There’s going to be a lot of blue collars in these blue waters this year.

The Bainbridge Spartans girls varsity water polo team will have to really work for success, with the team pooling more apprentices than seasoned swimmers this season.

“We’re a really young team and [have] a lot of new players, so we’re really looking for general improvement and building our program going forward,” said Spartan Coach Kristin Gellert.

Returning veterans are few, but Gellert is grateful for those, and the newest arrivals who’ll try to make waves for BHS in a sport dominated by a handful of powerhouse programs.

“It’s a demanding sport for the advanced, and it’s really demanding for the beginner,” Gellert said.

“These girls are all going into it diving head first,” she said. “I’m just amazed at how much courage they have.”

The Spartans are also sporting a miserly roster this year, with just 10 on the whole team (13 is the preferred.)

That puts just three subs on the sidelines for Bainbridge.

Gellert has been well-aware since early this season that Grace Carson will be a big force for the Spartans on the offensive end.

“She can usually get us quite a few goals, and we have another sophomore working on that same position, Frances Weller. She’s done really well and has a really good eye for the game.”

And then there’s the team captain, and the Spartans’ sole senior, Annabelle Hill.

“We’re expecting a lot of counterattack goals from her,” said Gellert, who is in her second year at the helm of the squad.

Much of the season is set on the shoulders of a freshman goalie: Jillian Webb.

“She has really high goals for herself on the number of goals she allows,” Gellert noted.

“She’s taking it on with a huge smile and a lot of excitement,” Gellert added. “We haven’t had a dedicated goalie in years, and so for somebody to step up, especially as a freshman…

“It’s a hard position, physically and mentally. And to not get down on yourself is a huge, positive trait to have as a goalie,” she said.

The goalie has shown rapid improvement, the coach said, “and making phenomenal steps already after a few weeks in that position,” she said.

Others on the team are Trudy Rimbault, Alex Miller, Kylie Daniels, Emma Gace, Julianna Moeller and Ghenwa Ramadan.

This year’s schedule includes crucial matchups against teams including the Tides and Islanders.

The toughest challenge on this year’s Spartan schedule was no shock. That would be Gig Harbor, the defending state champions. The Spartans have faced the Tides once already this season, and will again on May 2.

“They have been a strong program for a long time,” Gellert said, and some current players are committed to play at the college level.

The Spartans’ winning strategy this season will focus, perhaps not surprisingly, on defense and using the team’s speed to their advantage.

At the center of that: pulling the plug on the opposing team’s biggest scoring threat.

“If we can make them rethink their game plan, that would be a win for us,” she said.

Expectations?

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.

“I’m not going to count eggs before they hatch or look too far into the future,” she said.

Making it into postseason play, the coach said, would be phenomenal.

Last year’s Spartan squad stormed into regionals and their march was only stopped by Mercer Island.

Wins then, or now, come down to the same thing.

“We’re going to have to play really smart and minimize our mistakes so they can’t monopolize on them,” Gellert said.

That will be really important for a young team that boasts just one senior and one junior.

“The general sense of the girls this year: They want to learn the sport and have fun with each other and just represent Bainbridge water polo as best as they can,” she said.