I don’t think my heart ever pumped so hard in its life, Even after all those death drills and suicides I’ve swam. I think I’m going to puke. Everything is so surreal. But why? I’ve been here thousands- maybe millions of times, but why do I all of sudden feel like this? Oh right. This is the biggest game of my life that will decide what happens with the rest of my life. Okay then, I’ll permit it, but just this once. I feel like this bus is going so slow, Why can’t it go any faster. Traffic. Okay you have to stop doing that or you’ll psych yourself out. As a matter of fact, you dip, you probably already have. What the- how did we get here so fast? Why do I keep doing this to myself? It doesn’t matter. Get my head in the game. The next couple hours will make or break you., I can’t screw this up. I’ve worked so hard for me to go and let my nerves get to me. I’ve been on a team where numerous championship titles adorn their names. This is just another game. Just go out there and play polo. And do work .
“Okay ladies. Get it.”
Thank you, Martin. At least he looks calm… unlike me.. Why is Martin looking so calm? He must be freaking.. Yep, those armpits look disgusting. Ewww.
“Go get ‘em tiger”
“Yes sir.” I replied like a soldier, automatically.
Get what though? It’s apparent I’m here to win, I won’t be satisfied with anything but. Hopping down from the bus I look around. Well nothing’s changed so this should be fine. I make my way to the entrance, open the door, walk through and take in why everything is such a big deal. Camera lights flashing, reporters asking questions, people yelling out my name. So I don’t think I am going to puke…I know at any moment chunks will fly. Holy mother of all that is sacred in the land of water polo i, I can’t do this. There you go talking negative then. Have some confidence. Stand up straighter. Walk with pride. Have confidence. I walk around the corner towards the locker rooms and see our opponent walking into theirs. One of the girls looks to me and laughs. Okay I may be f only five feet tall with a solid four inches added but I can pack quite a punch. Okay there you go, talk positive. I keep walking and find the perfect spot to start changing. When I exit the locker room I see the same red hair, brown eyed girl again, this time pointing at me and whispering to her teammate. I put my cap on and make a goal to get her ejected from the game by half. I get in the water. It’s ice cold. Good this is what I need. I start to swim and as I near the other side of the pool, the other team jumps in, my stalker almost nearly landing on me. I think to myself, well ain’t she going to be fun to play with... As I continue to warm up my coach calls me over.
“Ariella ” Martin said.
“Yes?” I asked with a guard, because seriously who knows what can come out of his mouth. One moment he’s praising you and the next he’s telling you that he’s going to sit you out of a game. Thankfully the second has never happened to me…yet.
“I just want to say...I’m so proud to have coached you for the last…I don’t know…, ten plus years? It has really been an honor. Except for those times that- but we won’t talk about that right now, maybe later” he said. You can tell he’s about to cry.
“Coach, it’s been an honor playing for you. You are the reason why I am here.” I had to think about the last statement to make sure that I wasn’t lying, and I wasn’t. He taught me everything that I know, push me to my limits, made me cry, puke and hate the world at some points but look where I’m at now.
“All right kid. Do work.” He pats me on my back and sends me on my way.
I walk towards the bench where Martin meets us a couple minutes later. He calls the first line up, and we march out, jump in and get ready to go. The last thing I hear before Polo takes over is the ref saying ‘on his whistle’.
After our celebratory dinner, we headed back to our hotel rooms to rest because the next day, the new season waited for us.