News
Water polo programs hope to make a splash on high school sports scene
By SHAWN SKAGER
Staff writer - Bellevue Reporter
Originally printed April 28, 2007
It's chilly on the pool deck of the Samena Swim and Recreation Club in Bellevue. The skies above are gunmetal gray, heavy with the threat of rain. In the outdoor pool, several members of the Sammamish girls water polo team practice, arms interlocked as they struggle with their partners for position.
"Come on ladies, let's see some white water. Let's see some kicking," head coach Ashleigh Jacobs yells from the deck.
The girls respond, doubling their efforts as they push each other around the pool.
"That's one of the best things about this sport," Jacobs, a graduate of Mercer Island High School says. "I tell people it's a combination of wrestling, soccer and basketball in a pool. It's pretty physical."
Rain or shine, the Sammamish team can be found at the pool, from 7 to 9 p.m. practicing.
Although the turnout and popularity of the sport has yet to reach
that of other club sports - such as soccer or softball - Jacobs says all
the sport needs is a little push.
"Right now it hasn't gathered the mass of club sports like soccer," she
said. "Right now what it needs is the promotion and the community
involvement."
For many programs, including Sammamish's, just fielding a team is a uphill battle, Jacobs said.
Because the sport is not sanctioned by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, the governing body for high school athletics in the state, it is not funded by the schools.
"It's all club, so that makes it tough," Jacobs said. "It puts a lot of responsibility on parents and players to fundraise, which makes it hard to recruit. It's not, pay your $40 ASB fee and you're good to go. There is no school sponsored equipment. There are a lot of fees that come into it. Pool time is very expensive. Usually a season costs about $10,000 per team."
Jacobs, who is also a member of the Washington Water Polo organization, said she hopes that will change.
"We¹re working as a group, all the coaches, with the club programs like Washington Water Polo, to promote water polo at an earlier age," she said. "By the time kids get into high school they've usually chosen which sport they're playing. So it's hard to recruit a 14 year old kid who doesn't have a lot of swimming experience. It's pretty tough, they've usually chosen baseball, basketball or soccer already."
Among the successful templates in the area that Jacobs said she looks to her that of her alma mater, Mercer Island High School. The Islanders are the defending state champs in both girls and boys water polo. According to Jacobs that's because of the Midlakes Water Polo club, which feeds Mercer Island.
"That's why Mercer Island is so strong, they have three Midlakes feeder programs," she said.
This year, Jacobs said she hopes that the Sammamish program will get a boost from the eighth grade orientation booth the program featured this year.
"Hopefully we'll get some interest from some of the kids," she said. "You get such a diversity of kids in the game. I think on our team only has two players who started before high school. So there is a lot of learning to cram into four years."
But the payoff for those who turn out can be great, Jacobs said.
"The biggest misconception that people get is that this is a brutally hard sport that you have to be invited to and that nobody can do," she said. "But that's so far from the reality. When people try it out they realize it's not individual at all. It takes seven players to win and I think that teaches a lot of lessons.
"It teaches accountability, dedication and commitment," Jacobs added.
"Because it's hard, but it's rewarding as a coach and a player to see it
pay off at the end of the day. And it might not even be the end of the
day, it might be three months later. But it pays off."
Shawn Skager can be reached at
shawn.skager@reporternewspapers.com or 253-872-6607.