For the last two weeks, Oak Park High School’s water polo team has been practicing without their usual pool due to Cal Lutheran University closing it to the public.

“After the week of this year’s tryouts, the CLU pool where we practice was closed to the public for two weeks to provide for their college water polo team,” senior Mason Lewis said. “As a result, we won’t be able to practice as a full team until the start of September. Worse, we have two games before we will start formally practicing.”

However, the team has gotten creative to work around this setback. 

“Since the pool has closed, we swam independently and we’re fortunate enough to have practice at our teammates’s house,” senior Noah Chang said. 

The water polo team played its first game of the season on Wednesday, Aug. 29, losing 16-5 to Newbury Park High School.

“We ultimately weren’t as prepared as I would like us to be for the game because of the lack of practices,” senior David Ross said. “It’s sort of a reflection of our preparation as we weren’t able to get that much time in the pool.”

Despite all the obstacles faced, the team remains positive and looks on the bright side of the situation. 

“I do believe, however, that this lack of pool time has had a bit of a silver lining, as our varsity team has been able to come together outside of the CLU facility and have informal practices at one of our teammate’s houses, which I think is beneficial to our team dynamic,” Lewis said.  

They reflect on the experience and prove that the team can persevere. 

“I think this hiccup has made our team stronger, as it has made us more resilient and better at responding to change, which I believe in turn will improve our playing,” junior Trey Willams said.