When sophomore Rosie Kline heard she would be the varsity goalie for the girls’ water polo team, her first thought was she wasn’t good enough. 

Kline began playing water polo two years ago and played  JV goalie in her freshman year. Initially, she felt like she wasn’t doing as much work as her teammates, but as she gained experience and skill, she began to enjoy the role more. 

“I felt a lot better after I started feeling like what I was doing was still important, since everyone else was in the field working hard,” she said. “I realized how important the last line of defense is, and I enjoyed the thrill of having someone shoot a ball at me with all their might.”

Kline was motivated to start playing water polo due to her family’s athletic background: Three of her cousins played water polo in college and her sister played in high school, making the sport a natural pick. This coupled with Kline’s competitive drive and love for swimming made signing up for the team an easy decision. 

To prepare for the upcoming season, Kline attends preseason practices held at the school, which help her learn more about the game and build her strength. She especially enjoys the new training, which involves weight belts and goalie-specific advice. 

“I really enjoy the grueling and tough exercise because that’s when I think I can really feel myself getting stronger,” Kline said. 

Despite her improvement, Kline said she feels hesitant about her ability to play on the varsity team, but she hopes to keep improving and ultimately contribute to her team’s success whenever (and if) the season actually occurs during the time of COVID-19. 

“Water polo is really unique compared to other sports,” said Kline. “I love it because I get to play on a great team with great girls, and when you win as a team, it’s the best feeling.”