While collegiate water polo teams around the United States are often doing heavy pre-season training during the summers, the water polo players of the United States Naval Academy are fulfilling their university obligations and military studies.
For the incoming freshman, they experience the 7-week Plebe Summer, a required training program that consists of rigorous physical and mental training in order to transform them from civilians into midshipmman.
They study and follow the basics of military life including the memorization of the following quote by Theodore Roosevelt: “It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself on a worthy cause; who at the best in the end knows the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
The sophomores head out to sea for three weeks on marine vessels, journeying to several New England ports, working alongside others, or undergoing naval tactical training. The older midshipman spend their summers can find themselves flying aircraft, diving in a nuclear-powered submarine, patrolling, infiltrating, and attacking mock enemy positions in the forests, executing gunnery exercises and standing watches on Navy ships.
It is not easy, but their lives are certainly full of adventures out on, under, in, or near the sea.
But come the beginning of this fall water polo season, the Midshipmen were ranked 20th in the collegiate water polo pre-season polls.
And they proved themselves ready for action, led by captain goalie Caden Capobianco of Laguna Beach, California.
This weekend, the No. 20 ranked US Naval Academy men’s water polo team started its season by beating three California colleges, long the hotbed of collegiate water polo.
Their season started at the 2023 Triton Invitational hosted by University of California San Diego. The Midshipmen began the tournament with a 13-6 win over California State University Fullerton, a 13-7 victory over Biola University, and a 10-9 upset victory #9 ranked California State University Long Beach. The victory was especially shocking because Long Beach State had just taken down long-time powerhouse Stanford University the day before 12-10. Hayden Kahn, Kiefer Black, Nathan Duchez, and Tommy McKnew each had two goals to pace the Midshipmen over Long Beach State.
“It was a good way to start the season,” head coach Luis Nicolao said. “We had a lot of guys on the team contribute, including some of the younger guys. These games will give them some confidence and help us later in the season.”
The USA flag, as a sign of respect and pride, is carried before the game, between halves, and after the game by a midshipman. After the game against Fullerton, the duties fell upon Kiefer Black, a freshman player from La Jolla High School in San Diego, California.
© 2023 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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