade