EE: Hi everyone, my name is Grace Lin.

EE: And my name is Megha Mummaneni. Welcome to Episode 33 of Time Out! In this series, we delve into the Monta Vista sports scene to explore the stories of our various athletes!

EE: In this episode, we are joined by junior Ria Sethi, who shares her journey through water polo. Let’s get started.

EE: How and when did you first get into water polo?

RS: I got into water polo in fourth grade. My uncle introduced it to me, and my mom put me in Stanford water polo club. 

EE: How was Stanford water polo club?

RS: I really did not like it at the beginning when I was playing, because I wasn’t a great swimmer. And so I kept begging my parents to go home early, saying “I’m sick, I have homework, I can’t go to practice.” But later on, I actually really began liking the games and making more friends. But I think my true love for water polo really started in high school, because you get to see your team almost every day, and it’s less competitive, I would say, so it was a lot more fun for me in high school. 

EE: How has your journey with water polo progressed from playing on that team to now?

RS: I started off on the team as a field player, and later on, maybe around seventh or eighth grade, I began getting interested in the goalie position. Since then, I have been playing goalie, and so my progression with the positions has looked like that. I really liked the way that the ball hit my hand and that popping sound it made. And also my arms are really long, and I think my legs are also pretty strong, so I’m able to get out of the water and block goals even though they seem out of reach. I really like that position and I like yelling at people across the pool — being a little bit in charge. I really liked that feeling that I got by doing that. 

EE: How do you think water polo has shaped your personality, especially as a team captain?

RS: I think outside of the pool, it has shaped my personality a lot, especially in being pushy and very accountable for things. I found myself having to reach out to people on different platforms if say, a game schedule has changed, or if someone didn’t tell us their suit size when we have to order the suits the day after. But I think more than that, being a captain has helped me shape how I communicate with people, and different ways that people take feedback in the pool when giving advice within playing water polo and different ways I could help and also learn about myself. And honestly, this is a skill that has really helped me this year, especially when I’m talking to people in a group or in school settings, when we have things like group projects, and I like to think of those as a team. Everyone has skills, and we just need to take the best of those skills to be in the best function or practice.

EE: That’s really cool. How did you earn the role as a team captain?

RS: I was really reaching out to the coaches and making sure that the team was functioning the way that they wanted it to. Especially during this season, the coaches were very busy with different things that they had to manage and handle. And so I tried to help out with that and help with coordinating with the team. I also really tried to put in my best effort during practice and help people that were new to the sport and just try my hardest in my position and look for feedback. 

EE: Could you share a few memorable experiences from your water polo career? 

RS: I think the most memorable experiences come from senior night. This year in particular, I was in charge of planning senior night, and it was a really gratifying experience being able to see people, all the seniors, graduate or be done with the sport, and see them look at their successes and look back. Every part of it was just an amazing experience. And I really like hanging out with the team after that game, even during the game, we had our own chant. It was just an amazing experience. I think that was one of my favorite memories. And my other favorite memory was this one time within the team, we sat down and we just talked about things we can do to improve, or challenges or limitations our team had, and that really improved what we would do during the rest of the season. 

EE: And what is your greatest accomplishment related to water polo?

RS: This was two years ago, but I scored a goal as a goalie from halfway across the halfway across the pool, and that was the tie-breaking score, literally 30 seconds within the end of the game. I think that was a very huge accomplishment for me, because the coaches told me not to do it, because it’s a really big risk, right? So they were like, don’t do it. Don’t do it. And I just had this feeling at the back of my head. I was like, ‘I need to do this. I know it’s gonna work.’ So I told one of the current seniors to just hand me back the ball, and then I would shoot it, and it made and because of that, we went over time, but we did end up winning that senior night. I think that was a really memorable experience I personally had.

EE: What misconceptions do you think people have about water polo?

RS: So I realized recently that people I have talked to aren’t really aware about what the sport entails and how it works, and it’s not a mainstream sport, so I can understand that, but a lot of people would just think it’s swimming with the ball, or it’s not physically demanding. But water polo is super brutal and aggressive. It’s a full-contact sport, and you’re constantly getting dunked, grabbed on the swimsuit, shoved, or often with the referees not seeing it, and because you’re always moving and sprinting, water polo does require you to have an insane endurance. So, I think those are the main misconceptions people have.

EE: Do you have any pre-game rituals that you partake in individually or with your team?

RS: Before the game, I usually always have to take a dump. But other than that, I personally ingest a lot of protein, which is probably why, but I do that before a game, or just, eat a lot of carbs, and that’s generally right before I play. But as a team, we cheer, but nothing major. A lot of the rituals are more group-oriented. I know Evan and Sonika, both on Varsity, have their own ritual. But yeah, I think as a team, we just basically do a cheer.

EE: What does playing water polo mean to you?

RS: To me, playing water polo means pushing myself beyond my limits, both physically and mentally. It’s about treading water for what feels like forever or those split-second decisions that can change a game. But more than anything, it’s the camaraderie and creating an unspoken bond between teammates that can really last you a lifetime.

EE: And just to wrap things up, is water polo something you plan to pursue in the future, even after you graduate high school?

RS: Yes, I hope to participate in a club where I graduate.

EE: That’s it for Episode 33 of Time Out. Thank you Ria for joining us today! I’m Megha Mummaneni.

EE: And I’m Grace Lin. Thanks for tuning in!