Poly’s boys water polo team and the girls volleyball team represented Long Beach in Hawaii at tournaments and bonded with their fellow teammates this last August.
The boys water polo team spent a week on Oahu while competing at the Hawaii Invitational Water Polo Tournament in Oahu August 5 through 11. Overall, the Jackrabbits placed seventh in the tournament of 24 opposing teams with two wins and three losses.
“There were a lot of good teams from all different places. A lot of our games were decided by one or two goals. We even ended up in a shoot-out to end the game. With a few of our players not being able to travel with us, other players were forced to step up their level of planning to fill the gaps,” said Horton.
[pullquote align=”right” speaker=”Jessica Alberto”]Being in Hawaii not only helped us learn to become a better all around team, but also helped us to become closer as a family.[/pullquote]
The team consisted of seniors Andrew Gutierrez, Ryan Rockenbach, Ryan Meyer, Brandon Nguyen, and Grant Horton, juniors Benjamin Nguyen, Ian Kwong, Trevor Parks, Alejandro Nieto, and Justin Jarvis, sophomore Spencer Steffen, and Poly alumnus Tristan Brightenburg.
“The team bonding and experience was really worth the six hour plane trip there. It was fun. I would definitely do it again,” said Gutierrez.
When they weren’t competing, the boys spent the day bonding over hikes around the island, surf sessions in Waikiki bay and beach adventures on the North Shore.
“Spending a whole week in Hawaii with my team was a once in a lifetime experience. Being surrounded by water was like paradise for us. If we weren’t in the pool then we were at the beach,” said junior Nguyen. “Not only was it fun, but it was also a great team bonding trip. We are now an even closer family than we were before. Hawaii will always be the place to be.”
Poly’s varsity girls volleyball team also traveled to Oahu over the summer to compete in the 31st annual Ann Kang Invitational Volleyball Tournament. The team placed sixth of 16 teams, securing its spot in the tournament’s Gold Champion bracket.
The AKIVB Tournament took place over the weekend of August 15, though the girls stayed from the 14th through the 20th. Of the 16 teams participating, nine were local teams, and seven were from the mainland. Poly won three of their eight total matches, including a long awaited victory over Mira Costa.
“Being in Hawaii not only helped us learn to become a better all around team, but also helped us to become closer as a family,” said senior captain Jessica Alberto.
According to Alberto, by spending the week together, the team was able to come together and prepare for what will hopefully be a winning season for the girls.
“Between the surf and the luau, us coaches really got a chance to bond in a way that was totally unrelated to volleyball, for once,” said head coach Leland McGrath.
The boys have their first game against Cerritos High School on September 17 at Cerritos and the girls had their first game of the season against Newport Harbor last week but could not be reported on due to press time constraints.
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