Off the top of your head, how many girls at LFHS could you name that are a part of our Swim and Dive team? How about our Girls Water Polo team? Chances are, you can name very few. Women’s Aquatic Sports at LFHS have been losing more and more athletes as the years go on. Just last year, our women’s water polo team was in jeopardy of not having enough players to compete. In fact, the team only managed to find a coach the day before the start of their season. There is no doubt that the loss of players and swimmers for our women’s aquatic sports is becoming more problematic, but the question remains: Why?
“People think water polo is super violent and difficult and, paired with the lack of consistent coaching and little to no attention from Scout Nation, we can only do so much,” junior Abby Houlihan said, a captain of both the swim and water polo team.
Abby has been swimming for ten years and playing water polo all three years of high school. Houlihan understands that there is often stigma and other concerns surrounding water polo that deter girls from joining.
“People think it’s weird because of our caps, and, since nobody knows about us, they never consider joining. Water Polo is super popular in warmer places like California, but the climate of Illinois paired with our already small team seems super unappealing,” Houlihan said.
Water Polo requires seven players, three on either side of the goal and a goalie. Last year, LFHS water polo had nine girls total.
“Only having two subs is a definite disadvantage, but it also makes our sport really unique. You get a lot of playing time, even if you don’t know what you’re doing,” Houlihan said.
When starting both water polo or swimming, there are often a lot of people who have never participated in either sport.
“With almost a whole new roster every season, it creates a judgement free environment. This, paired with such a small team, means we all get super close,” Houlihan said.
Some of Houlihan’s favorite memories from last year span from when their coach took them to get ice cream after their last game, to simply the moments spent warming up before a game— hyping each other up while passing the ball.
Both water polo and swim have unique qualities that translate into everyday life.
“Returning players get really good at teaching new players the game, which is a skill I don’t think many other sports build upon as heavily as water polo or swimming,” Houlihan said. “Water polo is also an automatic Varsity sport, which would be appealing to people if they just knew where to find us.”
Houlihan raises a good point. The stigma around the two sports only amplifies the real issue: the true culprit lies in the lack of understanding. If people knew how the sport was played, maybe more people would be interested.
“Someone once asked me, ‘How do you get the horses in the water?’ and, ‘Do the referees swim with you?’ Nobody understands how water polo is played, so it’s hard to convince people that it’s something fun they should consider playing,” Houlihan said.
