Dear Editor, I would just like to express my gratitude to the
entire Live Oak and water polo community for their incredible
support through the boys
’ CCS competition.
Dear Editor,
I would just like to express my gratitude to the entire Live Oak and water polo community for their incredible support through the boys’ CCS competition.
Despite all the games being played at Independence, the stands were full of water polo alumni players and parents, as well as many who had never seen a water polo game before, but wanted to show their support at this momentous time.
Our boys really felt like celebrities as the local news media swarmed around them for quotes.
I doubt if any second place team has ever felt so good! But they knew they were the top public school water polo players in the Central Coast Division, and that was enough for them.
Special thanks to Charlie and Cindy Short for their organization of all that made the season run as smoothly as possible, all the parents who made delicious snacks to fill up the boys after tournament games, and to Paul Marshall who stood in as water polo reporter to make sure these hard-working kids didn’t go unnoticed.
Of course, coach Mack Haines cannot be forgotten for guiding these boys not only to the championship game, but also to a level of maturity they could not have otherwise reached.
I especially want to thank him for never teaching our boys to play unfairly or roughly – when we came up against teams who head-butted or did worse things to our players underwater, I took great pride in realizing that our boys never resorted to such tactics, but instead, used their talent and perseverance to excel.
And excel they did – from Morgan Hill to Hawaii to southern California to the entire Silicon Valley area – they played with heart and ability to prove they could outlast and outplay the majority of the teams!
They were often the smallest and the youngest team, but they were also the most spirited, and the parents and fans who followed them were what spurred them on to the greatness they achieved.
Thanks again, one and all.
Brooke Bailey, Morgan Hill
