Written by Aaron Cheng '16
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara Broncos (SCB) got the chance to sit down with redshirt junior Julia Peters (JP) of the women's water polo team and talk about the team's preparation for the upcoming season and continuing last year's success.
SCB: How has the offseason helped you and your team get ready for the upcoming season?
JP: The offseason was a great learning period for our team. There were some players out of the pool due to various reasons so it offered a time for younger players to gain more experience and feel out the team for this year.
SCB: As one of the older players, what role have you had in leading the team?
JP: Being an older player who hasn't had the smoothest journey with my college career due to injuries allows me to give guidance and support to other players. In addition to that, coaching all summer and fall for local club and high school teams has allowed me to confidently give advice to players in the pool in order for the team to reach our full potential.
SCB: This year the team consists of mostly underclassmen, do you enjoy having a younger team? What is the team dynamic like?
JP: It's refreshing to have a younger team. A younger team means more potential and a group of girls eager to work hard and continue to get better. It changes the dynamics of practice to focus more on learning, and it is exciting to see them learn each and every practice.
SCB: What contributed to your success last year, and have you made any improvements on that for this season?
JP: I was in and out last season due to various injuries, so every time I was in the pool I worked as hard as my body would allow and it changed my mindset. I looked at games and practices as treats rather than a right, which was a main contributor to my success. Dealing with various setbacks in the past year has fueled a fire in me to never take a practice or game for granted, so I'm continuing that mindset for this year.
SCB: Which team do you look forward to facing the most this year and why?
JP: I am looking forward to the UCSD tournament in February because it is our first tournament, which allows the team to bond and give us a sense of where our team is from the beginning of the season. It allows us see what else we need to work on going forward. Last year we came out strong and beat a top-10 team when we were not ranked so it was a great beginning to our season.
