Eureka High School and Lafayette High School have set aside their rivalry and joined teams in water polo. This collaboration is creating excitement among students, coaches, and the community. With their combined talent and determination, these two teams are poised to make a splash in the upcoming season.
“With the sanctioning of Girls Water Polo as an Emerging Sport by MSHSAA a few years ago, Lafayette transitioned from a coed team,” James Waeckerle, Water Polo Coach, said. “However, a shortage of players following the graduation of half the team posed a challenge in fielding an all-girls team this year.”
In response to these hurdles, the schools decided to pool their resources, combining their water polo teams in a merger that promises to not only address player shortages but also ready to make waves in the upcoming season.
“Meanwhile, Eureka struggled with low overall numbers, leading them to play as a coed team with just 11 players last year,” Waeckerle said.
The merger offered a solution, allowing Lafayette’s girls to continue playing as an all-girls team while liberating Eureka girls from a predominantly all-boys league.
“Additionally, the collaboration involves combining the boys’ teams, as Eureka faces challenges in fielding a team this year,” Waeckerle said.
Water polo players have only increased. As the sport started to grow, coaches and schools wanted to make it more inclusive for students.
“As the sport of women’s water polo has just started to expand and grow, we wanted to reach out and let lots of young girls experience the opportunity to play for a high school team,” Lafayette, 9, Olivia Bechtel said.
As the Eureka and Lafayette water polo teams merge, it’s not just about blending talents and overcoming challenges; it’s about forging new friendships and shared experiences.
“I think the collaboration will benefit the teams because the teams will have more people and we can use both pools because I think that it is a good thing that they combined because I would rather be with a group of all girls than a group of girls and boys,” Eureka, 9, Natalie Grongborg said.
A lot of people don’t completely understand the rules of water polo, but are still curious. Bechtel is convinced that it’s a sport everyone would love.
“I personally am super excited to share the wonders of this sport with more girls and connect with more players and see new faces every day,” Bechtel said.
