This upcoming Thursday and Friday, the Girls and Boys Water Polo teams get the opportunity to compete in the Section Championship.

Both teams have played outstandingly this season; each winning league championships. The boys team has won league championship for the last ten years, and the girls have only lost once in the past ten years.

Water Polo is one of Rio’s strongest sports, always coming out on top.

With section champs approaching, players will play in an atmosphere that many people wish for. “I’m really excited for section championships. If we make it that far, we will most likely be playing Tokay,” said Varsity girls player Olivia Seargent. “I feel like our varsity team has a really strong bond because we have seen each other on our best days and on our worst days and because of that we are much closer.”

Boys water polo also has a lot to work for; they must keep their streak going and bring home the championship. “We’ve all worked very hard to reach this point, going to practice every single day, working to the point of exhaustion every second of practice. Our players also are on swim team in the offseason which is good for extra conditioning,” said Varsity boys player Matthew Hom. “We have a very solid bond on the team, most of our starters have been playing on the same team for about five years now. Those who haven’t been on the same team since then, still get along well, and we have a really good group of guys this year.”

Each team influences one or the other even with the different grade levels. Teammates push teammates to help give words of encouragement and keep the strong bond within the team.

“We have an interesting bond because we have a lot of guys from different grades, but we stay along side of each other no matter what,” said Varsity boys player Ian Bohn, “I’m pretty excited and happy to be continuing our season into sections, and it is really nice to see that our hard is paying off once again.”

The boys have a drive in them that no one in the Capital League has. They are the team to beat and they look to keep it that way.

Participants on the teams worked through a lot to get onto that team as well. Players who entered with not much water polo background had to adapt to the water.

“We swim in the pool, do laps, and tread the water. For me being new, it was tough to push through my legs and arms burning,” said JV player Jackson Polo. “For some people being in the water is like breathing and walking normally, but that is through years and years of practice and training.”

The work from both teams is clearly being shown, for they have reached strong heights for the last ten years. The burden on the teams’ shoulders is enough to keep them motivated to work everyday to continue the constant winning generation to generation.