This season the girls water polo team welcomes a new face to the program, Sarah Horne. She is the new girls head coach.
“I started coaching because I graduated from college and I didn’t want to stay off of a pool deck,” Horne said. “And it’s kind of just like my happy place…And I started coaching with Coach Walters, who’s the head men’s coach, and he told me that they’re in need of a women’s coach and I said sure, I’m not doing anything during the spring.”
Practices just started Feb. 19, with players having practice not only once but sometimes twice a day.
“I think she brings a lot to the team, she brings a lot of energy,” returning player Miranda McRae (12) said. “It’s nice to have a female coach on the sidelines cause we’ve had one before but now we have one that has a lot of knowledge about water polo.”
Horne brings a lot of knowledge to the girls team from her seven years playing water polo.
“I swam on a team when I was younger for about 13-14 years, started playing water polo in high school,” she said. “I played club in California, and played masters water polo in San Diego and now I’m just out here coaching…”
Even though some of the girls have not known her very long, the tips and pointers are already making an impact.
“She brings a different level of knowledge that our male coach doesn’t have to the girls’ aspect of water polo,” Ceci Phoenix (10) said.
Some of the girls on the team knew her before the season started, from having her as a coach on their club team, St. Louis Lions Girls Polo.
“I have had her as a coach for quite a while from club,” Halee Conway (11) said. ”She has helped me personally with my certain position, and training me harder, making me a better player, giving me more strategies.”
Not only does Horne have strong coaching skills, but she is also able to create bonds with several of the players.
“She can be a coach but also like a friend to you,” Kaylee Nguyen (12) said. “You can go to her about things.”
Another thing that Horne brings is a fun side of water polo.
“I like when she does trivia with us,” Alexa Matoushek (11) said. “When we do sets she’ll do a new trivia with us. And so in order to quit, we have to get the question right.”
Horne says the team has two main goals this season. One is to build up the freshmen and sophomore. Then second, to win state. The girls won state two years ago and last year finished fifth.
“Honestly, I love the energy that the girls have only one week into practice. And they match my energy really well. They’re upbeat. They’re excited to be here,” Horne said. “So many of them have already put in the work during swim season and were on the swim team. And now we’re just excited to see how that’s going to translate to their water polo play.”
