Selma High’s varsity boys’ water polo team has had an impressive season so far. This season in the league, they’ve faced challenging opponents and competed against Hanford West, Kerman, and Granite Hills. Their most recent victory against Kerman High School with a score of 17-7 has led them to a current record of 12-7, showcasing their dedication and teamwork. Aside from their focus on accumulating victories, they’ve discovered a newfound sense of family within the team.
Currently in his third-year of coaching water polo, Coach Marcus Valdez, a proud Selma Bear alumnus, drew from his own experiences as a student athlete to share how he has enjoyed being a mentor so far.
“I enjoy guiding student athletes when developing in a sport I myself am very passionate about. Seeing students who may have never heard of the sport before our season grow into water polo players is indescribably rewarding,” Coach Marcus expresses. “I couldn’t be prouder watching my players grow not only as athletes, but as a team as well.”
Wrapping up his third and final season with Selma High’s boys’ water polo team, senior Buddy Causar illustrates what this journey has been like for him. He expanded on how being a part of a team has impacted him personally.
“I have grown to become a more social person, and I believe this is because of my polo family, as a team we have grown closer, [while] altogether making [our] team bonds stronger.” Buddy reveals. “I’m thankful I joined the sport and to have been given this opportunity to grow so strong with people I never knew prior to when I started.”
Junior and Co-Captain Abram Rodriguez shares his perspective on the team’s unity, whilst providing insight into their increasing performance.
“I think this season has been great. I’ve seen so much improvement from both our new players and those who have been playing. We have gotten so much better fundamentally and at playing as a team,” Abram states.
While reminiscing on heartwarming memories this season, Abram shares a moment that aided the process of uniting the team.
“My favorite memory this season is when our coach ended up stuck in traffic and we had to scrap together balls, caps, and [then] had our team managers coach us for a tournament game. I think it was really funny and also cool how dedicated we were to playing that game regardless of the circumstances,” Abram communicates.
Finally, Buddy and Abram chose to share some positive guidance to any incoming athletes.
“I think any incoming players would absolutely love it, but they need to be prepared for the mental challenge. Once they can get the hard part out of the way, I can guarantee they will absolutely love it and have a great time.” Abram Rodriguez states.
Buddy continues, “My advice to future water polo players is to play strong and confident, take those shots you know you can make, and make your teammates your family.”
