After 41 years in existence, Northgate had a first: A water polo game in the school’s own pool. Actually, there were four games on Sept. 1 when the junior varsity and varsity boys and girls swept Benicia High School in four hours of water polo action.
During the grand opening of the aquatic center, crowds huddled around the new pool, parents cheered on their sons and daughters, and students encouraged their peers. About 200 spectators were present at the height of the grand opening.

“I think it’ll be a magnet of school spirit because it is on campus. Our rosters already indicate that it has an effect because we have the biggest rosters we have ever had at Northgate,” Athletic Director Steve Chappell said. “We had over 200 people at our first home water polo match ever. I think it will do many things; it’ll increase attendance, support for the sport, and participation for kids that want to play water polo and swim. It’ll increase community involvement and we’re really just excited that it’s finally here.”
Junior varsity girls set the bar high with a definitive score of 14-0; sophomore Kristen Berardi scored the first ever goal in the new pool. Varsity girls destroyed the opposing team scoring 16 goals and only giving up two. The boys kept up this winning streak with varsity boys winning 11-5 and junior varsity ending the night with a win, 9-2.

However there was an equal amount of excitement occurring on the pool deck than in the water.

“I’m excited,” said Julie Henderson, parent of sophomore varsity player, Ryan Henderson. “My son plays and is on swim team and it’s wonderful that he can practice and play on campus.”

The pool has long been envisioned for Northgate, which opened in 1974. Swim and water polo team members have used other community pools as close as Heather Farms and as far as Acalanes High School and Diablo Valley College. Not having to travel far for home practices and games will make the lives of all players and parents easier.

Northgate Pride, a local foundation formed in 1999, has been vital in keeping the dream of a pool alive. The community group has raised money for the renovation of the little theatre, the gymnasium, and the sports stadium. The aquatic center and sports med facility have been the latest project for Northgate Pride and became possible with community bond money. The entirety of the project took $8 million, with $7 million from Measure C bonds, and an estimated $1 million in fundraising headed by Northgate Pride.

Rancho San Miguel and Scottsdale swim clubs graciously loaned their bleachers for the season. This will allow more comfort for the audience and more space. Crowds are more likely to show up if there is somewhere to sit and the bleachers offer that luxury.

 Four-year varsity player Zoë Ramia expressed her excitement about the new pool. “Having the pool is really nice because junior varsity and varsity get to practice together so it’s more of a team and family instead of being separate,” Ramia said. “Our first game was really cool because there were a lot of people there. People were cheering and they had announcers. It was really exciting for all of us.”

Last year, Ramia got the chance to play water polo with her year-round club team in Hungary. She has also competed in Southern California for the Junior Olympics the last few years.

Principal Michael McAlister made time to watch some of the water polo Sept 1, and again at the second home games on Sept 9.

“I am so excited to see this new facility being put to use by men’s and women’s varsity, and junior varsity teams. It’s really fun to hear whistles after school during game play,” McAlister said. “Having both water polo and swim team on sight is an amazing opportunity. It creates a coalescence of spirit along the aquatic center and among Northgate High School.”

Varsity player Sebastian Stahl’s older brother, Phillip, graduated from Northgate in 2015 and missed out on his opportunity to play water polo in the Northgate pool. Luckily, his brother Sebastian is able to continue their family legacy and be part of Northgate’s home team exhibition.

“It was pretty cool, you know we wanted this pool for a long time and we finally got it,” Stahl said. “I think Northgate water polo is just going to go up and we are going to get a lot better these next couple of years.”