Over the years I've learned that the mind is our biggest asset, as well as our biggest hindrance. Mind games and mental grit are what won my team our first 6A State Championship in 2021, but are ultimately what brought us our first defeat against Lakeridge this current season (2022). While I haven't been at this sport for half as long as many of my teammates and competitors, I've had a lifetime of training to master the mental game.
Greeting the aromatic chlorine-filled air of the Sam Barlow pool on my very first day of practice, I was a ball of nerves. I kept hearing about this thing called "egg beater", but the only kind of egg beater I'd ever heard of was found in the kitchen. In hindsight, I should've expected myself to suck as much as I did, but the prideful club swimmer in me thought I'd be a natural. I acquired the respect of my coaches and fellow athletes rather quickly however; the skill that I lacked in the game of water polo, I made up for in effort committed to swim sets and learning. And while I would like to say that I did indeed end up being this freshman prodigy, sadly the opposite is true. Concluding that season, I did not believe that I would ever take part in water polo ever again.
As with the trajectory of many plans, the COVID-19 epidemic drastically altered my polo career as well. Had my sophomore season (2020) been in the fall as it typically would have been, the bump back to the Spring was the exact break that I needed. In the end, I did decide to give polo another shot, and boy was I glad that I did! I made so many friends, improved dramatically, and ultimately discovered how important each and every role is on a team. Even though our season only lasted for about 7 weeks, and the game looked more like monkey-in-the-middle, I will always reflect upon that season with fond memories.
Junior year is ultimately where polo gained momentum for me. The insecure girl I was once was had blossomed into a fierce, hungry-for-victory polo player. I began the season blocking only blocking the occasional shot here or there, and ended the season by blocking the infamous Pippa Heaver in the state championship game. Discovering my passion of the new position, I decided to adopt the role of goalkeeper as my own permanently. It became evident that the next step after winning state was to join a club team, so I joined Blue Crush Aquatic Club in December 2021. This past year we've competed all over the West Coast, from Puyallup, WA to Couer de Laine, ID to San Jose, CA for the Junior Olympics.
I've learned an immeasureable amount about the sport, strategy, technique, teamwork, and communication this past year. I've had the opportunity to play alongside some outstanding waterpolo players; Amaya Leiby (Arizona State University, Sam Barlow High School Alum), Evelynn Miller (1st Team All-State Goalie from Lakeridge High School), Olivia Perry (Auberdine University), and many others. Our team competed in the 2022 Junior Olympics in San Jose, and witnessing the game play style of California water polo gave me even more of a desire to pursue collegiate level water polo!
