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Issue date: 3/24/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Allison Craver Sophomore Kristin Fathe looks to pass the ball.

The swimming and diving teams are not the only teams that can be found practicing in Hixon Natatorium. The women's polo team is currently in season and also practicing in the Bell Center.

Their head coach, Debbie Rothrock, volunteers her time to help out the team. She is a former player herself who graduated from Texas A&M University-College Station. She has coached the team since 2002.

The water polo team belongs to the Texas league. This is no ordinary league either. Trinity is the only Division III school among four Division I schools.

The league includes the University of Texas-Austin, Texas A&M, Baylor University and Rice University.

"We are going to have a great season, and everyone is having a lot of fun," Rothrock said. "That is the reason why everyone is out here anyway."

The water polo team has already played in one of its three league tournaments. Their first tournament was on Feb. 25 and 26. Trinity lost all four games during the tournament, which was held at Sterling High School.

"We have a lot of new players," said captain Jennifer Ludwig, junior. "We have a hard-working, dedicated group of girls on the team, half of which just began playing water polo this year."

The water polo team has a limited time to practice due to pool hours, and it has only been practicing for a few weeks, so experience is limited. Most girls have never played the sport before coming to Trinity, and most are not on the swim team either.

"Most of these girls learned water polo for the first time a couple of weeks ago," said Captain Tiffany Hollsten, fifth year senior.

Trinity tries to scrimmage against the San Antonio Women's Water Polo Club every other week, usually on Mondays.

Both teams are able to work on their game-time situations as well as work against other people not on their team.

Since the water polo team is a club sport, it only gets limited funding from the University. This weekend, they will be holding a fund-raiser to help with their expenses.

They are having a co-ed inner tube water polo tournament this Sunday from 2-6 p.m. at the indoor pool. They are also planning on having a letter drive and Taco Cabana fund-raiser later in the season.

"Fund-raising is a big issue for our team because we have to cover league fees, traveling expenses and new equipment purchases," Ludwig said.

Some people do not know just how physical the sport is.

"It is a very aggressive sport, and that is why we wear suits that zip up because there is a lot of suit grabbing," Hollsten said. "Girls will pull the suits and twist them to try and pull you under. There is a lot of pulling and kicking. Girls even put their feet on opponents' stomachs and push off just as if they were a wall."

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