HIGH SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT: POLO ALLOWS TEAMS TO TRAVEL WATER WORLD LOCAL ATHLETES MAKE SUMMER TRIPS TO HUNGARY, CROATIA, NEW ZEALAND.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

The essays and typical first-week-of-school conversations about summer activities prompted several La Canada High teachers to approach the school's water polo coach. The stories the teachers were hearing from his athletes were anything but typical and were the product of a budding trend.

After years of trips to play in places like Hawaii or Florida, high school water polo teams are venturing abroad for a level of competition and learning experiences that are hard to match. This summer, the La Canada boys' team went to Hungary, Agoura went to New Zealand and Westlake went to Croatia.

``This was a good thing for kids, not just a good thing for athletes,'' La Canada coach Larry Naeve said. ``It started out as our training camp and it ended up being a lot more. I don't think the kids are ever going to forget this trip. From an educational standpoint, it was probably the best thing I've done.''

The Spartans' 10 days in Hungary last month included stops in Budapest, Cegled and Eger. Between training sessions with Hungarian coaches, the players visited the Hapsburg Palace overlooking the Danube River in Budapest, met the mayor of Eger and saw many of his city's attractions. They also attended a large celebration for a Hungarian national holiday.

``It was an awesome experience to get to see all the things we did,'' said La Canada junior Devon Borisoff, who has played internationally as a member of the U.S. national program.

Two teen-aged translators accompanied the team. But language was just the beginning of the notable differences. Eating unfamiliar food and staying in a small, rural town left the players begging to stop when they drove past a McDonald's.

The water polo culture was nearly as different.

The style of play was more physical and the training was more skill-specific, but what stood out most to the players were the pools. Few of the pools they played in were of the chlorinated type used back home. Much of the time was spent in the mineral pools and hot springs at the water parks or spas that dot the community. In the country that has produced the past two men's water polo Olympic champions, the sport is a staple of daily activities.

``How kids here shoot baskets, kids there go to the spa and play water polo,'' Naeve said.

Naeve had heard about teams from Orange County previously traveling to Hungary and started thinking about taking his squad there when the Spartans faced a Hungarian club team at a tournament last summer, establishing the connections for this year's trip.

``We already had a great team bond and this just strengthened it,'' Borisoff noted of all the time spent together. ``And we learned a lot, I think it'll help us in the high school season.

``We'd love to do it again.''

An Egyptian team the Spartans met during this year's trip has already invited the Spartans to Cairo next summer.

Westlake kicked off this summer's travel season with its June trip to Croatia. Agoura took 13 of its players to a tournament in New Zealand in late July and early August before meeting up with the program's remaining players for a tournament in Hawaii. The New Zealand teams faced teams from Santa Barbara earlier in the summer.

``It's becoming more and more common for teams to travel,'' Agoura coach Dusty Litvak said. ``We've taken our teams to Hawaii for several years - the boys and girls alternate every other year - and a lot of other teams go to tournaments like that.

``Now you're starting to see teams go even further. Part of it is for the water polo. Part of it is for getting the kids out of what I call the Agoura bubble. That's part of why I did it, to let them experience something different.

``I knew this was a special group, and I wanted to do something special with them.''

Litvak searched the Internet for a suitable destination for his team. Team parents went to work with several fundraisers.

The Chargers prepared for a rigorous Marmonte League season by facing experienced teams loaded with bigger and faster players. The confidence gained by Agoura's third- place finish at the tournament is rivaled by the adventures outside the pool.

``We did a lot of sightseeing,'' Litvak said. ``Probably the sightseeing is what they'll remember more than the water polo. It was a great experience.''

Heather Gripp, [phone]

heather.gripp(at)dailynews.com

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(1 -- 2) Danny Polyokav and his Agoura High teammates were one of three area water polo teams to travel abroad this summer. Agoura went to New Zealand and Westlake went to Croatia. La Canada, right, spent 10 days in Hungary, a trip junior Devon Borisoff says strengthened the team's bond. ``I think it'll help us in the high school season,'' he says.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer