The men’s water polo team traveled to California for the Gary Trover tournament on Oct. 4. There, they went 2-2, beating UC Merced and Biola University while falling to #4 ranked Chapman and #6 ranked Whittier.
Although the team will face familiar opponents, they know not to lose focus and that no game should be taken lightly.
“It’ll be a harder task as those teams we play in the conference are much more competitive and strong,” junior Declan Hutton said. “Those are the games we enjoy, but going into conference play now we are playing teams that have played many times before. This doesn’t mean that we should take them for granted. No game should be approached that way.”
While the team’s performance in the pool is important, it is also important for them to find time for their academics during their long trip. Head coach Ryan Pryor wants the team to succeed in the pool and in the classroom back on campus.
“When we’re traveling and have an open gap in the schedule, we’ll head back to the hotel and have some study time just to make sure that they’re utilizing any break time they have when they’re traveling,” Pryor said.
One positive commodity the team enjoys while traveling is the bonding moments of spending so much time together. While some teams might get sick of each other while being so close to the same people constantly, this team always makes sure to have fun.
“Being so close to one another, especially on a bus, shows you part of your teammates that you didn’t know before and increases team bonding, but it will also make you sick and tired of each other for that,” Hutton said. “But we usually tend to those issues by just messing around with each other and having a good time.”
While traveling for such a long time, it might be easy to lose focus on the games ahead, but the team relies on one another to keep each other motivated. First-Year Cole Faux found this out quickly during his first semester at Augustana and understands its importance.
“If we look to the right or the left, we will see our teammates who are also tired but standing there ready to play the next game,” Faux said. “Just being there and willing to get out there and play another game encourages the rest of us also to be ready to hop in and play our best.”
It is also essential for the team to keep up with their physical demands after traveling from state to state. Every member of the team has a different way of recovering from competition, but it is important not only to recover physically but mentally as well.
“I recover physically by stretching, keeping hydrated and eating a lot of food,” Faux said. “These things help me feel better before the next game and allow me to do some schoolwork in between. My mental health is raised after games by spending time with the team and having a good time being able to all be together with friends.”
After traveling to Pennsylvania after California, the team went 4-0 in all four matches, including wins over conference foes Austin College and Washington & Jefferson. Next, the team will travel back to Rock Island, where on Oct. 19, they will have a home match against McKendree University.