Two sports have been elevated from being clubs to varsity sports at WHHS. These sports are water polo and field hockey. WHHS is the sixth school to add varsity water polo and field hockey in the Cincinnati area, and the benefits from this are already showing. 

Emmett Royalty, ‘25, is enjoying life as a varsity player in his third year playing water polo at WHHS. He says he vastly prefers water polo as a varsity sport than a club. “There are a lot more players interested now that we are a varsity sport,” Royalty said. “We have a lot more funding and recognition by the school.”

Royalty’s excitement is also shared within the field hockey program. Sophia Sheanshang, ‘24, has experienced field hockey as both a club and varsity sport. “I prefer being a varsity sport because we are taken more seriously,” Sheanshang said.

Just like water polo, field hockey has also enjoyed the perks of being a varsity sport. With there being a limited number of teams in Cincinnati, they must travel for games. Sheanshang says one of the main differences after the switch to varsity is the bus transportation provided for their traveling games to Dayton and Columbus. 

But before any of this could happen, there was a long process of rules and regulations the school and players went through to add a new varsity sport. First, a coach or school representative must attend an Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) state rules interpretation meeting. Next, all coaches must be certified under the Pupil Activity Program Coaching Permit. This consists of an extensive training program including coaching, first aid and mental health courses. Then the school has to meet a set financial goal that varies for each sport.

For the water polo team, this extra school funding went to new caps, swimsuits, and nets. Despite all these changes, players feel that there are still more improvements to be made. “I would like to see some new recruiting techniques because our team is currently less than 20 players,” Sheanshang said. “I believe we would be stronger with a larger group.”