As water polo begins its second season, they are looking for more and more talent to add to their growing team. This stretches from players themselves, but also to their mentors, the coaches.
Isaac Nevarez is the newest coaching addition to the water polo team. He is ready to gain knowledge about this new and upcoming sport at Bowie.
“Considering that I knew very little about water polo, I was most excited about learning the sport,” Nevarez said. “I’ve been an athlete my entire life, and I’ve always enjoyed game planning. With water polo, not only have I learned a new sport, but I’ve been challenged to strategize in a sport I didn’t know before. It’s been so much fun.”
Since a coach spends lots of time with their team, they get to know their athletes very well. According to Untapped, high school athletes spend 10-15 hours a week at practice. Senior Riley Redmer reflects on how Nevarez helps the team.
“Coach Nevarez is a good hype man. He is always happy to be there cheering us on,” Redmer said. “He coaches soccer which is similar to water polo in many ways so he often gives us tips on how to get open and where to pass.”
Coaching isn’t an easy job, and Nevarez knows that. He is working his hardest to make the water polo team the best it can be.
“I’m looking forward to establishing a team that can challenge other schools,” Nevarez said. “I want us to be competitive and have a chance to win against any school we face.”
There are many components in making the decision to become a coach, according to Nevarez. He describes why he chose to add this new sport to his list of growing passions.
“I decided to hop into this role because there was a huge need for an assistant,” Nevarez said. “I was also curious about the sport and wanted to learn more about it. I had zero prior knowledge before jumping into the assistant role.”
Nevarez is looking forward to his inaugural season as an assistant coach. He outlines his goals and expectations for this season and for future ones.
“For this season, I want our players to get better and build their confidence through their improvement,” Nevarez said. “For the future, our goal is to establish a program with continuity. Meaning that we have returning players every year and that we build off the success of the previous season.”
Water polo has been having practices and games for the past couple of weeks, so Nevarez has gotten a sneak peek at what is to come this season. He said he has enjoyed every moment of his introduction to this sport.
“What I’ve enjoyed most is seeing the camaraderie amongst the players. We’ve had some disappointing losses. But our players have been so resilient and joyful,” Nevarez said. “I think that’s key in us getting better. That they’re enjoying the sport. As long as they love it, they’ll be invested in getting better.”
