As the boys’ water polo team continues its season, they have already won 10 matches. The water polo team works hard during the season with 5-7 practices a week, to win as many matches as possible.
Playing against certain schools isn’t always easy, and the team sometimes needs to be up for a challenge. Coach Garret Potter, who has been part of this program for four years and is in his first year as head coach for the boys’ water polo team, said, “We have a really tough game coming up against St. John Bosco.” However, to play against a school ranked 46th overall, the boys need to practice hard. There are a lot of things that go on that people normally don’t see to make sure a team is ready for a hard game. Captain Senior Andrew Helm said, “We train hard that week to prep for going against a hard team. We talk as a team about what we’re going to do, what our goals are, and how we’re going to approach the game.”
Of course, each year the current team has differences from the team of the past school year. Coach Potter said, “This year’s team, there’s a lot more family aspect. There’s a community here, and that’s something that we can build upon, and it translates directly into results in the game. I’m really proud that the guys are coming together, showing up to practices, really listening to what I have to say and applying that to their practicing game.”
Being captain doesn’t only mean telling the team what to do; many other responsibilities come with the role. “I have to talk to the refs before games, and also make sure everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to do during practice, make sure that people know when the games are, what to wear, and when the bus leaves,” said Helm.
Water polo is a hard sport, and it takes a lot of commitment to attend each practice and game every week. But at the end, for a team to succeed, each coach has something they usually tell their team. When Coach Potter was asked what he says to motivate his players, he said, “Practice how you play. If you show up to practice that week and you’re not practicing the skills to 100% of what you’re capable of, you can’t expect to be successful in a game. So I keep urging them to practice how they play so they train hard at practice, and then it applies directly to their game.” As the season progresses, hopefully the team will end strong and make it to CIF for the first time in four years.
