Boy’s Water Polo
November 13, 2018
This boys water polo season brought many up and down for the team. But the longer the season went on, the closer the team grew.
Alexander Newberg, a junior this year has been playing water polo since freshman year because he thought it looked like a cool sport, and has continued to play because he believes there is always room for improvement. Newberg is a driver on the varsity water polo team, and enjoys it because he gets to take a lot of outside shots and excels in that position. He enjoys away games more than home;
“During away games we get to see how the opposite team’s fans support the team and that gives us ideas. And the bus ride there, we talk about plays and it’s good for team bonding,” Newberg said.
Newberg hopes to get a college scholarship but isn’t riding on it;
“Because even though it’s not in every high school, it’s a very competitive sport and hard to get a scholarship,” he said.
“During a regular home game day many of us arrive early to get mentally prepped, then we start our warm ups at the pool. After our warm ups we meet the refs…There’s four quarters to a game and after every quarter we switch sides of the pool, each quarter is like 7 minutes I think. After the game we high five the other team, then we discuss how we played with our coaches, and after that we put stuff away,” Newberg said.
For many on the team it’s their first year playing, like Ethan Runyon. Ethan is a sophmore this year, and hopes to continue playing through the rest of high school. Runyon plays as a driver and a wing on both sides, he really enjoys those positions because they’re more interactive with the ball than other positions.
“I chose to do waterpolo this year because my friends convinced me to,” Runyon said.
Runyon enjoyed playing waterpolo this year because he made new friendships and discovered a new and fun sport.
“My favorite game this year is the first game, because everything was so new and exciting,” he said. “Waterpolo is such an aggressive sport because you only see ½ of what’s happening. Below the surface it gets pretty ugly,” he said.
For sophomore Tate Johnson, this is his second year playing for the team. Tate plays as a goalie and enjoys it because as he states, “pretty good at it and has an okay arm to get it down the pool,” he said.
Johnson strongly believes his team has grown significantly since the beginning of the season to the end of the season.
“Our basic skills have gotten way better, and our teamwork is way better than what it used to be” Johnson said.
“A regular day of practice starts off with a swim set then we go into passing and leg workouts then we do shooting drills and defense drills,” Johnson said.
It hasn’t been the most fabulous season for the men’s water polo team, but the boy’s had a great time playing for the team they love.
