Sports
Lambert cooking up a storm for Stingers in and out of water
It took just one bite of the wicked concoction Aussie Stingers water polo player Alexie Lambert whipped up from blended butterscotch fingers, melted butter, sweetened condensed milk and dark chocolate to make her an instant squad favourite. If the caramel slices she shared with her teammates at their first training session the first week of training wasn’t […]
It took just one bite of the wicked concoction Aussie Stingers water polo player Alexie Lambert whipped up from blended butterscotch fingers, melted butter, sweetened condensed milk and dark chocolate to make her an instant squad favourite.
If the caramel slices she shared with her teammates at their first training session the first week of training wasn’t enough, then the aroma of Lambert’s scrumptious lamb dinner wafting down the corridor of the squad’s accommodation during the Stingers pre-world championships camp on the Gold Coast made her the athlete everyone wanted to room with.
Lambert laughs when told her reputation as a master cook, awesome baker, and tough as teak competitor precedes her. However, in the next breath, the 22-year-old confessed her extraordinary cooking and baking prowess is a tried and proven treatment for her to unwind.
“I hadn’t roomed with any of the girls before, so I just started baking,” she said. “I often use cooking and baking to relax and not think about water polo. I made a caramel slice for everyone in the first week we were away.
“And when I’m training with the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) squad I like to put on a podcast while I bake a batch of cookies or cupcakes for the girls.
“A few people have suggested I do it for a career, but I cook and bake things like lemon blondie brownies because I love doing it. It’s something I don’t feel pressured about. It just makes me happy.”
And, despite the frustration of a stubborn shoulder injury that stifled Lambert’s international career, she’s just as enthusiastic when professing her love for water polo. This deep seated passion even motivated her to change schools when she was halfway through Year Eight at Warner’s Bay High School (in Newcastle).
She decided to attend Lambton High because it was within walking distance to the local swimming pool, the place where Lambert finetuned her water polo skills.
Even at a young age she did it with such purpose the renowned coach, Brett Arnold, a former Australian representative who has dedicated his energies to helping young players from regional NSW to shine, saw a young athlete blessed with the rare combination of heart, talent, and drive.
“Being able to walk to the pool meant I didn’t need anyone to drive me there, and I’d stay for all the training sessions: the men’s session, women’s session, and they’d usually finish when the pool closed at 7:30pm,” she said.
“I loved it; still do. I appreciate the supportive coaches I’ve had, as well as the people water polo has introduced me to. Someone I really care about, Brett Arnold, was one of my first coaches and he put the thought in my head that I could do something and be something if I put the effort in.
“Hearing that meant a lot. It meant someone believed in me. While I still keep in contact with Brett, I left Newcastle after I finished year 10. Mum said I needed to have a school certificate and driver’s license before I moved to Sydney, and I headed off as soon as I got them.”
Lambert (photographed above in 2022) moved south where; after moving in to live with her father, she joined Sydney University’s junior program. In between gruelling training sessions, she made a living by running swimming classes and coaching schoolgirl water polo.
After becoming a NSWIS scholarship holder Lambert says she was influenced by a succession of great coaches: Mel Rippon, Bec Rippon – now her Stingers Head Coach – current NSWIS program Head Coach Neven Cirkovic and Assistant Coach Jackie Northam.
“I built a support system at NSWIS,” said Lambert. “The coaches are all different, but they helped push me along. When Bec came into the picture she became a massive supporter [of mine]
“Bec is something else . . . amazing . . . gives me tingles to think of how she’s helped me. But all the coaches have been very passionate. They’ll do anything for anyone they care about – and they care about all of us so much.”
Lambert is back in Australia’s battle colours two years after making her debut against the powerhouse USA in Brisbane. As far as she’s aware there’s no vision of the match but admits whenever she replays her memories of that match in her mind’s lens she still shakes with nerves.
“I was definitely very, very nervous to say the least,” she says of her debut. “It was a wild experience, and I definitely wasn’t in the same place I am now. I think I’m much better prepared for this experience.
“That first game was very daunting, very tense. Though, I’d played [in Newcastle] with one of the girls from the USA team, Rachel Fatal, so it was so cool to be able to play against [the two-time Olympic gold medallist].
