Water polo originated from the rivers and lakes of Scotland as a combination of football and rugby in water. Today, the sport is played across the world and is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. The Flower Mound High School Water Polo program is going strong under the guidance of Coach Arbogast. The team is very accomplished, with the  boys and girls teams consistently reaching the state championship. Last year, the Lady Jags beat South Lake 16 to 3, winning their first TISCA state championship after an undefeated season, and Addison McGowan was named first state MVP in FMHS history.

Furthermore, many of the water polo players participate in a water polo club called Thunder Polo. They are able to play water polo all year in contrast to the FMHS program, which splits the year into half swim season and half water polo season. Through the club, the players get to practice their water polo skills more intensely than through school. “I would say about more than half of the swimmers go to water polo,” said one of the players. The others continue on with off season swimming. When asked about the level of water polo experience needed, she responded, “For junior varsity water polo, you don’t have to have any experience in water polo, they will teach you everything,”which is great for newcomers. Another piece of exciting news is that water polo is becoming an official sport of the University Interscholastic League (UIL) in the fall of 2022. According to Swimming World Magazine, “It’s taken 10 or 20 years, depending on how you count it, for water polo to gain the UIL stamp of approval,” and the team is happy to hear it. “I am very excited because [the team] will get a lot more funding,” stated one of the players. The upcoming water polo season starts around late February. Good luck WaterJags!