Although the Varsity Water Polo team is a relatively new addition to the Marlborough Athletic Department, it has grown in popularity in the past few years. Because of the team’s spirit and close-knit bond, more and more Marlborough students have become interested in the sport and in the team. Consequently, when the players dive into the water for their first game on Dec. 4, there will be both a Varsity and a Junior Varsity (JV) Water Polo team. The new addition of the JV team will enable more Marlborough students to succeed in water polo.

According to JV Water Polo team member Julia ’16, this year is the first year the team has received enough interest to form a JV team.

In previous seasons, the Varsity team has competed in a top league with very advanced competitors, including coed teams. This year, both the Varsity and JV Water Polo teams will be in the Ocean Girls League.

The two teams, like the Varsity and JV swim teams, will practice together; the only separation between JV and Varsity is that the girls will compete in separate games.

The Water Polo team has so far been relatively unsuccessful in winning games, as it’s a “fairly new” team, but Julia hopes that as the team gains experience, it will be able to win more frequently.

“Although we may not always win, we always have fun and never get too discouraged,” Claire ’14 said. Claire went on to say that the Varsity team has a stronger sense of spirit than perhaps any other Marlborough team.

In order to get seventh and eighth grade girls ready for the fierce competition at the Junior Varsity and Varsity levels, there is no longer a 7/8 Water Polo Team. Instead, according to Athletic Director David Collicutt, the seventh and eighth grade girls will participate in clinics that will prepare them for the high school teams.