The Fischers’ passion for water polo sometimes couldn’t be contained in the early years.
The family dinner table, for example, wasn’t a timeout zone for discussion about a sport that Mom, Dad and daughters, Makenzie, and, Aria, played.
“We always talk about it at the dinner table,” said Aria, a freshman at Laguna Beach. “Sometimes (my dad would) diagram it out with the pepper and salt.”
But the Fischers soon found their winning ingredients in the pool.
Makenzie and Aria have emerged as driving forces behind Laguna Beach’s top-ranked girls water polo team, which will likely receive the top seed in Division 1 when the CIF-SS playoff pairings surface Sunday at 9 a.m.
Makenzie, a 6-foot-1 junior, made her U.S. national team debut in early December and has carried her high-level play into the high school season.
Aria, a 5-10 freshman, has flashed her potential this season while challenging her sister’s statistical leads.
“I don’t think there’s anybody in high school better (than Makenzie),” Laguna Beach coach Ethan Damato said. “I don’t think there’s any freshman in high school better (than Aria).”
FAMILY MATTERS
Makenzie and Aria played a few different sports before learning water polo under the tutelage of their father, Erich, an All-American water polo player at Stanford and ’92 Olympian.
The girls participated in soccer, basketball and swimming. Makenzie even played some point guard.
“I just wanted them to find something they’re passionate about,” Erich said.
Erich had one other requirement. If the girls wanted to play water polo, they needed to first be fast swimmers.
A strong swim background served Erich well growing up in the San Joaquin Valley near Fresno. He swam competitively before playing water polo at Reedley High.
Makenzie and Aria were, 11, and, 9, respectively, when they started playing for their dad at Laguna Beach Water Polo Club. Erich spent five of his six seasons coaching with Scott Baldridge, father of Laguna Beach freshman lefty Bella Baldridge.
Erich brought the competitive fire from his national team days to coaching. He said he was intense and set high standards.
“I loved playing for him,” Aria said of her father. “He would be the first one to yell at you if you did something wrong, but he’d also be the first one to praise you when you did something right.”
The girls credit their dad for teaching them the fundamentals. Erich still gives his daughters tips before games but said he puts his faith in Damato.
“He’s literally a water polo dictionary,” Makenzie said of her father, now a partner in a technology company. “He’ll always be our coach.”
The girls’ mother, Leslie, also passed along the water polo and competitive genes. She played club water polo at Stanford and later became an attorney before retiring.
“My entire family is very competitive,” Makenzie said, “in everything.”
SIBLING RIVALS, SUPPORT
Makenzie, 16, and Aria, 14, are almost exactly two years apart in age. They’re quick to laugh together, sometimes finish each other’s sentences and team up to make plays in the pool.
But they also have a light-hearted rivalry. Makenzie’s nickname on the U.S. national team is “Fish” while Aria has been dubbed “Minnow” by U.S. Olympic coach Adam Krikorian.
Makenzie jokes that the nickname fits because she is not only older but “stronger.”
“Just kidding,” she says quickly with a giggle.
The two have squared off at national team practices but not at Laguna Beach, where they also are straight-A students.
“We like to compete against each other but when we’re on the same team, it’s fun to work together,” Aria said.
The girls show different personalities. Aria said her sister can seem shy but shares her sense of humor when comfortable. Aria describes her personality as outgoing.
“We’re definitely pretty close to opposites,” Makenzie said.
The girls’ styles in the pool also contrast. Makenzie is a cool and often calculating scorer. Aria exhibits the similar feisty spirit that her dad played with on the national team under Coach Bill Barnett (Newport Harbor).
But Aria still counts her big “Fish” as a source of inspiration.
“I look up to her,” said Aria, who has played for the U.S. youth team.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Laguna Beach dominated the regular season. The preseason No. 1 in Division 1 and Orange County, the Breakers (25-1) claimed the so-called Triple Crown of regular-season tournaments: Holiday Cup, Santa Barbara and Irvine SoCal.
Makenzie leads the Breakers in goals with 106 while Aria ranks second with 64. The girls also rank first and second on the team in steals: Makenzie has 61; Aria 44.
“They’re an awesome team,” Barnett said of the Breakers, who took a school-record 16-game winning streak into Friday.
Laguna Beach, however, doesn’t come across over-confident.
“We definitely need to stay humble because we’ve shown we can be beaten if we don’t come out as hard as we can,” Makenzie said.
Laguna Beach fell to Foothill, 8-7, on Jan. 10 but avenged the loss last week with a 10-3 victory against the Knights in the final of the Irvine SoCal.
Erich remains grounded, too. He was part of the ’92 U.S. team that finished fourth in Barcelona after claiming the FINA World Cup title in 1991.
“It was a disappointing finish for us,” he said of the ’92 Games. “We definitely under-performed, in my opinion.”
Erich said the finish still stings but he continues to gain perspective and appreciation for his Olympic experience. Now his daughters have their own aspirations. They want to follow the path of Laguna Beach graduate and gold medalist Annika Dries and become Olympic teammates.
But that’s not the next ingredient in the girls’ recipe.
“First I want to win CIF (this season) and then I want to win CIF next year,” Makenzie said.
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
