Nobody likes being the rookie on a sports team. Its demoralizing to be the last one to finish, the last one picked or the one with the least playing time. It’s often difficult to stick with something that you don’t seem to be initially good at.

However, Junior Water Polo Goalie Romy Aboudaram is an example of what can happen when ego is put aside in an unrelenting quest for success.

After an unsatisfying experience as a volleyball player, Romy joined the school’s water polo team the fall of her freshman year as per her friend’s advice. Though she was intrigued by the sport, her lack of aquatic background made it difficult to adjust.

“I had no background on swimming whatsoever,” Romy said. “I tried it, I was dead awful. I was so bad that they stuck me as a goalie because I couldnt swim.”

Despite initial obstacles, Romy stuck with the sport, playing water polo year round that year.

“I had a really good goalie coach during club season who gave me individual attention,” Romy said. [Because I was] the only goalie, I was forced to be the varsity goalie sophomore year, which was maybe the scariest thing in my life.”

Though initially intimidated by the high pressure environment, the opportunity to compete at a higher level enabled her to improve her skills incredibly quickly.

This past month, John Reid, a writer for the Palo Alto Daily News approached the Girls Varsity Water Polo Coach about Romy’s impressive record this past season, which has earned her a spot as one of the top goalies in the league.

“My coach sends in the stats and he was impressed and wanted to interview me,” Romy said.

An interview and photoshoot soon followed, and the story is set to be published in the Palo Alto Daily this Wednesday.

“He interviewed me [about] why I started water polo, what made me better, what challenges I’ve faced and stuff,” Romy said. “I was motivated to talk to him because I’m thinking about playing in college”.

With her unrelenting effort and visible determination to compete with the best in the pool, it seems Romy could have a very successful future in water polo.