Four polominos compete in nationals

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

After a successful season with an explosive turnout of athletes jumping into the pool to join the newly-formed Strathmore Polominos Water Polo Club, four team members continued to blow the club’s reputation out of the water through their performance at the Western Canadian Championships last weekend.
Strathmore’s U14 players Julianna Hill, Payton Jensen, and Reanna Thiessen, who play with the Polominos at a community-league level and the Calgary Mako Water Polo Club on a provincial level, placed fourth at the championships. Meanwhile, Ethan Mervold from Chestermere, who also plays with the Polominos at a community-league level and the Calgary Destroyers – an affiliation with the Calgary Torpedoes Water Polo Club – at a provincial level, finished sixth.
“All of our kids that were sent to Western Canadian Nationals are actually first-year players… it’s amazing,” said Krista Hill, president of the Polominos Water Polo Club, and mother of one of the competitors.
“We already have 30 kids in our club which is huge for a new sport in town, and we’ve doubled throughout the season. To have four kids already go off to nationals and place, they’re growing exponentially in their skill level and in their abilities.”
According to Hill, the Calgary Mako games were each one-point spreads resulting in one win and one loss in the preliminary round. In the quarter-final game, the team won in a shootout; lost in the semi-final by one point, placing the team in the bronze medal game – where they lost by one point with 20 seconds left in the game.
The Strathmore Polominos Water Polo Club was established in September of last year. While credit was given to head coach Brooke Zimmerman, Hill also acknowledged the parents for promotion and contributing to the growth of the club. The Alberta Water Polo Association was also a huge contributor during the club’s first year, as well as Calgary clubs who have taken some of the Polomino athletes under their wing when Strathmore was unable to accommodate specific teams.
Eight of the top boy teams and six of the top girl teams that medaled in each province across western Canada competed at the Western Canadian Championships.
“They’re going to come back and mentor these other athletes,” said Hill. “They’re going to help out with these other kids and a lot of these other kids are going to go forward and follow in their footsteps. We have a lot of opportunities for these kids and we’re going to grow some water polo champions here in Strathmore.”