Chlebicki Didn’t Choose Her Sport, She Fell Into It

It was supposed to be just a skateboard ride, not a life-altering journey for Cara Chlebicki.

But at age 7, she took a nasty fall and suffered a broken femur. Oddly, it turned out to be a good break, albeit a painful one.

“She missed most of first grade because of that accident,” said her mother, Ann Chlebicki. “She was in traction, then a body cast.”

Then she found herself in a pool, where her long rehabilitation included plenty of swimming. And Cara Chlebicki has been at home in the water ever since.

Chlebicki spent last summer as a member of the U.S. Water Polo junior national girls’ team. Now the senior at Marina High has her sights set on bringing a Southern Section title back to the Vikings.

As a freshman, playing alongside future UCLA player Jenny Lamb, Chlebicki helped Marina win the Division I title. Three years later, Chlebicki is still looking for another championship . . . away from land.

“She hasn’t been on a skateboard since,” Ann Chlebicki said.

But she’s spent plenty of time in the water and that hard work is paying off. She signed to play at California, turning down scholarship offers to UCLA and Michigan.

“Cara has incredible vision of the game,” said Johnny Bega, Marina’s first-year coach. “It seems like she’s one step ahead of everyone else. That feel for the game, it’s hard to teach.

“She has the speed, knowledge, all the fundamental skills, and she’s a team player. She’s always looking for the extra pass and always looking to help out on defense. That’s what coaches see in her. That’s huge.”

Chlebicki’s play is bigger than her stature. Although only 5 feet 7, she is dominant in the water, even if she may not rack up big scoring numbers.

Her teammates, seniors Erin Wilson and Kendra Shanley, are also drawing attention from college coaches. Wilson is being recruited by Cal, UCLA and USC. The Trojans, Loyola Marymount and Slippery Rock (Pa.) are recruiting Shanley.

“Cara’s the one getting the ball to our [scorers] like Erin and Kendra,” Bega said. “They’re putting it away, but Cara’s the one who starts it.”

Chlebicki started playing the sport at age 8 and soon caught the eye of one of her club coaches.

“I remember Dave Pickford telling us that she already had an ability to handle the ball and had good hand-eye coordination,” Ann Chlebicki said. “I was amazed at how quickly a coach could spot that. That made our interest in the game grow.”

But Chlebicki had other reasons to pursue the sport.

“I just saw my brother Craig playing,” Chlebicki said, “and I thought to myself, ‘That looks like more fun than following a black line.’ ”

Following a single coaching philosophy has been a little tougher for Chlebicki and some of her fellow seniors. Bega is their third coach in four years.

“It’s been difficult, but Johnny is easy to play for,” Chlebicki said.

Said Bega: “This group is really dedicated. They come to practice 10 minutes early, they’ll leave late. They really want to win. When you find a whole group of girls that want to win, wow. They just get in and go.”

The Vikings, with their 11 seniors, would like to keep going, all the way to a section championship. And with goalie Sarah Mix--who is being recruited by Michigan, USC and Loyola Marymount--anchoring their defense, they appear to have many of the pieces in place.

“This team is hungry for it,” Chlebicki said. “We have the talent, but we need to build chemistry.

“I really want to make up for last year, losing league to Esperanza . . . It would be nice to end my high school career like I started it.”

But championships aren’t the only thing she dreams about.

“Cara dreams about going snowboarding,” Ann Chlebicki said, laughing, “but maybe after water polo season; she’s still afraid she might break her leg.”

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Other players to watch:

Erin Ball (Newport Harbor), Sr.; Katherine Belden (Newport Harbor), Sr.; Danielle Carlson (Corona del Mar), So.; Ke’ala Carter (El Toro), Jr.; Teresa Codini (Laguna Beach), Sr.; Tina Codini (Laguna Beach), Sr.; Cara Colton (Villa Park), G, So.; Katie Davis (Sonora), Jr.; Gabbie Domanic (Foothill), So.; Emily Feher (Foothill), G, So.; Erika Figge (Santa Margarita), So.; Sarah Hamilton (Irvine), So.; Brittany Hayes (Foothill), So.; Cindy Henn (Villa Park), Sr.; Christina Hewko (Corona del Mar), So.; Natalie Hower (Western), So.; Serenity Inman (Troy), Sr.; Kristina Kunkel (Santa Margarita), Jr.; Nicole Lorrimer (Irvine), Sr.; Ali Malczynski (Edison), Sr.; Meridith McColl (Capistrano Valley), G, So.; Kendra Shanley (Marina), Sr.; Amber Stachowski (Capistrano Valley), Sr.; Karly Tivenan (El Dorado), Sr.; Drue Wawrzynski (Los Alamitos), Sr.; Caitlin Wilkes (Edison), G, Sr.; Erin Wilson (Marina), Sr.