Mission High school students now have the opportunity to take part in a new aquatic sport thanks to the launch of UIL Water Polo.
Though Mission High School Swimming & Diving Head Coach David Colunga has incorporated water polo with his athletes for the last few years, getting the opportunity to have them compete under UIL is something he and other coaches have been working toward.
“Practicing water polo motivated them and I saw the positive impact it had on the swim team,” Colunga said. “I knew I had to do it more because water polo makes them excited to be in the water and continue with water sports.”
Water polo, Colunga shared, is not just a sport, but an opportunity to improve their communication skills and encourage each player to work as a team.
“It definitely opens up doors for them,” he said. “They get exposed to a team sport and get more interactions with their teammates. It also encourages growth, provides new experiences and life lessons.”
Water polo was originally played through the Texas Interscholastic Swim Coach Association (TISCA) as a regular aquatic sport. However, TISCA coaches have been pushing for water polo to become an official UIL sport for more than five years. Once UIL made it official, the Mission CISD swim programs jumped at the chance to start playing.
“Coach Colunga and myself were able to work together to give our kids as much playing time with our consolidated boys and girls teams,” said Veterans Memorial High School Swim, Dive & Waterpolo Head Coach Melissa Reyna. “We have had a great response from our swimmers and outside athletes wanting to try something new and different.”
Mission High School Senior Gabriel Cordova and Veterans Memorial High School Senior Gael Garcia have been playing on the same team since their freshman year of high school. Reyna said they helped build the foundation of the district’s water polo programs and have been excited to mentor new swimmers.
“We are excited to get our senior season going this year,” they said in a joint interview. “We are proud that we got to be a part of developing a new sport here at Mission CISD and are grateful our coaches have taken the time to teach us the sport early on because even though we won’t be here, it will give the swimmers in August an advantage.”
Water polo season takes place from August through October.