Waterpolo, a sport that's not too prominent in mixed uk state schools, however, I have spoken to a pupil from one of the few anomalies in the mix, Coombe Wood. My school has recently started a water polo team, where the participants practise during school hours and even have fixtures against other schools in Croydon such as Trinity and Whitgift School for boys. In the past weeks, a tournament took place, in which Coombe Wood played against other Croydon schools (coming in third place) and made it through to nationals where they can now participate to win the cup. I spoke to one of the team's players, Maria Levey, where we discussed the tournament.
How did it feel to come third in the tournament?
“I felt really proud of the whole team because this is our first proper water polo tournament and we have never competed in such a large competition like this before. I'm also really happy that we have a chance to come first in nationals.”
How does it feel to be one of the only few girls playing water polo in Coombe Wood?
“I don't feel all that different compared to the boys on our team when we play, I just think it's such a great opportunity to widen your skill set and to express and enjoy yourself.”
What was it like being the only state school playing in the tournament?
“Its weird, because we just don't fit exactly, all the schools we play against have pools to practise in, whereas we have to travel to borrow other schools pools, meaning we aren't always as high in skill as other teams; however, we still play well for a state school without an on sight swimming pool. We may also be considered lucky to be one of the only few state schools in the water polo field as not many state schools like ours get the same opportunities as we have after we got our new building.”
Sports such as water polo have since grown in popularity within our school, possibly due to new facilities available to us. We hope to expand and improve within this sport, which could provide opportunities and to interested pupils within our school.
