For the upcoming winter season, Bonita Vista High (BVH) varsity girls water polo team have set new goals based on their last season’s development. In the next few months, a handful of changes will be made to increase the probability of having a successful league experience. 

“The girls did well [last season]. They could’ve done better because towards the end of the season last year, they weren’t as disciplined as they could have been. We sort of fizzled out during CIF,” Girls Varsity water polo head coach Betty Alexander said.

Having coached BVH girls water polo for 11 years, Alexander states that focus is key in having a successful season.

“I want them to be more focused right from the start. Last season we didn’t do any games before break. This season, I scheduled a lot more games, so hopefully we don’t have a burnout in January,” Alexander said.

Although the season is just weeks away from beginning, Alexander believes that the team is already on the right track. She had already met her goals for recruitment immediately after the first day of tryouts.

“I think we’ve doubled the amount of girls trying out for water polo which is a short-term goal that I think we’ve already met. Long-term, I would like to see more girls playing water polo year-round and not take nine months off in between seasons. I think this would make our program more successful,” Alexander said.

However, it’s not just Alexander who has high hopes for this season. The new seniors this year have new ideas on personal and team improvement as well.

“From last season we only lost one senior so I hope to improve with the team’s overall knowledge of the game and also our strength for this season,” senior and utility player  Megan Slovatizki said.

In terms of personal development in the sport, senior and set and guard Aryel Austin reflects on her performance last season to determine which areas need improvement for this upcoming season. 

“Last season I was really good at defense so this year I want to improve my offensive skills by shooting more and becoming a more well-rounded player, which begins with confidence,” Austin said.

The seniors are prepared to give it their all in hopes of earning a championship. To prepare, they remain true to the universal idea that “practice makes perfect.”

“Practice is more of working on skills that you should be improving on for the game, and in the game it’s putting forth your most practiced skills to give your team the best advantage with what you know how to do,” Slovatizki said.