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Perseverance.

It started my freshman year of hell week in water polo. I played because my brothers had played and I had known the new coach since I was born. I weighed 210 pounds, was five feet 10 inches tall, and maybe an ounce of muscle.

We swam 5000 yards a day, with jump outs, push-ups, abdominal workouts, and lunges. I did not make one of the swim sets, could not do more than five jump outs, 20 push-ups, 30 second planks, or five lunges at a time.

It not only hurt to stand because my legs were tired, but it hurt to sit because I had to hold myself up with my abs, which hurt even worse.

The worst part about hell week was at the end I had a scar on my entire stomach because I had not been able to pull myself out of the pool and avoid scraping my stomach on the concrete gutter.

But never once did I stop swimming during the sets, not once did I not finish the workouts, not once did I say “I’m not getting out of the pool this time.”

Teamwork.

Flash-forward to my junior season of water polo: our team is composed of seniors and juniors; we had not won a league game for four years; we averaged four goals a game; the one team we had a chance to beat double teamed me every offensive possession.

One of our senior captains steped up. He hit three outside shots in the first quarter, forcing them to stop dropping in on me. He dropped the ball into me now that he was getting the double team.

The end result of the game was GHHS 12 Tulare Union 5, Bobby Blackburn had five goals, and I had seven. Because of our ability to work together as a team and adapt to the situation we won our first game in league.

Dedication.

Most sports have one practice a day, with conditioning at the beginning and scrimmage at the end. In swimming, we have two practices a day, one at 6 a.m. and one at 3:30 p.m., practice always focuses on conditioning because that’s what swimming is.

Conditioning and waking up at 5:30 to get ready for practice teaches players two traits: One, if they are going to be in a sport, then they should be fully dedicated to it, otherwise there is no reason to be waking up two hours earlier than usual.

Commitment.

The most important teaching tool of sports is commitment. The students are committed to the team, not just themselves. If they mess up it affects the TEAM. If they are not there, the TEAM is affected. They are part of a bigger whole; they feel a sense of commitment to fulfill their duty to the team. This is a lesson all kids need to learn, that they are a small part of a larger community and society; all their actions have effects on the people around them.