Images from author.
Water polo is a ball sport played in the water. You have 6 players on each side and a goalie on each team. The goal is to try to swim down the pool and score a goal by throwing it into the net. Water polo is extremely difficult. To play, you need to have strong legs and a good core.
Washington junior Luke Arias is our varsity water polo goalie. He’s a dependable and loud voice on the team that any new and returning players can rely on during the game.
This makes him excel as a team player. Luke’s main sports are swimming and water polo, and he’s been doing them since freshman year. He has played each of the sports for almost three years and is sure to play a fourth year.
As a goalie, blocking shots is something that seems simple but can prove to be very difficult. He has to communicate with his teammates to ensure that everybody blocks a piece of the cage. As a field player, you can only use one hand to block. This is known as shot blocking. As goalie, Luke commands all the shot blockers where to block so the ball is funneled towards Luke to ensure another block. When Luke tries to work off of his team, he has to foresee what they might do, and what the offensive side might do to earn a point. Not only does he have to see what is happening in front of him, but he has to look ahead of that and look at what might happen in the near future.
Luke’s friends inspired him to start playing water polo, and the person who convinced him to become goal keeper was a senior named Hayden Harrison. Hayden was the varsity goalie for Luke’s freshmen and sophomore year. Luke has been learning under Hayden to become a better goalie for two years. Now, he is helping train a newer goalie, Max, and trying to get him to varsity level.
His teammate Hanuel Lach says, “I’ve never had a more reliable, nice, and smart goalie on our team. Luke really brings our team together, and ties us together as a team.”
Apart from being varsity in polo and swimming, Luke also likes mountain biking. He has spent countless days cruising around on his bike. Sometimes he goes to nearby mountain ranges to bike through trails, and other times he bikes with friends. He’s been biking for around 10 years, and is able to do countless tricks. He’s also dabbled in other hobbies like crochet and skateboarding, and he loves to read about nature. Reflecting on his success, Arias says, “It’s not about seeing it as a chore, but as a fun challenge.” He also says that, “The more I put my mind to work and challenge myself, the happier I can be.”
Team pep talk before a game
Matthew La Brutto is a Junior at Washington High School. He grew up in San Diego, and moved to Fremont when he was about three years old. This is his first year at the paper. His journaling interests include local news, school news, food reviews, and movie/tv reviews. Some hobbies Matthew has are skateboarding, video games, water polo, swimming, and hanging out with his family. He wants to become a lawyer in the future, or do something related to literature.