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Marielle Le

Preparing to take a shot during the early minutes of warmups, senior and varsity player Belsey Ferguson handles the ball. This was Ferguson’s last teacher versus students match.

Students defeated teachers 19–15 during water polo’s annual teachers versus students matchup on Friday, April 24.

Organized by Girls Water Polo Coach Kerri Burris, Boys Water Polo Coach Gary Johnson and senior captain Lillian Snell, the teachers versus students game kept players active months after the October season ended. Water polo games are played in four eight-minute quarters for a total of 32 minutes. Students could purchase tickets for $5 to watch their teachers compete. Ten teachers participated along with the entire girls and boys teams — there was also an added twist to the typical rules. Water polo players had to use double-stacked floaties and one-handed plays while teachers used floaties and both hands.

For sophomore Julia Umana, the game was something she had been looking forward to, especially for the chance to see her Pre-AP Algebra 2 teacher, Jennifer Clay.

“I was particularly interested because I got to see a physical interaction between teachers and students, which you don’t usually get to see in school,” Umana said. “There’s typically a strong teacher-student dynamic at  school, but at the game, there was none of that. They were just two teams.”

Students weren’t the only ones looking forward to the event. Burris said her excitement came from the increased attention water polo received.

“People don’t even know what water polo is and through this event, it brought more people to know about the sport and hopefully spectators can start coming regularly,” Burris said. “Having more spectators could help bring us more recognition, which could help us since we don’t receive much funding to afford buses or anything like that.”

From the start, the students held the lead. By the end of the first quarter, they were ahead 9–5, maintaining momentum with active plays and blocking the teachers’ shot attempts.

“I definitely think the students had the upper hand going into the game, but that started changing because there’s a lot of athletic teachers,” Umana said. “Once [the teachers] came in, they started dominating and scoring.”

As the third quarter came to an end, the teachers were able to build momentum. With Coach Akintunde Odunleye’s shot, the teachers had tied the score at 14–14 . A burst of enthusiasm came from the teachers applauding the goal.

“It was so unexpected when the teachers started to rival the students with the score, because I didn’t think they would score any goals,” Umana said.

Umana said she was drawn to the game because of the “noticeable difference” in experience between the teams, something she said she felt would make the game more interesting to watch.

“Usually in a water polo game, the teams would be equally skilled and trained,” Umana said. “But this is different. Teachers don’t typically get in the pool every day to train like students do.”

To get an inside look at the players’ perspectives, read the Q&A below.

Varsity player and sophomore Ani BurrisRichardson:

Q: What was going through your mind before the game started?

A: I was thinking about how much fun it would be to actually play a game with our seniors and the whole team, because I would consider this our last game of the season, so we were finally able to work as a team again and I was very excited.

Q: What was your favorite moment during the match?

A: I think my favorite moment was when our goalie, Belsey Ferguson, attempted to score a shot across the pool. He didn’t make it, but it was a really good attempt. 

Q: Did any teacher surprise you with their skills?

A: Mr. French did, because I did not expect him to be that good at all. He was actually making some really good passes and made a couple of goals too. 

Q: How did your team prepare differently for this game compared to a regular match?

A: We were definitely a little more playful, because in our real matches, we’re very serious and very on point. But with this one, we were not as focused — just having fun and not taking it as seriously as a real game.

Q: How could you describe this game in one word or phrase?

A: Energetic. I feel like there wasn’t one point in the game where everybody was just chilling. I noticed everyone was very engaged and the energy was definitely very high and so was the energy from the teachers. 

Q: If you could play the teachers again, what would you do differently?

A: I would be a little more intense because they were definitely beating us there for a minute. So next time, definitely, I’m going to put the intensity and the aggression out there, and just attempt to be in the water more.

AP Spanish Language teacher Alreign Bauzon:

Q: What made you decide to participate in the teachers vs. students water polo game?

A: I did it only because my student, Ani BurrisRichardson, asked me to play. If she wouldn’t have asked me, I don’t think I would’ve done it. 

Q: Had you played water polo before, or was this a new experience for you?

A: I had never played water polo before the game, nor did I know anything about the sport. I had to learn on the spot, and I still wasn’t sure what was going on half of the time.

Q: What was the most challenging part of playing against your students?

A: I would probably say their stamina in the water, because some of them, even with three floaties, were so fast and played really well regardless.

Q: What was your funniest moment from the game?

A: During the first quarter, all of the students formed a ring around me and surrounded me to where I couldn’t even touch the ball. It made me chuckle to see them circle around me — it was like a swarm.

Q: Would you participate again in the future?

A: Definitely, yeah. I loved being in the water and I felt closer to the students by experiencing their sport with them.