Girls’ water polo season has arrived, and with it, a change to the Fountain Valley High School team’s usual routine.
With the FVHS pool undergoing construction, the Barons now practice at Marina High School. However, new practice locations and schedules don’t seem to have diminished the team’s characteristic motivation and work ethic.
Holiday break practices, early-morning and late-night tournaments, and even tedious swim sets don’t stop the team from enjoying themselves. At any given practice, you can be sure to find plenty of energy and smiles.
Head coach Kyle Adama said his favorite aspect of coaching is seeing the “dynamic differences of all the girls, each contributing to the team.”
“I have seen more girls start to come out — a lot newer girls who have never really played before,” Adama said. “It's been nice to see players with backgrounds of different sports coming out to water polo. It's a long season going through two holidays, but it's a lot of fun putting all the moving parts together.”
The team has shown impressive progression in recent years under Adama, who began coaching the FVHS girls’ team in August 2019 and began coaching the boys’ team the following year.
In the 2021-2022 season, the Barons qualified for the CIF tournament for the first time in almost a decade, winning two hard-fought games before their run ended in quarterfinals.
The Barons’ strong performance allowed them to move from Division V to Division IV for the 2022-2023 season, where they again qualified for CIF despite more intense competition.
This year, now in Division III, the Barons look forward to exciting competition, with their first league game against Marina High School set for Jan. 11. As part of the Sunset Wave League, they will also compete against Edison and Huntington Beach later in the month.
Adama’s goals this year include winning league games and a tournament, qualifying for CIF and enjoying the season.
Current co-captain, senior Jessica Jang, shares a similar passion for the FVHS team. Although this will be Jang’s final season as a Baron, she plans to continue playing water polo at a NCAA Division I level at California Baptist University.
“I'm excited because it’s my last year, but also kind of sad,” Jang said. “I think some goals are just to do my best to help my team win so we can get a higher winning rate and make it to CIF again.”