Delaney Wilder, who is a senior here at Canyon, is the captain of the girls’ water polo team. After their second place finish in the San Diego tournament, Smoke Signals interviewed her to gain a little more insight on the team.

Smoke Signals: You guys have hit your stride this year going into the San Diego tournament and winning 7 out of 8 games so far. What do you think the key is to the team’s current success?

Delaney: So, we are a pretty new team. Most of our girls came up from JV, and we have really come together and bonded a lot. We try our best to strengthen the bond between our team and I think that, along with the hard work and time that we put in every day, definitely contributes to our success.

Smoke Signals: Many of the games this team has played have been close. What do you think helps you pull away late in a game?

Delaney: Well, what the coach always tells us is that we have more heart than any of the other girls that play us. We put in more time at practice and have more dedication than all these other girls, so we have the endurance to last longer than other teams do. We want to win so badly and we don’t give up.

Smoke Signals: Congrats on the second place finish in this year’s San Diego tournament. How do you think your team has been able to compete at such a high level while playing multiple games a day?

Delaney: That’s a very good question. I don’t think I know myself. At some point in the game, you get so dead tired that it becomes so hard to move, but like I said before, because of all the training and time that we put in, we really build up endurance. The fact that our coach is constantly yelling in our ear definitely also helps.

Smoke Signals: At this rate, this team looks poised to be a contender in CIF. Being one of the three returning varsity players, what do you think the key is to be successful in the CIF playoffs?

Delaney: Well, I’ve been to CIF twice before. The key every time is just believing in yourself, but that’s a thing I think our team has been struggling with this year. I think that if we all start believing that we can go farther and give ourselves more credit, that will definitely help us go farther in CIF.

Smoke Signals: There is a Villa Park game at home on January 15. What are some important factors in beating a rival school?

Delaney: Not getting too into our heads is definitely important. There’s a lot of hype surrounding that game, which causes everybody to get in their heads, making them super nervous. There’s a lot of people watching and cheering. It’s incredibly vital to keep our composure. We just have to get out there and play the same way we  we have always played. We need to make it our goal to win and try our best to show that we truly are superior to Villa Park.

Smoke Signals: How do you think being a waterpolo player and captain has affected your life and high school experience?

Delaney: I think It’s definitely something I’ll never forget. Since my freshman year, all I’ve wanted to be was a captain of the varsity team, and it’s something I’ve been working towards. Achieving this goal has taught me that I  can set goals in the future for myself and that I’ll be able to achieve them if I work hard enough at them.

Thank you to Delaney for agreeing to answer some questions. Go Comanches!