San Luis Obispo High School water polo preseason underway in the school’s pool, photo courtesy of SLO Polo.
Water polo is the first sport at San Luis High School, and at the same time one of the most underrated.
With summer preseason now well underway, athletes are aiming high, hoping to achieve their goals when the hard summer work wraps up and the season begins. Despite the tough and arduous grind, water polo doesn’t get half the recognition it deserves.
“Water polo players are some of the most conditioned sportsmen, and the sport is in a league of its own,” said former player Jackson Gillete.
In the JV league, the boys’ team finished first and won the league in an unprecedented outcome, led by a dominant group of young freshmen and sophomores.
Prior to the 2025-26 season, preseason has been a mix of practices, lifting sessions, and even will be preseason games towards its conclusion. During this period, teams are placed into initial lineups, with coaches making rough sketches of what the final team will look like.
“Culminating in the win last season, the season went very well, and through intense but needed hard conditioning, we will stay on top. We’re gonna keep going around four hours a day max until the season starts again!” said Junior Varsity player Logan Woods.
Alex Turetto, now a sophomore at SLOHS, found himself highly motivated after a fun and memorable freshman season.
“My favorite moments and aspects were goofing off in practice and even occasionally in games. One of the best ways to avoid burnout is to keep having fun and having a positive attitude about as much as you can — it’s really a mental game in many ways.” said Turetto.
While Turetto can’t always attend preseason practice, since he lives south of Santa Maria, he makes the most of every opportunity. “I leave it all out there, and I have fun. It’s cool to see my conditioning from preseason, but also trail biking and junior guards, pay off.”
Another sophomore in the program, Xavier Ortiz, plays as an attacker and has already proven himself to be clinical, disciplined, and highly regarded by his coaches.
“It’s really awesome to work with the same coaches last year, while also leveling up, in a low-pressure environment like I have right now. Both of my preseason experiences have been hard so far, but also really fun, and if this preseason goes the same as it did last time, it will be very rewarding,” saidf Ortiz.
Ortiz and Turetto both plan to attempt moving up to Varsity but are prepared to stay on JV if needed. Woods is also advancing to his first Varsity season.
Meanwhile, junior Russel Ramadan has firmly secured his place in the Varsity lineup. “Through hard work — partially in preseason — I have been able to gain and maintain my spot on Varsity, and if we can put enough work in right now and go in strong to the coming season, we definitely have a shot at becoming D1. ”When asked about the challenge of filling spots left by graduating seniors, he noted, “The new Varsity players are going to find it very hard, and limited spots because of not very many openings from seniors, and they’re going to need to grind out and level up to become compatible with the top leagues. Preseason will for sure play a huge role in that, and so far the coach has been talking about showing dedication, grit, and a good attitude, and we’ll continue to see that this summer and into next year.”
For athletes already in shape and established within San Luis High School’s water polo program, preseason will still be tough — but essential. It ensures that no one is caught off-guard when fast-paced league games resume after summer and allows San Luis High School players to stay competitive and defend their league titles.
