Lincoln’s Lady Lions Make a Splash

“We looked at him like he was crazy,” said Maddie Feron, a veteran of the Girl’s Varsity Water Polo team. She was recalling the moment in the beginning of the year when her new coach announced that they were going to be league champions by the end of the season.

Katy Fehderau, who was a new addition to the team this year, seconded Feron’s response, adding that “we really didn’t think we could make it, but we did, and Coach Macko always reminds the team that we have worked hard to earned our title.”

The girls certainly have a lot to be proud of. With their victory last week against Independence, the girls secured their spot as league champions, finishing 8-0 in their league.

This sweeping victory only came about after the team underwent a number of changes. Last year, the girls only won one game in their league, so the team began the season feeling defeated. “We really didn’t think we’d have a chance at making it anywhere,” said Fehderau.

The team even struggled to get new members. “I had to ask everyone I knew. Everyone told me they were going to come out to practice, but they never did. It was horrible,” said Feron as she remembered the difficulties she faced with recruitment.

However, the team’s new coach brought about a change of pace, motivating the girls to move on from their past defeats. “My goal was to make them into the best athletes I possibly could. I had a really good experience with water polo in high school, and I found that it’s not really about the wins and losses; it’s more about getting to a point you never thought you could get to,” said Coach Macko.

That point is exactly where the girls found themselves. Coach Macko pushed the girls beyond their limits in their two hour practices. Initially, the practices consisted solely of conditioning drills, but as the competitions began, the focus shifted more towards running plays. The hours of practice paid off when the girls swept their league, earning a spot on the coveted champion banner.

Now, the team has set their sights on a new goal. “We want to go to CCS, but first we have to win at least two games in the BVAL Tournament next week to qualify,” said both Feron and Fehderau.

For Coach Macko, however, it is not just about the victories. It is all about the “power of belief.” When he was asked to reflect on the team’s season, he had this to say, “The girls all believed that we could win league, and as a result of that, we  did. They went from winning one game last season to sweeping their league. That’s  amazing, and that doesn’t happen unless you believe that it can and use  that belief to  work hard.”