When you think about sports that Grossmont has been dominating in recently, there isn't a short list, but the first sport that comes to your mind might be baseball, a team that has won back to back D1 championships. Or maybe you think of girl's soccer or basketball, both of which just recently advanced to the state level for D2. One sport that you may not think about, but you may want to start considering more, is boys water polo.
Over the past two years, the water polo team has been near unstoppable. In 2017, the team had 21 wins and 11 losses, won CIF D1, and placed third in D2 State. In 2018 the team stepped it up even further; they had 23 wins and 9 losses, won league, and finished their season 4th in all of San Diego!
When I sat down with some of this year's seniors to discuss the team, one of my most pressing questions was what they thought was the biggest factor in their incredible success over the past two years. Player Cameron Williams proposed that it was simply how close the seniors have been able to get over the past several years playing together.
"I think the biggest thing is just that we have 11 seniors that have all been playing together since 8th grade." - Cameron Williams
This chemistry was evident just being around most of the team while they were eating lunch together. It was very easy to see that the bond between the teammates extended far beyond the pool.
Their coach, Clint McLaughlin, sees it as a slightly different, but related reason. He believes the biggest factor has been the team's passion for the game, especially that of the seniors, over the past 4 years.
"I think what has been our greatest reason for success is the commitment and dedication from this group of athletes. The players decided to play year round since their freshman year and committed themselves to practice and play any chance they could." - Coach McLaughlin
This dedication really shows out in the pool. In addition to their stellar record, the team also had a multitude of players honored for outstanding performance:
Daniel O'Laughlin and Preston Burke (Team Captains) - 1st Team All League
Liam Zawadzki, Zack Zolina, and Parker George - 2nd Team All League
Cameron Williams and Jacob Braun - Honorable Mention
The team's success doesn't stop at their game performance though; Preston Burke and Daniel O’Laughlin ECA also received CIF Scholar Athlete Awards this past season for their academic performance, and the team as a whole had the highest average GPA out of any water polo team in the Grossmont District.
Now that the season is long over and all of those 11 seniors are graduating this year, Coach Clint is looking towards the future. He says he sees the same passion in a lot of the newer players that he saw from a this year's seniors, and hopes that some of these players will be able to step up as leaders in the same way that some of the seniors did.
"What I think worked well and want to continue to see out of our program is a tight knit group that enjoys spending time playing polo and hanging out together. I want to see these guys build a strong rapport with one another so that they are able to function well as a unit." - Coach McLaughlin
The bottom line for anyone thinking about joining the team is a willingness to work hard. Playing water polo can be an amazing experience where you get to meet a variety of great new friends, but it is very tough. The more you can get in and swim before coming and trying out the better.
If you would like to get in contact with Coach Clint, you can contact him by email at coachclint@yahoo.com