Polo Priorities

Kaysie Stuba ’18 to train with the Hungarian National Team in the summer by Sydney Hansen

Sydney Hansen, News editor

After a 20-second ejection in the first 2015 IHSA state water polo game for LT girls water polo, Kaysie Stuba ‘18 re-entered the pool with newfound determination. Stuba would go on to score the first goal of the game, a moment that has stayed with her for years.

“Kaysie is great at initiating plays and movement on offense,” varsity teammate Hanna Good ‘18 said. “[She’s] almost always the top scorer and no one’s surprised [because] she works for it.”

As a varsity starter since her freshman season, Stuba has a high-level of varsity experience, highlighted by her recognition as an all-state player as a sophomore. This experience and knowledge of the game allows her to be a go-to player and leader to her teammates, head girls varsity water polo coach Lauren Burel said.

“Kaysie is such a great teammate,” Good said. “She’s always determined in games and in practices, [and] she’s very supportive. When you do something [well], she’ll compliment you and tell you nice job, and when you mess up, she’ll tell you it’s okay and how not to do it again.”

As an attacker, Stuba’s job is to drive in towards the goal and take shots that are close to the net. Speed, sharp thinking and team cooperation are important components to this position, Stuba said.

“I like the team cooperation [being an attacker] takes because the pass is just as important as the drive itself,” Stuba said.

This summer, Stuba will travel to Hungary to train with the Hungarian National Team for six weeks. The team will train from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week, with an intense practice regimen that will incorporate swimming, dryland exercises like running, and water polo scrimmages. The opportunity to train in Hungary came from a coach she worked with over the summer, Stuba said.

“It’s a slightly more aggressive playing style [in Hungary] that will require a higher level of conditioning,” Stuba said.

In order to improve her game, Stuba takes time in the morning to come to optional practices to focus on specific skills, such as shooting under pressure and lobs or pop shots, Burel said. She also plays club water polo at Lyons Water Polo Club and does CrossFit, a high-intensity workout that incorporates several different types of exercises, with her team. In addition, Stuba is also a varsity swimmer for the LT girls swim team.

“She is a fast swimmer that helps with quick breaks on offense,” Burel said. “[Stuba] has quick reactions [that] allow her to gain the advantage on either offense or defense.”

In the future, she is interested in playing collegiate water polo, and has just begun to look at schools and get information from college coaches, Stuba said.

“Kaysie will make it places because of her commitment to the game and her qualities of a great teammate,” former varsity teammate Megan Kotil ‘17 said. “She is able to play any role on the team and always gives her best effort.”