Admittedly, I had no idea what water polo was before practicing with LASA’s water polo team. The words stitched together created an image of flailing arms and chlorine-soaked eyes, an image I think still holds partly true. However, as soon as I got into the water I was greeted with smiles, splashes, and a prompt introduction to the team’s fondness of “dunking”—a playful tradition where one player sneaks up behind another and plunges them into the water.
Practice kicked off with lap swimming, and I thrashed my arms through about six lengths of the pool before I quickly realized just how much stamina swimming requires. Out of breath and honestly out of shape, I took to interviewing the girls who had already finished their sets about their experience with water polo, something that was definitely for the sake of the article and not just an excuse to rest. I found that the team ranges from complete beginners, to swimmers wanting to try something with a little more strategy, to people who have been playing for years.
The next workout we treaded water, alternating between no hands in the water and no elbows. My summer lifeguard training gave me enough conditioning to hold my own as I swirled my legs in opposite directions in a movement called “egg beating”, but as the minutes began ticking by and tightness crept up my calves, I looked around to see if anyone else felt like they were about to drown. Thankfully, an upperclassman handed me a ball to float on, and I took the time to learn about the rules of the sport.
Essentially, water polo is played in two teams of seven, with six field players and one goalie. The positions are similar to soccer, and the objective is to score by getting the ball into the opposing team’s goal by using any part of your body to pass, catch, or shoot. You have to tread water the entire time, and you cannot hold the ball for longer than three seconds.
Passing drills followed, and the coach, Sophie Pressler, showed how to extend a single hand to catch the ball in the center of your palm with your thumb and pinkie, then throw by flicking your wrist. I was doing this with two other freshmen, whose passes landed either close or into the hands of another. Mine hit the head of one of the boys practicing on the other side of the pool, resulting in echoing giggles through the whole natatorium, but by the end we created a steady flow between the three of us. I felt a sense of progress, which quickly dissipated when the next exercise required us to actually get it into the goal.
Everyone swam into two lines and threw a quick pass at the person adjacent to you before receiving the ball again and trying to score, except for goalie Amelia McRoberts who readied herself to launch out of the water and catch any balls coming her way. While my shots did not come her way at first, after some coaching, I managed to stop using both hands to clutch the ball and gained some power behind my throw.
With thirty minutes left of practice, the sound of a whistle rang out and all the girls quickly huddled at the corner of the pool. The captains drew on a whiteboard and explained the mechanics of a setup they were about to replicate, all of which went over my head, but it seemed to be very clear to the rest of the team as they confidently positioned themselves and began flinging the ball at each other. I did not have the expertise to participate, but I watched in awe of the coordination and sportsmanship.
We cooled down with another passing drill; two girls threw the ball between the lanes while another two acted as blockers. I lagged sorely behind my passer but was praised for my swimming speed regardless.
What stood out to me the most in the practice was the absolute positivity that seemed to drench the Westlake Aquatic center. For a sport as physically demanding as water polo, it was refreshing to see the focus shift from rivalry to support. The atmosphere is energizing, something that is needed considering the practice goes from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., and I found myself not even noticing the time going by. Without any water sport experience, I still managed to feel accommodated by both my friends and girls that I would never have talked to before that night.
