The sky above Las Positas College on this Thursday afternoon in late September was a royal blue, dotted with white clouds. A brisk breeze brought a slight chill towards the pool behind the LPC gym. The sun reflected off its crystal clear water, where both the Las Positas women’s and men’s water polo teams were getting ready for their practice.
For the Hawks’ aquatic athletes, it’s a scene so typical that it can be taken for granted. The summer months in these parts, with the heat and the scenic surroundings, make every day a great day for the pool.
But these student athletes had been deprived. Instead, with the LPC pool going through reconstruction during the summer, their norm was altered. They became water polo nomads. Hawks without a nest.
“It just sets us back a little bit,” women’s water polo head coach Kate Faix Bennett said. “You’re obviously wanting to practice in your home facility. You want to practice where you would play games.”
Instead, the women’s squad practiced at Livermore High. Then once that pool went under construction, Granada High. Then once that school’s year started, the Hawks turned to the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District to take whatever open time slots were available at the local community pool.
Balancing the class schedules of student athletes with the limited openings at the community pool significantly reduced their practice time. The temporary residence prevented the team from bonding and developing necessary chemistry.
“A bunch of us were only practicing once or twice a week,” Stephanie Wise, a sophomore utility player, said, “(and) we’re supposed to be practicing every day.
“Yeah, that was awful. … I don’t want to use the word screwed, but it screwed us,” Wise said.
“(It’s) always hard to have a cohesive unit,” Bennett added, “when we’re not quite familiar with how each other plays, how each other swims, what kind of passes they expect.”
The effects are evident in the tough start to their season. The women’s water polo team lost five straight to start the season. They were outscored 88-54 in those five losses.
But the pool has recently been reopened for practice, with the team getting their first session in on Sept. 16. The Hawks finally feel comfortable. They are now able to truly start bonding and preparing themselves to bounce back from their difficult start.
Indeed, there is no place like home. The Hawks quickly felt the benefits of having their usual nest.
On Sept. 18, the Hawks went on the road to beat San Mateo 14-8 for their first win of the season. The biggest difference according to Bennett? The team’s communication and collaboration.
“There was a lot more communication,” she said. “I think it’s finally starting to click.”
Roughly two weeks before the Hawks got their large pool back for their practices, they settled for the smaller and shallower pools near the big pool. There, both the men and women practiced together, even going through literal walk-throughs of their plays in the shallow water. According to Makenzie Duffin, a sophomore attacker, the smaller, more condensed practice environment caused the team to lack spacing in their first games of the year.
FINALLY HOME: Jaymie Helm (left) and Makenzie Duffin practiced their shooting motion. Duffin is the only member of the team to score in all six games this season. (Photo by Jakob Arnarsson/ The Express)
“One thing I noticed,” Duffin said, “was after being able to practice in the big pool, we were spaced out so much better. Being able to actually set up a full offense in the big pool I think made a huge difference.”
With the Hawks back in their usual large practice area, the team is now able to run proper scrimmages, spacing each other out to emulate the spacing of a real game. With only one full week of regular practices under their belt, the team is confident they can continue to grow and build on their first win.
“Winning is always a big confidence booster,” Duffin said. “It’s a great motivator to show that what you’re doing is paying off.”
“We’re putting in that work,” Jaymie Helm, a sophomore driver, added. “So hopefully we get the results that we want.”
The Hawks’ win against the Bulldogs was the team’s most recent game, leaving them with a 1-5 record. Next up will be a bigger challenge, with the team once again hitting the road on Sept. 25 to take on the West Valley Vikings, who are currently riding a six-game winning streak and sit at an overall 7-3 record this season. The Hawks will get their first chance to host an opponent in their revamped pool on Oct. 2, when they take on their rivals the City College of San Francisco Rams.
Top photo: The women’s water polo squad is hoping that having their home pool back open will help them turn around their season. (Photo by Jakob Arnarsson/ The Express)
Jakob Arnarsson is the Editor-in-Chief of The Express. Follow him on X, formally Twitter, @JakobA2004.
