Last year Oak Park High School’s aquatics program expanded, with the first boys water polo team in school history. Due to the lack of recruits for the girls team, Oak Park was unable to start the first girls water polo team last year. With no subs and the absolute minimum of athletes for a team of seven, the girls made the cutoff, successfully starting a new team for the 2024 season.
“Starting a new team was a challenge,” junior Eden Chirchick said. “It felt like everyone who wanted to play a sport already had one, and the rest were too nervous to try something completely new. The biggest challenge has been that our team is still small compared to other schools, which makes practices and games harder to do.”
With only two experienced players in the pool, this sport is a completely new experience for the other five girls, including sophomore Sasha Cook.
“This is my first time playing [water polo],” Cook said. “I am usually a soccer player, but due to injuries, I cannot participate so I play water sports now.”
Although this team is small, the girls were able to play their first-ever game against Thousand Oaks on Dec. 10. Despite losing 0-1, the team learned a lot more about themselves.
“Our first game, even though we didn’t win, was an amazing experience for the team,” Chirchick said. “All the new players got a chance to figure out how water polo works and realized it wasn’t as scary as they had thought.”
Now halfway through the new season, Chirchick reflects on her proudest moment so far.
“At the end of the last quarter, all the new players were in the pool, and we came together as a team,” Chirchick said. “We communicated well, kept the other team from taking the ball, and even got a chance to take a shot.”
Learning and playing this new sport has brought this team closer together.
“We have so much fun at practices and on the bus ride to and from games,” Chirchick said. “One highlight of being on the team is our cheer and blasting Disney songs during practices and on the bus.”
With their next game against Moorpark on Jan. 23, the program’s future looks like it will continue to grow.
“I think once we get the word out about water polo for girls especially that hopefully more people will join,” Cook said. “I think it can become a wonderful team for girls to join and have fun but also do a sport they love or are learning.”
