SPORTS
Emma Reynolds of Heritage High School
30 Sept. 2022
Heritage High School’s girls water polo program has displayed an outstanding performance so far this season. Heritage High School won 12-8 against Vintage High School, 9-7 against James Logan High School, 20-1 against Freedom High School, 13-2 against College Park High School, 9-4 against Castro Valley High School, and 19-1 against Antioch High School.
From these wins, excellence is built upon a foundation of hard work. So, what does it take to play water polo?
Like any other sport, water polo players must train and put in work to improve their abilities. Sophie Eilerson (11), a varsity water polo player at Heritage High School, explained the consistent training schedule that the sport demands.
“Practice is every day after school,” shared Eilerson. “So five days a week after school practice and then usually three times a week is morning practice.”
Water polo is a challenging sport and daily practice is essential to succeed. The girls water polo players’ training effort reflects in their games, proving hard work pays off!
Another vital part of playing this sport is a specific mindset, as it determines a team’s performance and results. Jordyn Davies (12), a varsity water polo player and captain at Heritage High School, describes the certain mentality a player must have.
“You have to have a focused mindset and know exactly what your goals are. You want to work hard and have fun too,” said Davies.
Focus is a key aspect when playing water polo, because of the many elements to consider. Likewise, Heritage High School varsity water polo player, Samantha Chao (11), expanded on the key mindset.
“To play water polo you need to have a determined mindset and sacrifice a lot of time and effort during practices, team bonding, and tournaments so we can do well during games,” stated Chao. “This makes the games even more exciting because we’re having fun, being open-minded and motivated to always improve so we can be the best team together both in the pool and outside.”
Ultimately, to be successful in the sport, aspects such as mentality and training are extremely important. It takes these vital elements to achieve excellence, and Heritage High School’s girls water polo program has proven this.
Implementing these factors into their sport leaves these girls with feelings of accomplishment and Chao vocalized her feelings after winning a water polo game.
“When we win, especially if it’s an intense or hard game, the feeling is unreal,” described Chao. It’s so fun watching the clock go down and seeing everyone so happy because we know we have the win.”
Overall, the results from maintaining rigorous practice schedules, keeping a focused mindset, and hard work reflect with each game played. Heritage High School’s girls water polo program continues to display its incredible abilities, because of the fundamentals it takes to succeed.
The Brentwood Youth Press 