VYPE Lamar CISD September 2022

feature

L E T THE

F O S T E R G I R L S E Y E I N G A N O T H E R S T A T E T I T L E A S U I L A D O P T S W A T E R P O L O GAMES BEG I N !

\\ By De n n i s S i l v a I I

Foster’s Preston Acayan, Kinley Niles, Emma Woods, Dalia Kohn and Elijah Molina

Slay, the man responsible for coaching the Falcon girls to the State title. Slay, now the head coach at Katy Jordan and the highly-regarded Viper Pigeons club program, built the Foster program from the ground up and was critical in growing the spor t in the southwest Houston area. “It got younger kids on board,” Parker said. “So, we get kids who’ve been playing the spor t for a while.” Senior Dalia Kohn said the Viper Pigeons program has been vital. “ They have a great coach,” Kohn said. “It ’s an amazing environment . We’re all trying

State titles. Brazoswood and Bridgeland are also perennial area powers. Last season, Foster girls earned the highest Houston area finish at State in May (the season will now be played during the fall). “Obviously we want to win, but every team does,” said senior Lola Trujillo, an all-state, first-team selection last season. “We’re going to try to get everyone on the same page and try our best . Every team is going to do the same and it ’s going to be a fight for first place.” The Foster water polo program’s success was initiated by coach Scott

really cool.” Three years after winning a State Championship, Foster ’s girls team placed third at State last season. The boys team finished second in 2019, when the girls won it all. Foster joins Baytown Sterling, Cypress Creek , Clear Creek , Clear Lake, Humble, St . Agnes Academy and Clear Brook as Greater Houston area teams with girls water polo State Championships. On the boys’ side, Clear Lake, Baytown Sterling, Clear Creek , Cypress Creek , Humble, Nor th Shore, Strake Jesuit and Tomball have

AFTER 50 YEARS GOVERNED BY THE TEXAS INTERSCHOLASTIC SWIMMING COACHES ASSOCIATION, WATER POLO WAS ADOPTED AS AN OFFICIAL SPORT BY THE UNIVERSITY INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE BEGINNING THIS FALL. “It ’s something TISCA has wanted,” said Foster coach Kassy Parker, who enters her third season leading the aquatics program. “People have worked really hard to get it [recognized by the] UIL. It ’s exciting because it means there’s more growth in the spor t . It means more attention, and now younger kids will grow up knowing it ’s an option for them. It ’s

10 \\ L AMA R C I S D \\ S E P T 2022 \\ L C I S D . o rg