Downey High Girls Water Polo Wraps Up Their Season

Gissel Delgado and Claudette De La Garza
April 18, 2021

Being able to play a sports season during a pandemic was something that the seniors on the Downey High’s Girls Water Polo team didn’t believe could happen. As they finished their season strong with a 12-6 win against Warren High, the girls expressed their gratitude towards being given the chance to compete for their last high school season.

“I was waiting to have a season because I felt like ‘Oh if we don’t have a season it’s going to be so sad’” Kimberly Vasquez, 12, stated. “We’ve played so much for no season during our senior year; it would suck to not have a game or anything.”

Although there was some skepticism about the way the girls would be able to compete this season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Alina Perez, 12, explained that they had adjusted well with the Covid regulations placed upon the team.

“We’ve been doing pretty well with Covid regulations,” Perez shared. “I feel like personally, a lot of us might be suffering at home, but I feel like water polo was our way of being able to get out and socialize amongst each other even during times like this.”

The seniors on the team also conveyed their appreciation towards each other and their other underclassmen teammates for being able to pull through during these times. Estefany Manzanares, 12, elaborates on the team’s dynamic.

“This season for us was honestly really great because for us, since we had a small team for varsity, that was pretty much our little family,” Manzanares stated. “I love how everyone worked so hard for this season, and I’m just proud of everyone.”

The Girls Water Polo officially ended their season May 20, 2021, and the team won all their games this season which makes them their league’s champions.

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About the Contributors

Gissel Delgado, Editor-In-Chief

Having been a part of The Downey Legend in the previous year, former podcaster and current Co-Editor-In-Chief Gissel Delgado, 12, finds herself wanting to grasp on to her ending adolescence, which is full of helping others. Being a part of the Link Crew Commissioner Class, Delgado is passionate about taking care of new students and making sure all feel welcomed into their first years of high school. This carries over to her personal life, in which she highly prioritizes time with her parents and two sisters. She also likes to challenge herself with several Honors and A.P classes due to her love of learning. In her final year at Downey High School, Delgado hopes to finally know what are the next steps in her career and personal life.

"In all the movies I've watched and books I've read, senior year is always depicted as this sort of self-discovery moment," Delgado said. "Senior year is when you really start to grow up and plan your future, so as I wrap up my time in high school, I really hope I get to find my passion. Slowly but surely, I'm confident that I can."

Claudette De La Garza, Photographer

In her final year of high school, Claudette De La Garza joined Downey high’s Newspaper as a photographer. Alongside being a photographer, she is also the vice president of the Downey High Writing Center and is a part of the Femineers. With her mother being her biggest role model, Garza continues to push through to do her absolute best. As she continues with her hard work to get into UCSB, she keeps herself sane by listening to music and swimming. Her music appreciation is endless and ranges from 50s music to modern day music.

“I love to be able to express myself through both music and photography,” Garza said.“ It has always been so amazing to me to think that no one picture or song can ever be the same, as everyone has their own perspective and style!”