Crouch Looks To Expand Leadership and Success Capabilities
8/13/2020 1:57:00 PM | Women's Water Polo
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.—After a freshman campaign that saw Zoe Crouch tally the second highest number of points among freshman for Indiana Water Polo with 25, which included 20 goals and five assists, the returning sophomore looks to have an even bigger sophomore season with a higher leadership role and more success in the pool.
As most players look to improve from one season to the next, Crouch sees her opportunities on the leadership front. She sees this as an opportunity in more ways than one, which includes being able to help the newcomers transition from high school to college and also helping the team succeed by leading by example. Crouch has already started by reaching out to her teammates and newcomers over the summer.
Improvements do not stop with leading, however, as Crouch wants to become the best possible player in the pool. By doing this, she can help her team as much as possible.
With the Hoosiers finishing in the top 15 this past season, the team only has higher hopes in 2021. Crouch mentioned the team has a goal of finishing in the top 10 this upcoming season and she believes that the work people do not see will be what makes the difference for IU in achieving that goal. The same goes for Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play, which never got any action this past season due to the current pandemic. As many players have already said, they believe that they would have opened many eyes in conference play, which helps Crouch believe the Hoosiers are much closer to being a contender than many people think.
The full interview conducted by IUHoosiers.com with Crouch can be seen immediately below.
Q: On how you are looking to expand your role and improve…
CROUCH: Next season I really hope to expand my role into a bigger leadership role. I really want to be a leader for the new members of our team and help them make their transition to college water polo as seamless as can be. I also want to be a leader to the whole team and be someone that leads by example. I also hope to keep growing as a player and never stop learning so I can be the best athlete I can be and help the team as much as possible.
Q: On getting help from teammates this offseason…
CROUCH: Yes. Keeping in touch with my teammates is something that has been very important to me this offseason. With Zoom calls, FaceTimes, Snapchats and text messages I've been able to keep up with my friends, which just makes me more excited to get back to Bloomington to get back to putting in the work. I am also very fortunate to be able to live in Northern California with five of my teammates. Three of them live in the same town as I do so I have gotten to see them and workout with them, which has been really fun. The other two live close as well and I have been lucky to visit with them as well.
Q: On how this team can get into the top 10 next season…
CROUCH: I think the work we put in behind the scenes is what will be the push to put us in the top 10 next year. Our coaches are amazing and expect the most out of us and it forces us to work harder for ourselves and the team. I think the dedication that all the girls bring to the team will make it that much easier for us to reach our goals of breaking into the top 10. We all want to be there and work as hard as possible to make ourselves better.
Q: On how close this team is to being one of the top in the conference…
CROUCH: I think we are much closer than many people think we are to being one of the top teams in the conference. It all comes down to the work we put in behind the scenes and I think the coaches are amazing at pushing us to be the best we can be. I believe all we need to do is continue to work as hard as possible and push each other to be the best athletes we can be.
Q: On how you are helping your team out and being a leader…
CROUCH: During this offseason, I have been reaching out to many of my teammates and just checking in on how they are doing. I have also started to reach out to the new members of the team and see what I can do to help them in this difficult time.
As most players look to improve from one season to the next, Crouch sees her opportunities on the leadership front. She sees this as an opportunity in more ways than one, which includes being able to help the newcomers transition from high school to college and also helping the team succeed by leading by example. Crouch has already started by reaching out to her teammates and newcomers over the summer.
Improvements do not stop with leading, however, as Crouch wants to become the best possible player in the pool. By doing this, she can help her team as much as possible.
With the Hoosiers finishing in the top 15 this past season, the team only has higher hopes in 2021. Crouch mentioned the team has a goal of finishing in the top 10 this upcoming season and she believes that the work people do not see will be what makes the difference for IU in achieving that goal. The same goes for Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play, which never got any action this past season due to the current pandemic. As many players have already said, they believe that they would have opened many eyes in conference play, which helps Crouch believe the Hoosiers are much closer to being a contender than many people think.
The full interview conducted by IUHoosiers.com with Crouch can be seen immediately below.
Q: On how you are looking to expand your role and improve…
CROUCH: Next season I really hope to expand my role into a bigger leadership role. I really want to be a leader for the new members of our team and help them make their transition to college water polo as seamless as can be. I also want to be a leader to the whole team and be someone that leads by example. I also hope to keep growing as a player and never stop learning so I can be the best athlete I can be and help the team as much as possible.
Q: On getting help from teammates this offseason…
CROUCH: Yes. Keeping in touch with my teammates is something that has been very important to me this offseason. With Zoom calls, FaceTimes, Snapchats and text messages I've been able to keep up with my friends, which just makes me more excited to get back to Bloomington to get back to putting in the work. I am also very fortunate to be able to live in Northern California with five of my teammates. Three of them live in the same town as I do so I have gotten to see them and workout with them, which has been really fun. The other two live close as well and I have been lucky to visit with them as well.
Q: On how this team can get into the top 10 next season…
CROUCH: I think the work we put in behind the scenes is what will be the push to put us in the top 10 next year. Our coaches are amazing and expect the most out of us and it forces us to work harder for ourselves and the team. I think the dedication that all the girls bring to the team will make it that much easier for us to reach our goals of breaking into the top 10. We all want to be there and work as hard as possible to make ourselves better.
Q: On how close this team is to being one of the top in the conference…
CROUCH: I think we are much closer than many people think we are to being one of the top teams in the conference. It all comes down to the work we put in behind the scenes and I think the coaches are amazing at pushing us to be the best we can be. I believe all we need to do is continue to work as hard as possible and push each other to be the best athletes we can be.
Q: On how you are helping your team out and being a leader…
CROUCH: During this offseason, I have been reaching out to many of my teammates and just checking in on how they are doing. I have also started to reach out to the new members of the team and see what I can do to help them in this difficult time.
Players Mentioned
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