Wolfpack Makes a Splash

Water Polo can be seen as one of the most challenging and interesting sports here at Ridgeview. Girls’ water polo is 0-2. Boys’ water polo is 1-1.  Clarissa Jimenez, a Senior, plays goalie and wing. Jimenez says she likes the people she plays with as they are like family.

 Maximus Lobos, a Senior who plays the three, and goalie. Lobos says he likes the game because of the aggressiveness needed in the game, but also says that the hardest part about water polo is being able to keep swimming. As Lobos says, “Teamwork and awareness because no teamwork, no wins.”  Junior and wing player Ivan Correa, loves the game and has learned new things as he says he has learned to be an important player for the team. The most important thing in water polo is communication. One thing all of these athletes say is that they want people to give water polo a chance, and try new things. Ridgeview has just started Water Polo as this will be its second year as a sport.

 Boys head coach, Coach Webb has been coaching with Ridgeview for three years in swimming and this will be his second year coaching water polo. For practices, Webb says, “practices typically start off with a warm-up around the pool swim.” As the year goes on these players put in a lot of hard work, as they have gone from passing and shooting drills to potential situations. They practice a lot on swimming into their positions, getting ready for the next play, passing the ball, and just making the play and game easier for them. The same thing on defense needing to stop the opponent from making a goal. Three things Webb believes are important are speed, conditioning because if you can’t keep swimming then you will be in trouble when the game starts and knowing what to do in the game. One of the interesting facts is the strategy and the grit needed for the game. It’s a sport that must be wanted and needed. The reason is because of the dedication needed for the sports needing to be in incredible shape leading to being smart and strong because of how intense the game is. A very important factor in Water Polo is teamwork. The reason teamwork is so important in the game is because of how crazy it can be in the water. 

As most of the team thinks BCHS will be their toughest opponent due to numerous reasons. Jimenez says “because they have a lot of practice”.