Across the pool—a young man high-fives his buddies and fellow teammates before jogging over to the small table I am sitting at, swim bag slung over one shoulder and slightly damp, yellow water polo ball under the crook of his other arm. “Blake Martella,” he says with a smile as he extends the hand not holding the waterlogged ball to me. Blake has been playing polo for 10 years, four of those years belonging to the CU Men’s Water Polo team, which in his senior year he is the president of. As I sat down to talk with this tenacious and enthusiastic young man, he gave me a glimpse into the Buff’s upcoming season.
The CU Men’s Water Polo team is looking to sweep the Rocky Mountain Division Conference for a fifth year in a row this season, with Martella noting that “it’s been a hard year with the loss of all the great seniors that graduated. We’ve already lost to Mines this season, which is abnormal for us, and honestly, a bit of a concern,” he continues. Martella is referring to the team’s tournament against Colorado School of Mines earlier this month; in which the opposing team managed to give them their only loss of the season so far. The Buffs will play their next two tournaments – and what will be their last chances to take home the Championship – in Grand Junction and Utah (their biggest rival) this October. With their current record of 3-1 for the “A” team and 2-2 for the “B” team, the odds are looking good for them to snag their fifth championship.
With the tournament in Grand Junction fast approaching—just two weeks from this Saturday—Martella is doing everything he can to get his team ready for the big weekend. “Our starting goalie Dane is someone to look out for—he did great last game, and so did our freshman Max House who scored 14 goals; definitely a career worth keeping an eye out for,” he pointed out. With 15 new freshman and a team of determined hearts, the A team plans to blow the championship out of the water yet again, with the B team close on their heels in second place, leaving no room in the top two spots for opponents. A glimmer of excitement could be seen in Martella’s eyes as he spoke of the upcoming season, and I could tell he is eager for the promise the season holds, as well as the impending Grand Junction tournament he and the rest of his teammates are practicing for. “It’s going to be a really great season,” Martella proclaims. He says this so confidently and determined, that I can’t help but think that he’s right.
The CU Men’s Water Polo team will play their next tournament in Grand Junction, CO, Saturday, October 13th at Colorado Mesa University.