Girls’ water polo season uncertain due to injured captains

The swim caps have been dawned and the nets have been placed, as the girls’ varsity water polo team starts its season this month. All of the players are prepared for a challenging and rewarding season, but there is one problem.

Alison Norris, senior co-captain along with senior Kaylee Pettingill, is one of the key players on this team and will have to play through the season with an arm injury.

“Every season I start out with an injury,” said Norris. “Freshman year I started with a broken tailbone, sophomore year I tore my tricep, junior year I broke my nose and had to wear a face mask to every game, and this year I’m topping it off with bicep tendonitis in my right arm.”

Bicep tendonitis is an overexertion of the muscle, which came from Norris’ constant powerful shots. She has been playing water polo for over three years and has been on multiple club teams including a Junior Olympic team.

Norris took a break from water polo for two weeks, but she was able to be back in time for the tournament and the beginning of the SCVAL League on Sept. 18th. She plans to play through the injury even though it will be hurting on and off throughout the season.

Norris is not the only injured player. Pettingill also recently suffered a concussion, which came from a rough scrimmage between the girls’ and boys’ varsity teams. She expects to participate in the upcoming tournament.

Even without two of the teams’ best players, the girls feel confident in themselves, and are prepared to challenge their opponents, which include Palo Alto, Gunn, Los Altos, Mountain View, and Los Gatos.

“I think that the girls will be able to step up to the challenge. It’s a wonderful group, and the team has great chemistry together,” said Coach Courtney Crase.

All the girls know that even if they do not win all their games, every match is still a chance to learn from their mistakes.

“In the end, our success is not valued on how many games we’ve won or lost,” said Coach Crase. “It’s based on how much we’ve improved as a team through the season.”