Fresh off the first North Coast championship in program history, the Northgate girls water polo team is back for another season. But if you thought the girls would rest on the laurels of last year’s championship season, you would be wrong. Very wrong. Team captains Chloe Pappas and Sophia Weise explained that getting a taste of the success that last year’s championship brought has given the team an even bigger desire to do it all over again this season. In order to do so however, they will have to work even harder since they were moved up to Division I this year. Last season’s hallmarks of accountability, hard work and relentless effort will have to remain strong this year if they want another championship. And second year head coach Jane Bergez isn’t shy about reminding the girls about that every day. But Bergez doesn’t just talk. According to the team captains, she has created a culture unique to most high school sports programs with this simple mantra: listen. Bergez understands that in order to get the most out of her players, she has to give them a voice and input into how the team is organized and run. In other words, it’s not about her as the coach, it’s about the players. It’s their team. And Pappas and Weise say that the girls feel empowered by that culture and that it gives them ownership of the team and thus accountability to themselves, their coaches and each other. The team is off to a 7-0 start this year and the girls and coaches are working hard to bring home even more wins for the Broncos. Maybe even the second North Coast championship in program history!
By Shannon Polkinghorn, Resident since 2004, Sports Photographer