SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Junior Sydni Estrella (SE) of the women's water polo team chatted with Santa Clara Broncos (SCB) about her summer, the previous two years on the Mission campus and how she became a water polo player.
By Ben Dines '15
SCB: How did you stay in water polo shape over summer?
SE: This summer I actually stayed up in Santa Clara and coached a water polo club team, so I was able to stay in shape by getting in with the team I coached. Once that was over I went home to Huntington Beach for the rest of summer and was a beach lifeguard, which requires lots of running and swimming throughout the day; that kept me in pretty good shape.
SCB: You are now an upperclassman at SCU. What are some of your favorite moments from the past two years?
SE: My favorite moments these past two years would have to be when we went on a team trip to Santa Cruz over spring break my freshman year and another would have to be visiting Harvard last year.
SCB: How did you get your start in water polo? Did you play other sports before that?
SE: I started playing water polo when I was about 12. I actually used to play soccer but running wasn't really my thing and though I liked swimming, you can only follow that black line at the bottom of the pool for so long. My dad is actually the one who introduced me to the sport because he used to play. He is the one who convinced me to try the goalie position and pushed me to play for more prestigious clubs as I got better. I owe it to him for being the goalie I am today.
SCB: What are some misconceptions about water polo you would like to clear up?
SE: First off, we do not play on horses in the water. A lot of people also think water polo is like volleyball because the ball we play with looks the same as theirs. Our ball actually has a lot of grip on it and is harder than a volleyball. Water polo is more of a combination of basketball, soccer and hockey. There's also another misconception that you need to be super tall and burly to play which is not true. Brenda Villa, who was on the Olympic team, is only 5'4". To play water polo you have to have skills and really understand the game on both offense and defense.
