Local water polo club offers strong coaching under Kristeena
Bakke as well as convenience, as players no longer need to travel
to Morgan Hill or San Jose to compete and play
HOLLISTER
When Jake Garcia attended his first practice with the Hollister Youth Water Polo club in June, he was one of approximately five people present.
The low turnout was a minor detail for Garcia, however. An incoming freshman at San Benito High School, Garcia had never played water polo before, but had every intention of picking up the sport at the prep level.
And everyone has to start somewhere.
“But there was no opportunity in Hollister. You had to drive to Morgan Hill to play polo,” said Garcia, 15, commenting on the offseason polo clubs, many of which reside in Santa Clara County.
“I actually didn’t expect there to be a great amount of participation. But I think it has to do with getting the word out, that water polo is a great sport,” Garcia added. “I had no idea what it would be like, but this is great.”
Garcia’s sentiments are similar to what many polo fanatics in San Benito County have felt in recent years. But driving to Monterey or Soquel or even San Jose to play club polo is no longer the most logical option — the Hollister Youth Water Polo club has been going strong since June.
Under the guidance of Kristeena Bakke, who played at Foothill College and has held coaching positions at Live Oak, Gunn and Castilleja high schools, and who coached the Stanford club team, the Hollister Youth Water Polo club has certainly blossomed from its meager turnout on the first day.
On Tuesday night, roughly 30 aspiring water polo players filled the pool at SBHS.
“Long story short, (SBHS water polo coach) Tom Agan got a hold of me and asked if I would run his summer program,” said Bakke, who recently moved to Hollister after previously living in San Jose. “I felt there was a need for it and I just kind of went for it.”
The story started when Bakke brought her 5-year-old daughter to swimming lessons at San Benito Aquatics and met Christine Schafer, who also coaches the SBHS swim team and was aware of the offseason polo program.
“Kristeena is extremely experienced and knows exactly what she is doing and has a great rapport with the kids,” Agan said. “It was really cool to have someone like her take over (the program).”
Bakke’s coaching background in water polo — among other accolades, she head coached the Stanford 12U club team to a silver medal at the Junior Olympics in 2002 — made her an ideal fit for the upstart club, the first of its kind since the 2000-01 school year, Agan said.
“It’s great and it’s something this community has needed for a long time,” said Schafer, who has two sons and a daughter that are heavily involved in the sport. “And it’s nice for upcoming people to have that kind of coach in our community.”
Under the SBA umbrella and registered through USA Water Polo, the Hollister Youth Water Polo club’s mission is to be “nationally prominent by developing novice through elite players,” and seeks to teach the five basic tools of the game by emphasizing swimming, passing, shooting, ball handling and individual defense.
“It’s convenient and Kristeena is an awesome coach,” Garcia said. “When I first started in the summer, I could barely hold the ball. Now I’m scoring and driving and passing. The game is just a blast.”
The club also has a competitive 16U coed team, which has already competed in tournaments at Menlo Park and Valley Christian. In fact, Garcia pocketed the game-winning goal in an overtime match at the Valley Christian tournament held last weekend.
The team is made up mostly of eighth-graders, but Bakke is hoping for another coed team, made up of sixth-graders or younger, by spring.
“I knew, in the process, that there really wasn’t much out here,” Bakke said. “Most players were going to Morgan Hill or San Jose or Soquel or Stanford. They were really excited to be able to play polo and swim before they started high school. They’re so excited to have a year-round program.”
Although the club plans on taking a break in the fall when the prep season begins, Bakke plans to restart the program in mid-November, holding practices two to three times a week.
“We used to travel out of town for this. But now, having this in our hometown, it’s what we’ve been waiting for,” said Al Angulo, whose 7-year-old daughter Marisa was in the pool Tuesday night. Angulo’s older son, Nick, who plays for the SBHS boys water polo team, currently competes for a club team in Morgan Hill.
“With Nick, he started when he was in the sixth-grade and we had to travel to Morgan Hill,” Angulo said. “As far as water polo players for San Benito (High), this will make a big difference.”
That’s because a void has been filled. No longer do polo players have to travel out of county to compete.
“In time, this will help the high school and this will help the community,” Schafer said. “The kids are improving by leaps and bounds and it’s awesome.
“To me, the important thing is that we have more opportunities for more kids.”
For more information, go online to: hollisterwaterpolo.clubspaces.com
