A typical schedule for a water polo player consists of eight total practices per week. They have morning practice at 5:45 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they have afternoon practice until 4:00 p.m. 

With this demand on time, Senior Kadin Chastain, who started playing in 8th grade, said, “It takes a little time to balance [school work and water polo] at first, but eventually, you figure it out. You just got to get your priorities straight.”

On the other hand, senior Jacob Newbill, who started playing in the summer of his freshman year, feels as though the sport does not interfere with his academics “as long as you delegate time.”

Chastain describes the most rewarding part of water polo as “maturing and learning about integrity” in addition to “getting bigger, buffer, stronger and making good friendships along the way.”

The biggest motivating factor for Newbell is his teammates. He said, “It’s really cool to see everyone work together,” and the most rewarding part of the sport is to see his “teammates grow along with [him].”

When asked to describe the most challenging aspect of the sport, Newbell said  it was waking up in the morning. As for Chastain, he believes that it is conditioning. During a difficult swimset, Chastain said that, although it is tough,  “you got to get through it.”

Despite the challenges, Chastain thinks that water polo is “fun” and anyone who wants to play should join.