“I vividly recall lining up before the game and hearing everyone’s name read out before singing the national anthem. There’s nothing you can compare it to; I get tingles, goosebumps, thinking about it even now.”
Lambert felt a similar jolt of emotion when she made her long awaited return to the Australian team in a recent World Cup match against China. With China leading 11-10, a Lambert rocket levelled the score before Australia celebrated a 16-14 victory.
“[After I scored the goal] I was like: ‘Okay. I just scored, now get back to halfway, just get back to halfway. Now, what’s next? Go back and defend and don’t let them score.’ I didn’t really get a chance to think about that goal until after the match and, obviously, I was very, very happy.”
Lambert’s success is hailed by her supporters as just reward for the resilience she displayed in returning from the shoulder injury that cost her time in the water, and numerous opportunities to represent Australia.
She admitted that, after the battle she waged to return to the Stingers, there aren’t words that can possibly describe how it felt to see her name in the World Aquatics Championships squad. Australia’s campaign kicked with the Stingers stinging host nation Singapore 32-2 in their opening match and then ????? Italy ??-??
“Definitely shocked,” she says, still excited. “It was a different feeling to last year when I was told I wasn’t going to play for a while [through injury]. I sat out on the stairs outside NSWIS bawling my eyes out. I called my mum, and she was like: ‘you’ve either got to lock in or quit. And I was like, ‘okay’.
“I’m just so happy I gave it my all. It’s paid off.”
And there’s no doubt her teammates are as well. After all the lioness-hearted Lambert has been through they’d be wanting her to continue enjoying the sweet taste of success . . . in and outside the pool.
FAST FACTS, ALEXIE LAMBERT
- Lambert enjoyed completing a four month pathology and blood collection course at TAFE.
- While it’s hard to secure a job in that field due to her training and playing commitments, Lambert likes the idea of making people comfortable in what can be, for some, something they dread – needles!
- She works for What Ability, a support service in which people with a disability are taken on outings.
- Lambert’s first What Ability session was – perhaps unsurprisingly – at the local pool where the person she was with enjoyed throwing a water polo ball around.
- Lambert played professional water polo for Petra in Greece and was stunned by the fanaticism of the spectators who took flares, flags and drums to matches: “We had the riot police at one match keeping the supporters apart.”
Sports
Dos Pueblos Boys Water Polo Pulls Away for Win Over Arroyo Grande in Season Opener | Sports
A balanced offensive attack powered Dos Pueblos boys water polo to an 18-10 victory over Arroyo Grande in the season opener on Thursday at Elings Aquatic Center. The Chargers (1-0) had seven different players score goals, as every player got minutes on a roster that will feature impact players from all four grade levels this […]
A balanced offensive attack powered Dos Pueblos boys water polo to an 18-10 victory over Arroyo Grande in the season opener on Thursday at Elings Aquatic Center.
The Chargers (1-0) had seven different players score goals, as every player got minutes on a roster that will feature impact players from all four grade levels this season.
“Being able to rotate all the newer players through is really good for the team cohesiveness,” Dos Pueblos head coach Chris Parrish said. “What was great was when we had the juniors and the seniors sitting on the bench at the end of the game, they were cheering as loud as possible for the younger guys.
“We have a great blend on the team this year where we have a starting freshman goalie, we’ve got three other freshmen that are getting substantial minutes, we’ve got another three sophomores that are getting great minutes, and then we’ve got three juniors and three seniors.”
The Chargers wasted no time getting started, winning the opening sprint and immediately turning it into points as senior Eli Carnaghe found junior Lucas Neushul for the first goal of the season.
After a few minutes of back-and-forth play, Dos Pueblos tripled its lead with goals on back-to-back possessions.
On the first score, senior Aricin Marshall fed a wide-open junior Grant Nelson to make it 2-0. After a defensive stop, DP freshman goalie Koa Zertuche lobbed a pass ahead to fellow freshman Channing Wigo, who deposited the shot for his first high school goal.
“Koa has been great and he’s become a part of the team really quickly,” Parrish said of his goalie. “Channing is a wealth of talent. He’s really savvy in the water, and we know he’s going to bring a different aspect to our game.”
Arroyo Grande responded with a pair of goals of its own to cut the Charger lead to 3-2 with 2:43 left in the quarter. Dos Pueblos came back with another goal of its own as Marshall found Neushul in the middle for his second score of the day.
