Water Polo Fighting it’s Way to The Top

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Kristen Hunter Flores

Bryan Hicks in the yellow cap get the ball for Ridgeview.

Samantha Trujillo, Sports Editor

 Starting off this new season, Water Polo is diving straight into the water.  Colby Webb is making his way for his students to create a memory of a sport they’ll never forget.  Colby Webb, coaches not only water polo, but for the swim team as well and has a big objective to get his players to bring gold this year, as well as to get his players to realize an important factor besides winning.  “ I want to give a solid outcome of if you work hard, it doesn’t matter if the odds may be stacked against you, you can still come out on top,” stated  Webb. One of the players receiving this advice is senior Jeffrey Wilson.  

  This being Wilson’s last year, his biggest focus is to be learning more about the sport as well as getting more fellow students/athletes involved in the sport. Not only is it a skill to be able to play this sport but it is another to be able to create a team bond with fellow classmates. When asked about what creates a good team bond, Wilson gave an adequate response stating, “ I would say you got to figure out how to be friends with your teammates and just practicing with them and like getting murdered by your coach mostly, you know like at hard practices whenever you are all coming out of the pool like just  absolutely dogged like doing that with people gets you close.”

  Although Wilson was not the only one, asked about the steps to creating a better team, but other teammates such as, Sophomore Ivan Correa and Audrey Martinez. They were also able to give insight on what they believe creates a good team bond. “ Well I believe that a good team bond consists of each one of us helping each other out and always being in a good team spirit. ” added Correa. Martinez responded with, “ Mainly voicing your opinion a lot, like during games, you have to speak a lot to your team about what needs to be fixed or what can stay the same.”

    To play a sport you enjoy is great, but to be a part of a team where there is support in one and other and to always strive for greatness, is unforgettable. This is something Ridgeview’s water polo team continues to lay an extraordinary example of, as they continue on with their season.

  Safe to say water polo is a sport that requires much more than others would think. When in these matches, players are being shoved into the water, shoved out of the way, splashed in the face with water and face the risk of even sometimes staying under the water for a certain amount of time. Through all this, players still must keep composure to win the ball. Although these may seem like challenging things to handle, nonetheless, Water polo is a sport that can most definitely improve physical health. When asked about the benefits that are received through this sport, Webb had affirmed the following, “A lot of just incredible endurance, strength, the hand eye coordination improves and lower body just muscle and strength, having to maintain and tread water only with your legs for practically and hour straight, it wears you out.”  To face these certain things, seems like something that will take immeasurable determination, luckily that is exactly what Ridgeview’s water polo team contains.

Jeffrey Wilson in the yellow cap defends in a recent match.