The Culver City High School girls water polo team continues to fight through adversity. They are one of the few water polo programs in Southern California that does not have a pool on campus. Imagine having a football team with no football field. A basketball team with no gym. A track team with no track. You get the picture. The water polo team plays all of their home games at Vets Park pool on Overland Avenue in Culver City.
“We don’t have a pool on campus, and we don’t have a feeder program, but these girls are trying their best,” said head coach Nestor Dordoni Jr. last week after beating North Torrance 13-2. “We don’t have a lot of girls coming up and we are struggling to field a varsity team, but the girls are trying their best. They are doing a great job.”
The team will be graduating seven seniors this year and Culver City might have just one team instead of two next year but they still have a winning record, and they hope to make it to the CIF playoffs. “This team has camaraderie,” said Dordoni Jr. “They stick together through thick and thin and I really appreciate them trying. That’s all I want. Have fun, participate, give me full effort and that’s what they are doing. Our goal is to make CIF, and you never know what will happen after that.”
Some of the best players on this year’s team are captain Olivia Arteaga, Victori Mejias, Emerson Babineau and Julia Gordenstein. “I think the most important thing is chemistry,” said Gordenstein. “You can have so many individual players but if the team is able to stick together, we can succeed. It’s a team sport. The chemistry we have built has really helped us. It’s super fun. I look forward to it every day. It’s a water polo community.”
Goalie, Mejias, a 10th grader, is one of the younger players on the team who takes a different approach to playing the game in a very demanding position. She depends on her friends to help her relieve some of the pressure of being a goalie. “I talk to my friends. I lean on them for support a lot. They always reassure me of my skills. They are always there for me when I feel down. This team can be really good, and I think we can win league if we set our minds to it. Also, I would love to see new girls come out for water polo. It’s a beautiful sport.”
Senior Cecille Tuccillo had this to say about the team. “It’s a group of girls that really works hard together. We are small in numbers, but I think it’s a collective effort. I just hope we keep working hard as a team.”
Junior Babineau likes the scoring potential of this team. “I think we are a pretty good team. We have good chemistry and we score a lot of goals.”
Hannah Hooten, another 10th grader, is enjoying the family atmosphere the coaching staff has created. “We care about having fun and having a good time together. We support each other. I hope to see more girls play water polo so we can share the sport with other people. This team has developed a great connection and the coaches are great.”
