Five Titans Athletes Train at US Naval Academy
Submitted by Audrey Caron, Nathalie Gallant and Emma Jackson

At the beginning of the summer, five Titans athletes travelled to Annapolis, Maryland to play water polo at the U.S Naval Academy.  We trained under the direction of Head Coach Mike Schofield and goalie coach Mladen Stanicic.
 
The camp was divided into two separate sessions.  We (Nathalie Gallant and Audrey Caron) went to both sessions, with Patricia Massel at the first and Christine Snidal and Emma Jackson at the second camp. We stayed on campus in residence in rooms of three and four.  For the first couple of days, we practiced three times a day getting back into shape and working on basic passing and shooting skills.  We were trained by several different coaches, some of whom were current and previous Navy Water Polo athletes.  After the first few days, we were divided into divisions and then split into separate co-ed teams. The five Titans were among some of the few girls at the camp. It was a learning experience to play against boys who were physically stronger than us but also different since many of the athletes weren't as advanced at tactics and plays.

The athletes came from across the U.S, Puerto Rico and even Egypt.  When we weren't in the pool, we spent our time analyzing Olympic Games, sleeping, wandering around the harbour and eating in restaurants downtown.  We had one "Serbian Boot Camp" practice which was led by a coach from Serbia. The U.S players found the legwork-focused practice extremely difficult but we were used to it and found it easy.

Overall we met many amazing people and experienced what water polo is like in the U.S.  It was a great experience that won't be forgotten.

Anyone who is interested in the camp website can click on:  Navy Water Polo Camp