- Lauren Hagerty ’21
For years, the SHP girl’s water polo team has been a dominant force and contestant for league and CCS championships. This year is no exception. As undefeated league champions, they are entering the CCS tournament at the #1 seed, backed up by an overall record of 22-3. All three losses were to the same team, the Acalanes Dons who are currently 27-0. However, the Gators are undeterred, determined to bring home another section championship. The team anticipates their season to continue until late November, potentially past Thanksgiving.
This year, head coach James Frank has instilled a strong emphasis on responsibility and accountability for every member of the team, captains Gina Tiso (‘20) and Dasha Sokolova (‘20) in particular. Senior, Annabel Facey has also taken on a crucial leadership role on the team.
Although the team is ferocious in the pool, they also have bonded and created a team culture rooted in supporting one another. One factor which contributes to the team’s close bond is all the time they spend together. Whether it’s during practice, multiple hour bus rides to games as far away as Moraga, or cheering each other on during games, the girls have gotten closer over the course of the season. “I feel like we are all sisters. We know how to hype each other up and boost each other’s confidence when needed.” says team manager Kathryn Sweeney (‘21).
A favorite tradition on the team is dressing up on game days. Although this is common throughout many teams at SHP, it gets the team excited and energized for the upcoming game. The team dress up also helps to bring awareness to their games. These games, despite the girl’s impressive record, also have some of the lowest attendance records at SHP.
As the team continues to dominate the competition, another CCS title seems to be in the near future for this year’s team.
