The oldest continuously published high school newspaper in America

The Willistonian, Est. 1881

The oldest continuously published high school newspaper in America

The Willistonian, Est. 1881

The oldest continuously published high school newspaper in America

The Willistonian, Est. 1881

Girls WoPo Stays Afloat

Girls WoPo Stays Afloat

It was May 23rd, 2011, one week before finals and then a long-desired summer vacation. Our team of 11 girls, ranging from freshman to seniors, was sitting on the pool deck, reflecting on our season and voting on our most valuable and improved players and sportsmanship winner. We were looking ahead with excitement to our next season, with the passing of captainship from our seniors to the underclassmen, when our coach, Ms. Church, informed us that Mr. Conroy was coming in to make an announcement. At first, we didn’t think much of it; but there was an air of nervous apprehension as he entered the pool deck. Our hearts sank as soon as he opened his mouth. Due to a lack of interest from the student body, the athletic department would no longer be offering girls water polo as a sport at Williston. We were stunned. Silent. The looks of confusion and quiet tears spoke volumes. We all knew that the lack of interest in the student body was more than made up for by the complete dedication and love we had for the sport. We left that pool deck feeling heavyhearted and defeated. Imagine being told that the thing you are most passionate about, the experience you wait the entire year will be taken away from you with little explanation and no notification.
The seniors always told us that “this team is yours next year, and you guys have to fight for it,” but we never expected we would actually have to resurrect it.
   The day after we received the news that our team was being cut, we spoke to Mr. Conroy to see what we could do. We were told we could play with the boys in the fall, that the athletic department’s decision had been carefully considered from all angles, and there was nothing else to do. Yet we felt we had more to bring to the discussion, that there was a passionate interest in girls water polo. From this sport we’ve learned not to give up when things aren’t going our way and that a bad loss isn’t the end of the season. With the purpose and determination we learned from our years on the team, we set out to keep our team alive.
The athletic department agreed that if we could get 15 people, enough to field a “competitive team,” they would reinstate the girls water polo program. Our mission was clear. We sent emails, held bake sales, set up a table at activities fair and hosted open swims to gain funds and support. The uncertainty of our teams’ future pushed us to play with the boys during their fall season, and we got to know our potential new coach. After much pushing and begging, we recruited fifteen committed players and submitted our roster by the mid-October deadline. To our relief, everyone attended the required meeting to show their intended participation.
We had a team.

Despite the discouragement we faced and seemingly impossible task placed before us, we strived to regain what we knew to be greatest team on campus. We had become not just teammates but a family, a family that would stick together through thick and thin and fight for what matters. We had done it: “Girls WoPo” was back at Williston. When the spring season arrived, and we boarded the bus for our first away game, it was clear that we had beat the odds. In previous years we had been unable to fill one mini bus. This year, we took a full one . . .and a minivan.

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Girls WoPo Stays Afloat