Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: Leah Grocki

Steve Virgen

There is a certain irony to where Newport Harbor High senior Leah

Grocki plays on the girls water polo team. Grocki is in the cage. Yet her

personality and her approach to the game is totally to the contrary.

Grocki is loud and brash, hardly ever afraid to say what’s on her

mind. She’s a free spirit. It’s her lack of passivity that has led her to

successfully take over the huge void left by Heather Deyden, who moved on

to Orange Coast College and helped guide the Pirates to a state

championship this fall.

“I’m not a quiet person,” said Grocki, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the

Week. “I like to voice my opinion. I always like to say what I have to

say. In our team meetings, I always have to say something. If something

is on my mind, I have to say it.”

Yes, it’s her defense that has made her game noteworthy this season,

but it’s her offensive skills that have made the difference for the

Sailors.

She often ignites Newport’s counterattacks. She will make a routine

save and then fire out the ball to one of the Sailors’ fast swimmers

sprinting to the opponent’s cage.

“She has been very consistent,” Tars Coach Bill Barnett said. “And

more so than her saves are her accurate passes out of the goal to trigger

our counterattack. She just throws absolutely awesome passes.”

For Grocki, becoming an integral part of Newport’s game

plancrystalized at the school’s graduation last spring. When Grocki saw

her friend, Deyden, receive her diploma, she ultimately realized the

Sailors’ cage would be all her own.

“I’m not used to being the main goalie,” Grocki said. “I was kind of

eased into it. It was different not having Heather here. Knowing that I

have to do my best and no one was going to help me was kind of scary. I

learned from Heather to try as hard as possible. She would never let

anyone put her down. She was never down after a game. She always bounced

back and did the best she could.”

Grocki eased into her position by depending on her teammates. She

serves as the last line of defense for the Sailors, but, sometimes, most

of the time, as she says, her teammates take care of what’s in front.

“My teammates are really good on defense,” Grocki said with

confidence. “They usually don’t let bad shots go in and they don’t let

shots go off. I don’t remember a shot that went off from set on me,

probably once in the past year. It definitely keeps me more calm and not

freaking out saying, ‘Oh my god.’ It’s reassuring, knowing that your

players can help you and they try as hard as they can.”

Grocki found the right chemistry with her teammates, leading to two

victories last week. She recorded four saves, snagged two steals and

dished out an assist in Newport’s 12-3 win over Esperanza, Dec. 11. Two

days later, she followed that up with nine saves to help out in a 13-1

victory over University.

“She’s been stopping the ball on a consistent basis and making great

passes. What else can you ask from your goalie?” Barnett said.

While Grocki’s aggressive attitude has been a big reason for her

success, the offseason and assistant coach Jason Lynch have also helped.

Before the season, Grocki trained with goalies from the Newport boys

team and improved with them. Since the season began, Lynch has been

working one-on-one with Grocki and has pointed out the minute details

that need improvement.

“Since he’s been behind (the cage) I have improved,” Grocki said of

Lynch’s usual position during practices. “He has helped me out a lot. He

helps me out with what I need to do. He breaks down every part of it.”

As Grocki continues to improve, she said she will always rely on her

loud demeanor. It’s the strength of her game.

“I do a lot of yelling when I’m in there,” Grocki said. “You can

always hear my voice. I’m the loud one in the goal. When you’re in there,

you just can’t help but be loud.”