Women's club water polo raises its way to nationals

Team trains for nationals but finds struggles outside of the pool in effort to raise money

By MAGGIE THACH

Members of the fifth-ranked women’s club water polo team weren’t in the pool on April 17. They were on the golf course.

On that particular Sunday, the members had just pulled an all-nighter. They were up trying to make sure all the details of their golf tournament fund raiser were worked out.

“We stayed up until 4 a.m. before the golf tournament and had to be on the course at 10 a.m.,” freshman hole guard Niki McQuillan said. “We had to do it ourselves.”

The water polo team’s golf tournament was a culmination of players going out into the community and getting sponsors, getting donations from local businesses to raffle off and scheduling foursomes to play in the tournament. Its message to the community: “Send us to nationals.”

The team was able to raise about $13,500 from the tournament before expenses.

Even though the team is ranked fifth in the country, and up until April 27 was on top of the college polls, there was some concern that it might not make it to the national tournament at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas on May 5, 6 and 7. Not because of talent, but because of financial reasons.

“This last week and a half I was really nervous,” said Derik Cheeseborough, the second year head coach.

“As soon as I found out that Dr. [John] Welty was giving us money, I became completely focused on making them No.1.”

Because the women’s water polo team is a club and not a varsity program, it doesn’t get full funding from the school. The team received some help from Welty, the team’s biggest donor, and Associated Students footed the team’s $1,800 insurance bill. But the rest comes out of the players’ pockets.

“I pay for everything,” said utility player Kristi Rose, who was also a 2004 all-conference team member.

At the beginning of the season, the players pay a $200 fee. That doesn’t include travel expenses to tournaments and hotel stays. The team managed to raise somewhere between $15,000 and $16,000 from fund raisers over the course of the season, but Cheeseborough said that after the season is over, expenses run $23,000.

The upcoming trip to nationals required each student-athlete to come up with roughly $900 to cover her share. Cheeseborough said that after rewriting the budget, the trip to Texas would cost $12,600.

If the team comes up short, it does have one final option to fall back on. Most parents have always been willing to help. Some parents have offered to put the team up in their homes, and have provided transportation and funds for their uniforms. But freshman goalie Jacque Ritchie’s father gave the team the best kind of incentive to win.

“It was our second tournament and Jacque’s dad said that if we win, he would give us $1,000,” two-meter guard Katie Cosgrove said. “He told us that if we made it to nationals, he would make sure all of us could go.”

“If we were going to be short, he was going to help us,” Ritchie said. “That’s what he enjoys doing. He loves it.”

Having their parents to fall back on has been an option, but the team has raised the majority of the cost of their expenses. Cheeseborough has seen the effects of the players having to raise their own funds. It has brought the team closer and added to team chemistry.

“We had to raise the funds to go to nationals. That’s the motivating factor,” Cheeseborough said. “We’re doing it. It’s made the girls work together, added to team chemistry in the pool and communication. The tournaments mean a lot more.”

Their parents have also seen the results of their daughters being on the team.

“They have organization and leadership. They know what they need to do to have this sport. They have to do everything,” said Mona Yamamoto, whose daughter Brittany plays on the team.

“It’s a team effort. There are no prima donnas,” said Fred Rose, Kristi Rose’s father. “They’re trying to do what’s necessary.”

The team has done what’s necessary in the pool to make it to nationals. It posted a 16-3 record and was a perfect 8-0 in the Pacific Coast Division, the top-ranked division in the nation. They beat reigning champs Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo in March but came up short to the Mustangs in the Pacific Coast Division championships, 6-5. The Bulldogs are seeded 12th going into the national tournament.

“We wanted to be Division champs,” Cheeseborough said. “That was the biggest title. If we see [Cal Poly] in the national tournament, it’s going to be more of a revenge match. We have a new attitude. We want to beat everybody. We have team chemistry and mental edge. They’ve done a great job. They’re dedicated to each other and the team.”