While water polo is undoubtedly flourishing in Newport Beach, California as evidenced by the recent CIF Division 1 Championships on the boys and girls side for Newport Harbor High School, it had been quite some time since the Newport Water Polo Foundation sent a girls team to the Speedo Cup.
The Speedo Cup, an annual event pitting the best of the best in the 8th grade age range is set for next weekend November 7-9 in Ann Arbor, MI at the Canham Natatorium. And for the first time since 1999 the Newport club will have a girls team in the mix.
Qualifying for this elite tournament is a goal every year for the Newport club and they were finally able to get back on track in 2008 as they claimed entry through a difficult Southern Pacific Zone qualifying tournament. It was a round robin tournament with no true championship game but Newport Coach Rob Williams points to a tourney opening match against Los Alamitos as a key contest. "Los Alamitos jumped out on us 4-0 in the first quarter but we never gave up and came back to win 7-5. Getting that victory definitely gave our team a boost for the rest of the tournament," said Williams.
After outlasting the rest of the field in what Williams described as very close affairs it was time to start packing for Michigan. This team however did not come together overnight; it's been a work in progress, something that began in earnest this past spring. "We were a very young team and started to succeed against some of the older teams. We had a good finish at the San Diego Tournament in May and won a couple of small local tournaments during the summer," noted Williams. From there it was on to the S & R Sport Junior Olympics where his squad only dropped one game, to eventual champion Commerce, before claiming fifth place overall in the Platinum Division.
The team did lose two starters to high school but the rest of the group remains intact headed to Speedo Cup. That includes goalie Tara Jacobsen who defies the odds for the position. The shortest player on the team in a position that generally prefers height she makes up for the missing inches with a high skill level and a group of teammates that are true playmakers.
Elissia Schilling and Nikki Stansfield hold down the center spot while Carly Christian and Brenna Thomas are relied upon as attackers. Katy Schneider and Allyson Hall have the often unenviable task of playing center defense while rounding things out are the versatile duo of Melissa Balding and Cassidy Papa at utility. It's a mix of talent that has Williams excited as the tourney nears.
"My expectations for our Newport team would be to play in the Championship Game. We know that this will be a very difficult task with all of the quality teams from around the United States, but we are growing as a team each and every week we play together," added Williams.
So while Williams and the Newport girls have their sites on a title they have to remember one more important part of this tourney—road trip! This team has crisscrossed the state of California to play in a multitude of tournaments but rarely do they get to venture outside of the state as well take on teams they have never played before all in the same weekend. The Newport crowd will be rolling deep to Ann Arbor as Williams estimates an entourage of about 40 players, parents, and siblings making the trip. "This tournament will give the girls an opportunity to learn to travel, enjoy their experience, and the need to focus on playing good water polo. Also, the opportunity to play other teams that we don't normally play is exciting," said Williams.
Sounds like a great weekend of water polo is on the way and for Newport Beach, it has been a long time coming. For more information on the Speedo Cup click here.
