Jan. 22, 2010
Last season, senior Rochelle Stowe made school history with the women's water polo team, helping the Broncos earn a second-place finish at the WWPA Championships, the program's highest finish in school history. In addition to her great skills in the pool, Stowe is also an excellent student, receiving an All-Academic ACWPC Superior Award for her high GPA as a Communication major. Stowe sat down with us to discuss the team's goals for this season and her involvement with environmental justice.
SantaClaraBroncos.com: Last year was the most successful season for women's water polo in Santa Clara history. After such a great season last year, how do you and the rest of the team prepare for this season?
Rochelle Stowe: Last year we had a really strong team and we graduated a lot of really wonderful players. This year we have a lot of newcomers, so the team dynamic is definitely different compared to last year. As far as preparing for this year's season, we know what we need to do to win. All of the returning players have a lot of familiarity with achieving that high level of play, so it's just a matter of passing that on to our younger teammates.
SCB.com: Do you feel like there's additional pressure this year to do just as well as last season?
RS: All of the returning players have to set the bar through our energy level and our work ethic. It's not necessarily more pressure; I'd say that it's distributed throughout all of the different classes, from the seniors to the freshmen.
SCB.com: Now that your season is beginning, what does a daily week look like for you and the team?
RS: Compared to fall quarter, we now practice every day except for Sunday. We do weights two times a week and then spend about two and a half to three hours in the water. It's a lot more strenuous and harder on your body; we definitely have to be in shape during the season now.
SCB.com: What are the team goals for this season?
RS: Our biggest goal right now is to stay healthy. This year so far has been a little rough with people getting sick. We would love to be at the status that we were before, but it will definitely be a challenge with a newer team.
SCB.com: What other activities do you enjoy at Santa Clara besides being a member of the water polo team?
RS: This past fall some Environmental Studies majors and I started B-LEJIT, which stands for Bronco Leaders of Environmental Justice Investigating Truth. Our goal is to inform the Santa Clara community about environmental justice, such as people having equal access to food and water. We're hoping to plan a summit during the spring to talk more about these issues and bring awareness to these environmental issues.
