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Water polo teams seeks strength in numbers
Thomas Phan
Issue date: 6/16/08 Section: Sports
The De Anza College men's water polo team looks to improve this year upon the last season and their third place finish in the Coast Conference championship. The Dons ended the season with a 5-10 record overall and 3-2 in the conference.
Although this year's water polo season does not start until the second week of September, second year head coach Tom Grimm is already looking forward with much optimism, particularly in light of how well the team has improved in the last nine months.
Last year, Grimm inherited a program that only had six players in August but grew to 12 players by the end of the season, when the team finished strong in the conference championships.
Heading into the 2008 season, the numbers are already in Grimm's favor. Twenty players are on the off-season roster and working out at the pool, and more will join once high school recruits arrive later in the summer. The final roster will most likely comprise of about 15 players.
"Our goal is to have a winning program," Grimm said. "This year we've got a lot of people who understand their roles much better because they've been playing together for several months. I anticipate a lot of improvement."
Players are currently participating in short swim practices and classroom study. Full practice will commence on Aug. 18, leading to the start of the season on Sept. 11.
Last year, De Anza did not field a women's water polo team due to an insufficient number of players, but hopes are high that the team will start its own successful rebuilding. Only one player is returning from last year's team, but 16 high school recruits will be joining.
Although the women's team does not currently have a coach, it is expected that one will be hired later during this summer.
Thomas Phan is a staff reporter for La Voz. Contact him at thomasphan@lavozdeanza.com.
Although this year's water polo season does not start until the second week of September, second year head coach Tom Grimm is already looking forward with much optimism, particularly in light of how well the team has improved in the last nine months.
Last year, Grimm inherited a program that only had six players in August but grew to 12 players by the end of the season, when the team finished strong in the conference championships.
Heading into the 2008 season, the numbers are already in Grimm's favor. Twenty players are on the off-season roster and working out at the pool, and more will join once high school recruits arrive later in the summer. The final roster will most likely comprise of about 15 players.
"Our goal is to have a winning program," Grimm said. "This year we've got a lot of people who understand their roles much better because they've been playing together for several months. I anticipate a lot of improvement."
Players are currently participating in short swim practices and classroom study. Full practice will commence on Aug. 18, leading to the start of the season on Sept. 11.
Last year, De Anza did not field a women's water polo team due to an insufficient number of players, but hopes are high that the team will start its own successful rebuilding. Only one player is returning from last year's team, but 16 high school recruits will be joining.
Although the women's team does not currently have a coach, it is expected that one will be hired later during this summer.
Thomas Phan is a staff reporter for La Voz. Contact him at thomasphan@lavozdeanza.com.
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