The Viking girls water polo team had its final tune-up before a Western League rematch with Bishop's when they faced Helix at home Jan. 28. Before the game, La Jolla water polo coach Tom Atwell talked about the need to get his girls to play with more "physicality"--"we're making progress," he said.
Q: Can I ask questions of the tennis ball? (Atwell often holds a neon green tennis ball in his right hand during matches, and sometimes bounces it off the pool deck as he processes things.)
TA: Go ahead.
Q: The big question: What are adjustments the team is making and can make to increase its effectiveness?
TA: The biggest thing is our physicality. When we played last week against Bishop's (number-six team in the nation), they were way more physical than us, and I think we were taken a little aback by it.
We have to play today and tomorrow like we're not afraid to match up and to wrestle and to be more physical. I think if we can take care of the physical part, the other parts of the game will start to come together a little bit better.
I feel there's some little technical things we need to do better, but the single biggest thing is physicality.
Q: Is there a way to instill that?
TA: Next to not being able to coach size, it's the hardest thing to try to coach up, especially with a kid who is not comfortable being physical. We're getting there. We had a better practice a couple of days this week.
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