JV water polo coach Michaela Solorio is a water polo player, coach, and a great role model. She has been playing water polo for seven years, starting at Johansen High and finishing at Modesto Junior College. Therefore, she has a lot of experience in the field of water polo.
Michaela started in water polo by getting tired of chasing a wall in swimming, and discovered that water polo was a sport she loved. Then she never stopped.
Michaela has been coaching for five years, so she has had time to practice her communication skills and knows how to bring out the star player in every team. She knows the way each one of her players thinks and is always there to help. She is a strict coach and pushes her team but only because she knows that sometimes we are not playing at our level. She wants us to strive and be the best we can be.
“Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goal keeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores the most goals by getting the ball past the opposing teams’ goal keeper into the net. Game play involves swimming, players passing the ball while being defended by opponents and scoring by throwing a ball into a net defended by a goalie. Water polo, therefore, has strong similarities to land-based game of basketball. The frequency of ‘man-up’ or (power-play) situations also draws comparisons with ice hockey,” explains Michaela.
The six positions in water polo are as follows: in front of the goalie is the whole set, to the far left and bottom of the goalie is down wing, above that person is the top left wing, then in front of the goalie at the top is point, to the right of that person is top right wing, and below them is right down wing.
I asked Michaela what position she thought was the most difficult if she could pick one, since each one is so different. She said, “I would say all positions have their own degree of difficulty, but the one that is most physical and tiring would have to be the whole set or the 2M position. Because you have another human on your back or front trying to keep you from getting the position you want by submerging pulling or grabbing you.” Michaela, herself, plays 2M and 2M defense, so she knows how physically demanding it is.
Michaela is a great player as well as a coach. I asked her which one she enjoyed more.
“I would have to say both are very rewarding for me. I love playing because I have such a passion for the sport, but I also love coaching because I get to give a little bit of my passion to all who I coach and that is more rewarding then I can ever explain.”
Water polo is an intense sport because you have people grabbing at you and trying to get the ball from you however they can. Sometimes, this may result in a kick-out. In water polo, anything that the referee cannot see underwater basically goes, because he cannot tell what you are doing. Michaela teaches us not to play that way. She teaches her team to play right and fair.
She explains the JV Girls Water Polo Team (our personalities, attitude and skills) as “Crazy! Actually, I am very impressed with the raw talent we have on the team this year, and since you girls have the drive and determination, I believe we will go far and have a lot of fun doing it.”
If you missed out on polo, then come join us in the spring for the Pitman High Swim Team, where you will also get the pleasure of working with Michaela.