Students delivered a crushing 11-4 win over staff in the Students vs. Staff Inner Tube Water Polo game on Wednesday during lunch. The event, part of Leadership’s week-long H2O Olympics, returned after its revitalization last year and certainly made a splash.
Pre-Calculus and Computer Science Principals teacher Tomiko Fronk started the game off with offensive pressure and enthusiasm, taking three consecutive shots on goal. Her attempts were shut down by senior Joseph Tompkins, and possession was flipped.
The students took advantage immediately, with junior Luke Ten Vaanholt nailing a bottom corner shot past Leadership teacher Mike Amoroso. Still, the teachers refused to fall back, and P.E. teacher Amanda Bianchi snagged control of the ball and sent it flying towards the goal. The ball landed just wide, but Environmental Science and Biology teacher Erica Woll flew in to regain possession and, with a precise shot to the corner, found the back of the net.
The pace of the game sped up, with both teams making remarkable defensive and offensive plays. Fronk and Bianchi led with ferocious one-on-one defense, while Amoroso made powerful saves on goal. But the students were able to dodge the teachers’ efforts with two more goals from senior Zane Nahas and junior Timmy Shenk.
The students’ chemistry was also a bright spot. A series of well-timed passes between juniors Anna Brown and Max Weiss created an opening for Brown and smash the ball past Amoroso, bringing the tally to 5-1 for the students.
The staff refused to slow down, playing aggressive defense that forced multiple errors from the students. Their efforts finally paid off when Fronk slipped the ball to Woll, who fired a shot into the back of the net.
The students refused to be shaken and continued their offensive prowess. Senior Maro Eaton managed a smooth steal against Bianchi, sending the ball forward to senior Mica Podoly. Podoly secured a pass to junior Grace Lobdell*, who launched a shot into the hands of Amoroso. However, the teacher’s success was short-lived, as Nahas snatched the ball and hammered it into the net.
After halftime, students began piling two players into their tubes, leading to cheating accusations from the teachers.
“I think it is super fun to wrestle with your teacher,” Podoly said. “I think it’s a really cool way to see them outside of the classroom.”
Bianchi began the second half with the ball, trying to advance it toward the goal with a pass to Fronk. However, Eaton jumped in for a block, setting up Weiss for a dagger into the back of the net.
Woll retaliated immediately, nailing a shot of her own off a rebound. However, the back-and-forth continued, with Weiss adding another goal, bringing the students’ lead to 8-4. Following a narrow miss by Fronk, the students triumphed further as senior Harper Williams found her way past the teachers and scored to put them in a promising position, 9-4.
The teachers struggled on offense as they looked to cut their deficit. Eaton came up with a suffocating block, which was followed by a steal from Nahas. Tompkins converted on the other end, and the teams traded lengthy throws as the final minute of the game began.
Despite the students’ significant lead, Leadership announced that the game would conclude in a “next-goal-wins” fashion. Amoroso got off a well-placed shot, but it was stopped by Nahas. Sophomore Elliot Conlon finished on a laser-powered shot, securing the victory for the students, 11-4.
“[On the competitive water polo team], we don’t get to play around too creatively, and don’t get to mess around. This is a really fun way to do that and just have fun with all of our classmates,” Tompkins said.
“It’s a reminder that we’re all here to learn together, but also have fun together. It’s hard to get out of the classroom and do something cool, and it was good that we were able to do that,” English teacher Lara Gill said.
*Grace Lobdell is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
