Whether an athlete loves the competitiveness of aquatics or the thrill of running, SCHS offers multiple sports where an athlete can enjoy their passions. With cross country and water polo in the fall, track and field along with swim and dive in the spring, athletes are able to improve their skills at the sports they appreciate the most.
For some athletes, high school is an opportunity to try out a similar sport to the one they have played the majority of their life. Water polo player and swimmer senior Miranda Gutierrez started playing water polo her sophomore year because of the competitive environment it fosters.
“I like water polo better because you’re not staring at the bottom of the pool for an hour swimming in laps,” Gutierrez said. “It was a contact sport, so it’s just more fun in general as you get to talk to people while you’re practicing.”
Similar to Gutierrez, senior Romina Blanco has been swimming since she was little and picked up water polo during her time in high school. Although new to the sport, Blanco has enjoyed her time playing water polo, though she is still debating which sport to play at John Hopkins University, the college she is committed to.
“During water polo season, I would have said water polo immediately, but now that I’m back in swimming, I don’t know. I feel like I’m just more comfortable with swimming because I’ve been doing it for so long,” Blanco said.
Unlike Gutierrez and Blanco, cross-country and track runner senior Morgan Deboe took up running during Covid and has enjoyed it the four years she has run in high school. Specifically, she cherishes the running community she is a part of.
“I like everyone on the team. It’s fun. It’s been a good group,” Deboe said. “I’ve gotten really close with everyone, and it kind of keeps me going back even when it sucks.”
When it comes to comparing the team aspect of water polo and swim, Gutierrrez believes that water polo is more tight-knit.
“Definitely our team was more bonded, and I think that’s because it’s a contact sport,” Gutierrez said. “We have to communicate with each other in order to play and then swim.”
Similar to Gutierrez, freshman Kanoa Lindsey sees a difference between the team aspect of his two sports – cross country and track and field.
“I prefer cross country better just for the community and the people,” Lindsey said. “Track is definitely a little easier for me, but I like the people better in cross country.”
Although Gutierrez has grown up swimming, she does not feel pressure to continue her sports. The time spent playing them makes her life more enjoyable.
“I would have stopped water polo sophomore year, and swim I would have stopped, but it’s my senior year,” Gutierrez said. “I’ve been playing them, and the people are nice and it’s fun. I’m not sitting in my room alone after school. I’m interacting with people, which just makes my life more fun.”
Included in Deboe’s running group is her younger sister and cross country and track runner sophomore Brynn Deboe, who has helped both of them love the sport even more.
“I feel like my little sister has learned to love it even more than me in a lot of ways,” Deboe said. “I feel like she is more driven than me in a lot of ways. That’s been fun to see.”
Along with stronger social connections, participating in water polo and swim brings many benefits for Gutierrez.
“You get to eat whatever you want, you get muscle gain and you also feel healthier, especially in the winter months, like when you can’t really get sick because you’re bathing in chlorine for two hours a day,” Gutierrez said. “Also, I like getting tan, and it just helps with acne. It’s amazing.”
Comparable to swimming, Deboe is grateful for the benefits running provides.
“I love the way running makes me feel and how I can feel myself getting better or getting worse, and I’m still okay with it,” Deboe said. “I feel like it’s always gonna be a part of my life, so I’m glad I got to learn how to do it through this sport.”
As an athlete who is currently debating which sport to pursue in the future, Blanco recommends people be patient when they decide.
“I would tell them to genuinely try both of them,” Blanco said. “Give them their individual time, but try both of them to its fullest to really decide which one you like better.”