Varsity Blues water polo dominated the OUA Championships this year, with the men’s team placing first and the women’s team placing second.
The men’s team excelled during the OUA Championship weekend, winning its first game 19–2 over the York Lions, and then beating the Queen’s Gaels 23–0. In the semi-finals the team defeated the McMaster Marauders 15–5 before going on to beat the Western Mustangs 17–11 in the final.
The men’s team has been consistently undefeated in the OUA, securing its 2009 OUA title after a perfect 12–0 season. This year’s title is the team’s sixth in seven years. Alan Chung, a U of T forward, was named this year’s Tournament MVP and both Alan Chung and Luke Spooner were named Tournament All-Stars.
The women’s team also had a successful 2010 championship, winning their first game 15–4 against Queen’s, and then beating the York Lions by default. The team then beat the Carleton Ravens 9–7 and followed up with a 9–2 win over the McMaster. In the finals U of T met Carleton again, but this time the scoreboard was reversed as the Ravens took the title with their 9–7 victory.
“We really came together as a team for the weekend,” says driver Stephanie LeSaux-Farmer. “Coming into the final we were undefeated in the tournament. We have a lot of talent and experience on our team in terms of field players, but our one weakness is our lack of an experienced goalie […] Nevertheless I am very proud of the way our team played at OUA finals and I am very optimistic for next season.”
Head Coach George Gross says that his goals for next season include “recruiting players to fill holes in line-ups [and improving] attendance for all players and goalies for both teams.”
Both the men’s and women’s team train in the pool five days a week, and weight train once a week. Practices include on-land stretching, swim drills, and passing exercises. Although the OUA season only lasts from September to the end of November, the teams practice all year long, constantly improving on their game as a team.
Team dynamic is extremely important in water polo.
“In water polo it’s almost impossible to get any kind of crazy advantage one-on-one. You create opportunities for the other person by using your team. It’s almost impossible to get an edge on your own, unless it’s against a much weaker team,” says centre Julian Filice.
Spooner also emphasizes the importance of team-play.
2010 OUA all-star Nicole Brown. Jing-Ling Kao-Beserve/Varisty Blues
“You need to be a team player. You need to be unselfish because you need to be skilled — you need to have the mental game, but you also need to be able to take a step back and use your teammates and let them score too. If you’re not a team player in this game it’s hard to succeed individually. You have to be a team player […] to sacrifice your personal glory for the team. That makes the different between good players and great players,” says Spooner.
There are six players and one goalie on each side, although 15 athletes can be dressed during a game. Protective headgear made of cloth with covers for the ear drums is worn to protect them from popping. Although ear drum popping can be avoided thanks to the headgear, many injuries are common because water polo is a very aggressive game.
“I find that coming from other sports where the rules are pretty well defined, that water polo, just the fact that you’re in the pool. There’s a set of rules and there’s how the game is actually played,” says Filice.
And like any team, water polo relies heavily on the coaching staff.
“George [Gross] is the head honcho of the team,” says forward Paulo Ruiz. “Then there’s Vlad [Tasevski] and Jamie [Earle]. They’re great coaches. They’re all hard to impress.”
“They’re there for you inside and outside the pool,” adds Spooner. “These coaches really care about water polo and they also care that the team develops into more than just water polo players.”
