By Ana Hernandez
Staff Writer:

Senior Skylar Keck prepares to pass the ball to his opponent during practice. The 30-second clock is counting down and there are only 10 seconds left to make the quick final move.

Adrenaline builds up in these last 10 seconds. With all of his force, Keck passes the ball to his teammate in order to make this play successful.

The Birmingham Community Charter High School (BCCHS) water polo team is kicking off the season Oct. 10 in a home game against Taft High School with an eye forward the City Championships title once again.

“I’m looking forward to having more play time and helping my team win city champs,” Keck said. “On offense, I want to improve on my shooting skills and ball handling. On defense, I need to be more aware of the game and increase my speed.”

Both the boys’ and girls’ water polo teams have been participating in summer leagues

Keck joined water polo this year but has been swimming since Nov. 2011 when he joined the BCCHS swim team.

“My friends from school motivated me to join swimming,” said Keck, who is a utility player. DPMHS alumni Silva Ayrapetyan was one of the main starters on the girls’ water polo team and one the friends who gave Keck the motivation to join the team.

He is considering continuing swim after high school, depending on the college Keck will attend.

Birmingham held the CIF Los Angeles title for two consecutive years until they lost city finals in 2010 against Cleveland. However, BCCHS has been undefeated in the West Valley League.

The Patriots won the title once again in 2011 with an overall record of 16-4-0.

Daniel Parlato has been coaching both water polo teams for three years and has been working on improving his teams to have more endurance and speed. During the games, he always says to his players, “Citius, altius, and fortius,” which is Latin for faster, higher, and stronger.

“Well, we want a great  record and hopefully a great season,” Parlato said.