VYPE Lamar CISD September 2022

this is pretty cool.’

to build each other up. That club has really helped our school because everyone here joins it , gets better during the summer and when the season star ts, we’re all already on the same page.” Parker was an assistant at Stratford for four years before she was hired to succeed Slay. She currently has 14 girls and 30 boys, mostly sophomores, in the water polo program. She said it ’s easier to get boys involved. Girls tend to enjoy the spor t once they try it , but it can look intimidating to parents and athletes from the outside. The majority of athletes in the Foster water polo program come from the swim team but Parker is optimistic she can recruit more from other spor ts now that it is sanctioned by the UIL. She said swimmers with a background in basketball and/or softball tend to make for good water polo players. Trujillo had a gymnastics background. “I got bored, and my sister was always a swimmer,” Trujillo said. “When she got to Foster, Slay got her into water polo. I star ted swimming and she got me interested. I came to practice and thought , ‘Hey,

“It ’s a lot of different spor ts combined while having the swimming aspect . Every game is different . With swimming and gymnastics, it ’s the same thing every time you compete. With water polo, everyone plays different , teams play differently. You see something new every time and you have to figure out what to do.” Coaches and athletes think the popularity of a spor t said to be “a combination of soccer and rugby in the water ” will grow considerably now that the UIL is involved. “In past years, water polo hasn’ t been a big spor t ,” Kohn said. “No one knows of it , we have to pay for everything, we’re doing everything ourselves. Even our school doesn’ t recognize water polo as much as football or basketball , which is understandable, but now that it ’s UIL , we’ ll get recognized more. “More stuff will get done. It ’ ll get more exposure. There will be more media. More people will get interested. More clubs will star t . More teams will star t . Just this year alone for high school , there’s tons and tons more teams.”

Dalia Kohn

watched water polo before, it ’s definitely exciting,” Parker said. “Obviously I’m biased, but I think it ’s the world’s most fun spor t to play. It ’s aggressive but it takes a lot of technical and tactical skill. People are shocked that you’re not standing in the water. You’re treading the whole time. If you come from a basketball background, you’ ll recognize similarities, like, ‘Oh, they ran a pick .’” Foster ’s girls are once again one of the favorites to come away with a State Championship this season. Trujillo and Kohn are offensively and defensively gifted and two of the best players in the Greater Houston area. Junior Clara McKee is a force in the cage. Sophomore Kinley Niles is a precocious talent and mature beyond her years. Sophomore Emma Woods is also a central figure. “We all have the intention to win,” Kohn said. “Last year, we could’ve won State. We felt it was taken from us. This year, we’re not getting second or third. We’re all coming together and working to get first .”

But the UIL’s strongest influence may come in the pockets of par ticipants. Coaches and players feel the spor t will grow in par ticipation now that expenses are being covered. Along with equipment , players were also responsible for their own transpor tation and paying for hotels to and from games. Trujillo said players would drop out of the spor t because it was too much of a financial burden on families. “Previous years, we’ve had to pay for everything ourselves,” Trujillo said. “It ’s great that the UIL is recognizing us as a spor t and we’ ll get the funds so it won’ t be trouble for us to pay for stuff.” “A typical water polo game is more physical and aggressive than many people think ,” Parker said. “It is a battle of attrition for four quar ters. The depths of the pools differ and are unique to each respective facility.” Foster ’s practice pool is 7 ½ feet deep. The Lamar Consolidated ISD natatorium is 12 feet deep. “If you have never

Coach Kassy Parker

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