Before freshman year, senior Rosie O’Connor did not know how to play water polo. In fact, she did not even know the sport existed.
“Honestly, I knew nothing about water polo. One of my friends wanted me to join, and I didn’t have anything to do during the spring, so I thought I’d give it a shot,” O’Connor recalled.
Since then, O’Connor, now goalie for the team, has given more than just a shot. She has been captain of the varsity water polo team for the past two years and was the MVP last year.
“I was put in goal and fell in love with it,” O’Connor said.
Naturally, a goalie must have leadership abilities. Goalies often direct other players and follow the plays. O'Connor's natural leadership led her to goalie, the perfect position for her.
“I didn't like the swimming, so I became a goalie. I could also throw a ball pretty far. I thought it was weird but really fun. Turns out by the end of the season, I was clearly in love with the sport,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor has made an impact on the team as a great teammate and friend.
“She is a great goalie and captain who leads the team so well. She is nice to all of us, but still keeps us in line. I don’t think any of us could ask for anything more in a captain,” junior Lily Nedland said.
As captain, O'Connor balances encouragement and enforcement. Since water polo is a team sport, O'Connor, as captain, is open to all members of the team, creating a collaborative atmostphere in the water.
"Rosie is a phenomenal teammate. She's always giving excellent advice, as well as taking advice too. She's open to all," junior Sam Voellker said.
Water polo, a spring sport at LHS, is a combination of soccer and swimming. Similar to soccer, it requires a net goal with a goalie. But water polo also requires constant treading and swimming.
It is one of the lesser-known sports at LHS, one of the reasons O’Connor did not know about it before joining the team. According to girls on the LHS team, it has its largest base in California and is spreading through the United States.
“I think that in a few years everyone will know water polo. Each year it is growing and becoming more of a well-known sport,” O’Connor said.
O'Connor encourages others to watch games and experience polo as she knows it.
“Water polo is such a fun sport to watch and play. People should really give polo a chance because it’s something new that a lot of people don’t know about,” O’Connor said.
Water polo is known to be a fast-paced, intense sport, but few know of its violent qualities.
“The golden rule of polo is: The ref can’t call what he doesn’t see. Meaning, a lot of stuff goes on under the water. Girls grab on suits, and many scratch. If you come out of a game with a bruise or scratch, that means you’re playing the sport right,” O’Connor said.
After a game, girls are known to tell stories of their water wounds. It often adds an element of pride to the player.
"It's violent, but that's the fun in it," O'Connor said.
Not only can the game of water polo be violent, water polo can also be extremely exhausting. The sport involves treading and swimming over the entire length of the pool. After every quarter, the teams switch ends in the pool.
In a professional game, the teams would switch sides at the half rather than every quarter because both sides of the pool would be deep. But in high school, with a pool that has two different depths, teams switch after every quarter.The different sides of the pool can actually give an advantage to teams. While all players must tread on both sides, the goalie is allowed to stand while in the shallow end.
“Although I get to stand in the shallow end, sometimes when I go for a save I slip on the bottom of the pool and let the shot in,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor prefers the deep end because she believes it’s more fun.
“I love the feeling of coming out of the water and making an impressive save or making a good steal,” she said.
One of O’Connor’s proudest accomplishments was scoring a goal on the other team from the goal.
"It was during the winter with the Cats club team. It was at the end of a period and someone on the bench just yelled, 'Shoot!' So, I took a shot and it happened to be a perfect shot. The other goalie wasn't prepared at all and didn't think a shot was coming so she was on the other side of the goal. She was just too late, and I scored," O'Connor reminisced.
However, during a different game, with a couple seconds on the clock, O’Connor noticed the yellow ball had found its way into her net--via the other goalie.
“Goalie on goalie scoring is embarrassing. [It] taught me a good lesson of always being aware of the ball at all times," O'Connor recalled.
Early in her water polo career, O'Connor was not the only member of her family to play. When she was a freshman, her older brother, Brett, played for a season. O’Connor claims she enjoyed watching the sport, along with her parents. She says her biggest supporter is her dad because he has gone to all of her games.
After her last season of high school water polo is finished, O’Connor hopes to play club water polo at Michigan State University. She hopes to study music education and be a leader in the classroom.
“I love teaching and working with kids, and I love music with all my heart,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor is the master of multitasking because of all her involvement in high school. She balances Orchesis, National Honor Society and horseback riding, as well as choir and musicals.
“I love being busy. I always have something going on so I’ve learned just to try new things to meet people and have fun. Balancing all these activities is challenging at times, but if you live in the present and plan ahead you’d be surprised with how much you can get accomplished,” O’Connor said.
Joining water polo reflects O’Connor’s belief in enjoying the present and trying something new. Throughout her experiences in water polo and other activities, O'Connor has gained valuable leadership roles.
“Water polo means so much to me because I came into this sport knowing nothing about [it]. And I didn’t know anybody on the team, but after a week of being with these amazing people I became best friends with [them]. Polo has really given me a chance to be my own person and experience something new with my life,” O’Connor said.
photo courtesy of Paul Reeff