Whether it be in academics, music, or sports, collaboration is one of the essential factors that ultimately contribute to the accolades of a team. This pattern holds true for the Ayala Boys’ Waterpolo team, which has consistently achieved successful outcomes so far in the season that has led them to their qualification for CIF.

“I am having a lot of fun in the water polo team from games to just hanging out with my teammates,” said Nathan Tak, a junior at Ayala High School and a member of the Varsity Waterpolo team. 

“My favorite aspect of waterpolo in general is the team bonding,” adds Timothy Shin, a senior at Ayala High School and a member of the Waterpolo team.

Aside from team bonding, it is crucial to train consistently in order to achieve success in athletics. Tak and Shin describe their practice schedules and routines.

“My practice schedule is 3-hour practices from 3:00 to 6:00, Monday through Friday, with games two days a week and the occasional Saturday morning practice,” said Tak. On average, the team has 2 meets per week, not including the occasional weekend tournament. During their practices, the athletes practice a variety of exercises that build their agility; this enables the players to perform at their highest abilities at meets.

“In a normal waterpolo practice, we typically swim 2000 meters and shoot drills,” says Shin. Mejia, an Ayala senior and varsity player on the Boys’ Waterpolo team, considers the 2000 meter swim to be “the most difficult part of the season.”

However, the arduous workouts paid off at the Bonita game, in which the Ayala Waterpolo team played exceptionally well. The varsity athletes describe this particular game to be the most memorable event of this season.

“The most memorable game this year was the Bonita game because they are very good at water polo and losing by only 2 points proved how much we have improved as a team,” said Tak. Mejia agrees with Tak’s statement, saying that their “first league game against Bonita” resonates with him the most. It was at this particular game that “we realized how good we are,” said Mejia.