Southlake Carroll Water Polo
Water polo is much more than simply swimming, splashing and scoring the ball, and Keith Gomez knows that with over 20 years of coaching experience in the pool. Prior to becoming Carroll’s water polo coach last year, Keith volunteered as a coach for many club sports, including swimming and lacrosse. But when water polo became an official UIL sport last year, Keith stepped up to take the Dragons to a higher level.
I WAS FIRST INTRODUCED TO THE SPORT OF WATER POLO AT... the University of Arizona. I was swimming, and a couple of other kids I knew were playing water polo. I looked at them and thought if they could do it, I could do it. I went to one of their practices, and the next thing I knew, I made it onto the team. I eventually became the Wildcat’s leading scorer and a four-year letterman.
THERE’S A LOT OF CHALLENGES AS FAR AS... the physical nature and endurance of the sport goes. You’re playing in 8-10 feet deep of water. You’re swimming, you’re passing the ball and you’re trying to score in under 30 seconds. But what really makes it special is the team dynamic. In high school, I played football and basketball, and you build a lot of relationships by being part of a team. You get some opportunities like that in swimming, but not like you do in other ball sports. Water polo is a great alternative to swimming that keeps you in swim shape while maintaining that teamwork aspect.
I WAS A STAY-AT-HOME DAD FOR ABOUT... 10 years before I started coaching for Caroll water polo. During that time, I did a lot of volunteering and coaching for the water polo club and the North Texas Nadadores swim team. I grew a passion for working with kids, and that really took off when I started working with Southlake.
WATER POLO IS A MUCH BIGGER DEAL AS... a UIL sport. It’s much more recognized by the school systems and the district. Practices in the water become much more important, which is difficult because you’re always competing for water time against other people.
THERE’S ALSO A LOT MORE... competition and pressure there. Each game you play matters – especially in district. As a club, you might lose in the playoffs and still get invited to go to a state tournament. UIL doesn’t work that way. You make the playoffs, you win or lose and you’re done. You really want to vie and get that upper seed so you have a clearer and easier path to get through region.
IT WAS ALWAYS IN THE BACK OF MY MIND TO... make it to state for our first season. When it came to the playoffs, we were really fortunate to beat Highland Park in the second round, because they were widely expected to win region. To have both teams win region was really special and a great boost for the kids on their way to state.
NOW THAT THE KIDS HAVE GOTTEN A TASTE OF... going to region and state, they really want to go back next year. More importantly, they realize it’s going to be a lot harder and that they’re going to need to put in a lot of extra work to make it there. But they’re committed to coming back and doing just that. They’re very eager to return to the water and continue developing their game.
I’M JUST REALLY PROUD OF... our kids. They’re all very talented and contribute a lot to the program. The pressure could have easily had a huge impact on the kids, but they stayed focused, never got distracted, kept their heads forward and never really missed a beat. It’s really fun to see them develop and work toward success. They’re tremendous players, but they’re even better kids.