After the Eagles scored on a penalty shot, Marshall got into the scoring column off an assist from Carnaghe, scoring from the right side to bring the lead to 5-3.
Arroyo Grande came roaring back in the final minute of the opening quarter, scoring twice to even the game at 5-5 heading into the second.
The Chargers came out of the break on a mission, rattling off a 4-0 run in the opening three minutes of the second quarter to pull away for a 9-5 advantage.
Dos Pueblos’ offensive balance was on full display during the run as four different players scored. Neushul, Carnage, Wigo and Nelson all secured multi-goal performances with goals to begin the quarter, with assists coming from junior Adam Gelman and Neushul.
The majority of Dos Pueblos’ second-quarter goals came off strong defensive stops on the other end, allowing the offense to get out in transition.
“The important part is that these guys are playing a little bit of defense, because all of them want to go score goals, and quite frankly, a lot of the guys are really used to knowing that three quarters of the possessions another team has against them are going to end up in a steal or a bad shot,” Parrish said.
“They find themselves just kind of eager, waiting for that whistle to just get out in the transition… The problem is, we’ve got to make sure the ball doesn’t go in the goal before they decide to go into offense. That’s the next step.”
The Eagles got on the board with 3:53 left in the half, but the Chargers immediately regained control as Carnaghe beat a trio of defenders and Neushul scored on a pass from freshman Skyler Carroll to give both players a first-half hat trick.
“Eli Carnaghe is going to find some open space in the pool, especially where he ends up playing on the offensive end because Lucas, Channing, and Grant are going to occupy so much of the attention of another team’s defense, that he’s gonna be able to get their shots off,” Parrish said.
Neushul deposited one more goal before the half expired, while Arroyo Grande found the back of the cage as well to bring the DP lead to 12-7 at the half.
The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair as the two teams exchanged three goals apiece throughout the period.
The Chargers’ three goals came courtesy of Wigo, Nelson and Neushul with assists from Nelson and sophomore Ty Abel. Wigo and Nelson’s goals came in transition, while Neushul’s gave his team a 15-10 lead with one quarter to play.
Dos Pueblos took full control in the fourth quarter, shutting out the Eagles on the defensive end and adding on three goals to bring the game to its final score of 18-10.
Nelson, sophomore Tyler Racine and Abel all scored in the final quarter to put the cherry on top of the season-opening victory. Racine was the seventh and final Charger to score in the win.
“What I really want to see is some balance, and I want to see everyone comfortable and confident being able to take that shot, because it’s not always going to be Grant [Nelson] and it’s not always going to be Lucas [Neushul],” Parrish said.
“There’s only 12 field players, so if seven or eight are scoring, it’s hard to guard us.”
Sports
Northeastern volleyball hopes for comeback
Northeastern women’s volleyball is set to kick off its season with the Holly Young Invitational Aug. 29 to 30 in Durham, N.H. The Huskies are slotted against Saint Peter’s University, Holy Cross University and the University of New Hampshire. During the offseason, the Huskies announced that Brendan McGourn would be the team’s new head coach, […]
Northeastern women’s volleyball is set to kick off its season with the Holly Young Invitational Aug. 29 to 30 in Durham, N.H. The Huskies are slotted against Saint Peter’s University, Holy Cross University and the University of New Hampshire.
During the offseason, the Huskies announced that Brendan McGourn would be the team’s new head coach, and Jaime Snyder was named associate head coach for this season. The changes came after a difficult season for the Huskies, finishing with a 10-16 overall and 8-10 in the CAA and a missed CAA tournament.
In addition to new coaches, the Huskies are starting fresh with a completely different roster. Northeastern acquired seven freshmen, one redshirt freshman and one graduate student after six players from last season’s team graduated. Last season’s leaders in kills, blocks and assists are now gone, leaving senior libero Nadia Koanui as the only category leader in digs and service aces.
