By: Miah Leal
The 2024 season for the El Diamante Varsity Girls Water Polo team looks like it will have a promising start. This is a team with many new players because they lost all their seniors last year, but they are coming in with a lot of potential.
New head coach, Drew Parsley, is coaching the girl’s water polo team for the first time this year and he has his priorities straight about what this season entails. He has his goals set for the season on an individualistic and team basis.
As a coach, he wants to help players advance their skills and “water polo IQ”. Parsley states that this consists of them “knowing their positioning at all times and making quick decisions on offense and defense.”
Along with that, he wants to support the team in using their full potential to be the best they can be. That includes winning more games and having good sportsmanship while keeping that strong competitive spirit alive.
Senior team captain Joanna Lee shared her thoughts about the water polo team saying that “[she] was a little worried returning to the team with most of them being new girls; however after having played with them, [she] found that they have a great team dynamic” and a great mindset about wanting to continue to improve their game.
With this upcoming season, Coach Parsley shared that he is looking forward to “winning games especially home games against tough schools”. With all the effort the girls put into practice, he can’t wait to see it pay off during playoffs and hopefully have a strong run. He also wants to observe each player’s growth from the beginning to the end of the season.
Lee expressed that she is looking forward to “winning back the paddle at the Battle for the Paddle game against Golden West”. She has been waiting for their rematch since they lost last season and getting their revenge. She wants to bring the paddle back home to its rightful owners.
Drew Parsley stated that he strives for a strong united team. That is the key to having a successful water polo team where the players know they have each other’s back and understand their teammate’s strengths and weaknesses. This allows everyone to perform their best in the water and create new friendships.
The Varsity Girls Water Polo team has their first league game of the season on October 1st against Monache. It is a home game, so show up to cheer on the team and show your support to these players.
Feature photo creds: @Ladyminerspolo on Instagram