Hazing Scandal Erupts Within Elite California High School Water Polo Program

A hazing scandal has engulfed the top-ranked boys' water polo team at Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, following an alleged incident during an out-of-town tournament that left some student athletes injured.

Coach Zac Polmanteer informed parents in a leaked email that multiple athletes were subjected to "humiliating and physically harmful acts" in a hotel room near San Jose last weekend. Some students sustained injuries from being struck by their teammates, the email stated. The exact number of students involved and the severity of the injuries have not been disclosed.

The Long Beach Unified School District has launched an investigation into the allegations, emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy for hazing. "Hazing is not allowed and has no place in our schools or athletic programs," a district spokesperson said in a statement. The district cited confidentiality rules regarding student and employee information, limiting further comment during the ongoing investigation.

The team had reportedly secured two victories on the first day of the tournament before the alleged incident occurred Friday night. Polmanteer was alerted to noise complaints and violations of curfew by players the following day. He stated he was unaware of the hazing until the team returned to Long Beach on Sunday evening.

"This level of behaviour is shocking, unacceptable, and completely contrary to everything we stand for as a program," Polmanteer wrote in his email to parents. He added that hazing is a "cultural problem, even when only a handful of athletes directly participate."

Individual interviews with players were conducted by the school's athletic director and coaches on Monday. School administrators and coaching staff are reportedly developing disciplinary measures, which could include suspensions from school and water polo activities, along with strategies to prevent future occurrences. Players and parents had previously been required to sign agreements explicitly prohibiting hazing as a condition of participating in the program.

The repercussions of the incident were evident Tuesday, when 13 players from the team's September roster were absent from a game against Long Beach Poly. It remains unclear how many absences are directly linked to disciplinary actions related to the alleged hazing, injuries, or other reasons.

Polmanteer acknowledged a "situation that occurred at school" when questioned about the player absences but declined to comment on whether the missing players would return this season. The Wilson High School boys' water polo team was ranked fourth in the CIF Southern Section's playoff rankings as of September 28.

This incident occurs amidst another high-profile legal case involving a California high school water polo player. Lucca Van der Woude, a former player for Harvard-Westlake School, faces allegations of racist harassment and sexual abuse by a teammate, Aidan Romain. Van der Woude, son of a Hollywood director, has undergone a deposition in the lawsuit filed in March.