Water Polo Gears Up for New Season; First Match on March 14
With the upcoming spring season, comes the new season of Spring Sports including water polo. On Feb. 22, water polo started their practices. Both new and returning players are ready for the experience and look forward to their first game on March 14 at Parkway West. Last season, the North water polo team had a record of 14-9, and placed third at conference.
Water polo teams have seven swimmers, and the goal is to get the ball inside the opponents’ net. It requires good ball handling skills, especially in the water, and being a strong swimming.
“I’ve been playing water polo since sixth grade. I started playing because I was on a swim team, and I felt like I would enjoy it because I also liked other sports,” said junior Michael Ney.
Water polo could be seen as a mix between swimming and volleyball. Some students play just for the sole purpose of being in a “hybrid sport”.
“I didn’t have the chance to play volleyball, but this year I am more free so I’m able to do more things such as water polo. It’s kind of cool that it’s a mix between those two. I don’t do any other activities because I feel like [water] polo would take up my time in case I wanted to do something else. I was planning on rowing at Creve Coeur Park for a team, but I just decided not to and went with [Water Polo] full time,” said sophomore Will Borders.
Although Spring Sports are seen by some students as more relaxing and fun because of the weather, there is still a strong sense of competitiveness.
“I play both for fun and for being competitive. I love winning, but just playing [water polo] is enough me. I love the team because we have tons of fun, but when we get in the water, it’s all serious and we have to keep our head in the game,” said Borders.
All sports require commitment and dedication, especially when players are sticking with the same sport for years.
“Ideally, I want the team to at least reach the state semifinals. I’ve gone to numerous tournaments in the past, including going to California for the Junior Olympics,” said Ney.
The sad truth is that a lot of the students may not be able to do the sport they love throughout their later life. High school sports are much more accessible than college teams and professional teams. It could be because that the student could simply not make the team, or that the college they are attending does not offer that sport.
“I would love to play water polo in college, but I don’t know if I will have the opportunity because outside of Missouri, water polo is much harder and there are many players with a great amount of skill,” said Ney.
No matter how the team does this season, players will enjoy the experiences, competitions, fun, and relationships.
by Sagar Samuel, staff writer and Profile Perfectionist