I began playing water polo my freshman year at Archbishop Mitty, and I never thought it would make such a remarkable impact on my life. I was thinking in the beginning, maybe I’ll just do one year, or most two, but that has dramatically changed over the past three years. I can genuinely say that I have fallen in love with the sport. I don’t want to play just throughout my high school years, I want more, I want to play in college, I want to try out for the Olympic team, and after that I want to coach others and see their passion for the sport as well. Water Polo has done a lot for me in my life, it has introduced me to my two best friends, given me an outlet, and most importantly taught me how to be a leader, My best friends play important …show more content…
It seemed that every day I dreaded going to practice, because I was emotionally and physically drained. Homework, grades, drama, family problems, you name it and it was pulling me down. All I wanted to do was sleep, to be alone, but I made the commitment to play and I was going to keep it. Even though I disliked the constant conditioning on land and in the water, the non-stop yelling from the coaches, and always having to stay up late for homework, I needed water polo in my life to keep me sane. The few minutes before jumping into the pool was rough, having to convince myself to get in, but the second I reached the bottom of the pool I felt an instant relief. I knew that for the next two hours I didn’t have to worry about my essay that I haven’t started or the drama my friends made that day. I knew the only thing I had to focus on was playing, and I knew I was able to do that. I recall even on the worst of days I would get into the water, swimming aggressively, and shooting the ball like I was trying to take off the goalies head, but not even thirty minutes into a practice you would see a giant smile on my face. Playing made me so happy, and I knew that no matter what challenge I was facing I could go to water polo to clear my head, and give me a place to just let it all