The Girls Varsity Water Polo team won their last game of the season on Jan. 30, bringing their league record to 5-3.
Their season so far has included placing second in the Oxnard Pacific View tournament, as well as wins against the Monrovia Wildcats and the San Marino Titans.
The Rams’ most recent game was a 5-3 win against the South Pasadena Tigers. Although both teams started out slow, the Rams were able to pull ahead and score several goals in the last quarter.
Many members of the team are first year Varsity players, so the team has been working on honing their fundamental skills in practice like passing, shooting and endurance.
They practice every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Duarte Fitness Center’s pool, where they run drills and go over game plays.
“It’s hard to go to Duarte and practice, sometimes the bus comes late and if we’re late to practice then it’s hard because we don’t get to work on the things we need to work on,” Senior Nancy Trinh said. “It’s hard to schedule practices around Duarte’s schedule, because we want to practice in the morning to be more prepared but it’s their pool so it’s on their terms.”
Ongoing construction at the TCHS pool has forced Girls and Boys Water Polo to practice in Duarte and play all home games at other schools. The school provides transportation to and from practices and games, which costs $300-$400 per bus per day through several companies. Since Girls Varsity Water Polo practices three times a week, the additional cost to the district is $900 or more per week.
The Girls Water Polo program has encountered other issues in addition to the costs. Enrollment in the program has declined since TCHS started construction on the pool. Teams also do not have access to a pool during off season, so players practice by working out in the weight room and doing other exercises on land.
Despite the setbacks facing the team this year, they are hoping to compete in Division III of CIF.
“Our main goal is to try to become a more consistent team where we’re able to play the same level the entire time,” Head Coach Oscar Dorado said. “I think we have a really good chance [at CIF] if we play the way I know the team knows how to play.”
TCHS School Newspaper