The Rice Women’s Club Water Polo team has been playing competitively at the Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation Center for more than twenty years. Over time, different coaches and players have contributed to the team’s dynamic, collectively turning it into the supportive community that it is today. Every Tuesday and Thursday night you’ll find both the men’s and women’s teams scrimmaging at the pool, singing along to pop music and being silenced every once in a while by coach Alex Raterink’s whistle as he calls out fouls.
Club sports like water polo give students an outlet to relieve stress, feel a sense of community and meet new people while staying active. Most of the current members on the team didn’t have much—or any—experience with the sport before coming to Rice. Because water polo is a pretty niche sport that only around 50,000 people in the country play, many students join the team as a way to try something new and be part of something fun. Even though our team is small, with only about 12 players, we’re a tight-knit group.
What makes the Rice Women’s Water Polo team truly special is the way it builds people up. Every player, no matter their background or experience, is given time in the water, encouragement from teammates and the freedom to learn at their own pace. At practice, players are nudged to take risks and try something new, even if it means making a bad pass in a drill or sending a shot soaring over the goal. But that doesn’t mean we’re perfectly nice all the time… players are encouraged to be aggressive in scrimmages and never to apologize for playing good defense. And we cheer each other on just as much for the effort as for the goals.
Outside of the pool, the team bonds over lunch after practice and dinner after tournaments (regardless of the score). These traditions are more than just a fun way to refuel — they are what turn teammates into friends. Whether it's laughing in the car on the way to a tournament or debriefing our lives before practice, the connections we build keep our team strong. This past March, we hosted the Texas Division Championship tournament at Rice. We won two out of three games to rank fifth in the league, but what really stood out was the energy on deck. Our signature “put ‘em in a pressure cooker — Rice!” cheer is well-known for exemplifying our playful energy; we play for each other as much as for the win. It was a particularly exciting weekend for new team members as it marked the end of their first water polo season. One freshman shared that joining the team helped her find friends outside her residential college and also gave her a place where she felt truly supported in her transition to Rice.
As our team looks forward to next year, we are excited to continue growing in skill and in community. We’ll keep welcoming players of all levels, traveling for tournaments and making memories through our laughter-filled conversations during practice. And more than anything, we’ll keep showing up for each other. If you’re looking for a fun, friendly, and empowering space on campus, we’d love to meet you! Whether you want to learn a new sport, destress by splashing around in the pool, or just hang out with some of the most supportive, uplifting people on campus, there’s always a spot for you at Rice Water Polo.
-Rice Women’s Club Water Polo Team (Published on 7/1/25)