Graduate student outside hitter Svenja Rodenbüsch and redshirt freshman outside hitter Valentina Meirelles are the Huskies’ only additions with previous experience on a college court. Meirelles appeared in five matches for the University of California San Diego before missing the rest of the season due to injury. However, she showed promise, tallying six kills in each of her first two games. Rodenbüsch won two national championships in Germany and was an NJCAA All-American in 2022 before ending her undergraduate career at Fairfield University. At Fairfield, Rodenbüsch averaged 1.78 kills and 1.27 digs per set, as well as 53 blocks last season. In the first round of the NCAA playoffs for the last two years, Rodenbüsch led her team in kills.
Koanui, incoming sophomore setter Gabby Reeves and incoming sophomore outside hitter Brynn Smith are going to be key parts of the team’s success, carrying on their legacy from last season. Koanui was first on the team in digs with 459, first in service aces with 23 and third in assists with 96. Reeves ranked fifth in digs, fourth in assists with 72 and third in service aces with 18. Smith was fourth on the team in kills and fifth on the team in aces, with 168 and 13, respectively.
The Huskies begin conference play Sept. 19 at Stony Brook University and have their first home game Sept. 26 against Towson University at Cabot Center.
Sports
About Town Redondo: Home invasion, arrests; ocean water polo, Post Office upgrade
About Town Redondo: Home invasion, arrests; ocean water polo, Post Office upgrade – Easy Reader & Peninsula Magazine Skip to content Police catch, arrest home invasion suspects Responding to a pre-6 a.m. disconnected 911 call about someone pointing a gun at another inside a car Aug. 17, Redondo […]
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Police catch, arrest home invasion suspects
Responding to a pre-6 a.m. disconnected 911 call about someone pointing a gun at another inside a car Aug. 17, Redondo Beach Police officers tracked the report to the 1900 block of Matthews Avenue.
Officers canvassed the area, learning that two residents had been victims of a home invasion, and the suspects fled on foot just before police arrived. Officers gave chase and took the two men into custody without incident.
Jesus Velez, 31, from Rochester, New York and Draven Luna, 21, Queens, New York, were arrested and charged with robbery, burglary and kidnapping. Bail for each was set at $100,000.
RBPD detectives now prepare to present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The two victims were treated at the scene by the Redondo Beach Fire Department and taken to a hospital, listed in stable condition. Their identities were withheld as the RBPD investigates the specific circumstances and motives of the incident.
Detectives believe there are no outstanding suspects, and no further threat to the community.
Anyone with information regarding the alleged crime is asked to contact RBPD Detective Coates at (310) 379-2477, ext. 3506.
King Harbor ocean water polo tournament coming; boat parade route expands
Ocean water polo in King Harbor will debut Sept. 20. A tournament with up to 10 teams, including at least two women’s, is set for a demonstration which may become an annual event.
Earlier this year, a water polo club approached Redondo Beach Mayor Jim Light about the idea, following a previous attempt at such an event by Redondo Beach Firefighter Grant Currie.
The Sept. 20 tournament is meant as a proof-of concept, said the mayor, the idea being to approve a long-term event. Currie and Vedran Kaluderovic – City Councilmember Paige Kaluderovic’s husband, a longtime water polo player – are working together to organize the brackets.
Courts will be set up in the water between Riviera Mexican Grill and California Surf Club, a short-term location to take advantage of better spectator vantage points, before the proposed boat ramp goes in at the spot. Courts in the future are slated to be near the Joe’s Crab Shack site.
Ocean water polo is established in Europe but rare in the United States.
“We’re trying to activate the waterfront,” said City Councilman Chadwick Castle. “We want to draw more people down so we can all use and enjoy it.”
In addition, King Harbor Yacht Club’s “Holiday Boat Parade” will have a new route in December, to go closer to the Pier and the corner by Riviera Mexican Cantina, to make it more spectator-friendly.
“This is the only parade we have in Redondo Beach,” Castle said.
Post Office upgrades sorting and delivery center
The U.S. Postal Service has announced an update to the Redondo Beach Sorting and Delivery Center, to aid in operational precision and improve service performance.
“These new, state-of-the-art facilities will help make the Postal Service more efficient, more capable and more competitive for the future,” said Brian Cuellar, Redondo Beach Postmaster. “The investments we’ve made here represent more than just an upgrade; they represent a commitment to our employees, our customers and the future of the Postal Service.”
The modernized, local sorting and delivery center is one of 111 recently launched across the country, as part of a $19 billion investment to revitalize USPS processing, transportation and delivery networks. ER