From taking her first tentative laps in the pool at the RM of Estevan Aquatic Centre years ago to being names the Western Water Polo Association player of the year for the Cal State East Bay Pioneers, it’s been quite the journey for Estevan’s Auriel Bill – and it isn’t over yet.
It was Bill’s second year at the school and she used the experience she gained in the first year well.
“I think this year the big difference was I took on a leadership role,” she said. “I got accepted to be a captain on the team this year to be kind of the team’s backbone when it came to the game and any personal issues… And with the coaches, I could be the one to relay the messages. I think having to take on that role really kind of made me step up and prove to people what I can do.”
As such, Bill was the first Pioneer named player of the year in program history. The Pioneers, based in Hayward, Cal., lost to UC San Diego in the conference title game, getting an assist in a 12-2 loss, so she’ll have plenty of inspiration to get Cal State East Bay over the hump in the future.
Bill has sacrificed a lot of her time in order to play the sport, going to high school in Regina to train with the provincial program. Getting the chance to meet new people in the sport and create new opportunities is what keeps her going.
“I think the best part of it is there’s always opportunities to continue playing or coaching or volunteering or whatever the case is,” said Bill. “You build relationships with people along the way whether that’s coaches or teammates it doesn’t really matter. You just meet so many people as you work through this process. I think the best part is insuring your place and getting a whole new family everywhere you go.”
Back when she moved to Regina for water polo, she had to develop a new family there and she said the same thing happened when she moved to California.
“You just meet so many incredible people in all the areas that I play in,” Bill said.
That’s continued on to her NCAA days and she’s taking on the role she’s wanted in the pool as well as being on the school’s student activity advisory committee.
“Being the voice for the athletes, and the voice for water polo at my school,” she said. “We like to be the role models that athletes can look up to. I took on that role quite well and I have great teammates to back me up on everything and put trust in me.”
Each year she says she’ll feel like she’ll be taking a slightly different role with the Pioneers in order to develop a complete game.
In the 2019 summer she hopes she’ll get to play with at the FISU games, which is an international university Olympic-style Games.
“If for whatever reason I don’t make it I know the girls they select are phenomenal players and a lot of them are in NCAA right now playing at Stanford and USC, that sort of thing,“ Bill said. “I know who they select will be the right choice but it would be an unreal experience to get to do that.”
Bill is majoring in criminal justice and psychology. But before she gets that, Bill would also like the chance to play overseas in either Europe or Australia in one of their national leagues.
“I think that would be a realistic goal, to play professionally and see where that takes me,” she said. “Ride it out as long as you can because you really can only play water polo for so long. Once I have my degree I can get started in that whenever I want.”
