Maris Stella focused on incremental improvement
Maris Stella’s water polo program is on an upward curve, and they intend to keep the momentum as they swim towards their vision to be one of the best girls’ schools in the sporting code in the country.
Last season, while they did not lift the title in the National Aquatics Tournament, which they hosted, Jadie Goosen’s charges acquitted themselves admirably against some of the best teams in the country. Their performance was an indication of the path of incremental improvement they are on. They climbed six spots in the past two editions of the Reef Cup Tournament.
“We improved drastically, finishing on 14th, an improvement from last year’s placing of 20th. We hope to finish higher at the next edition,” Goosen shared.
To achieve that, Goosen and her coaching staff have identified four boxes that they need to tick: enhancing team cohesion, achieving consistent results, developing Individual skills and making the 2024-25 season a memorable one.
“Conditioning has been a major focus for this year as we struggled with certain movements and fitness over short distances. We have then focused on high-intensity sprints with short breaks. This has helped speed up the game tempo and heart rate which has helped us prepare,” Goosen explained.
Goosen has also been paying attention to her team’s dynamics. She has a diverse side with players from all grades. “It’s been vital that we improve our communication and teamwork by doing team drills as well as meetings to understand each other better,” she added.
Whatever concerns anyone might have had about the younger players stepping up were laid to rest when the Maris Stella U15 team finished in second place at the recent Curro tournament for the age group. That side’s success had a lot to do with the wonderful performances from Layla Dinsdale (Whole) and Amy Aarons (Fetch).
When Supersport Schools Plus inquired about the players to look out for this season, Goosen pointed to Rachel Rabie (Guard), Brogan Reid (Fetch) and Skyla Klompas (GK).
“We are very proud to announce that we had 5 players who made the KZN squad,” Goosen shared.
