Amid the shouts of his teammates and splashes of pool water, junior Jayden Yang swung his arm, making a difficult backhand shot into the goal. The crowd roared in excitement, as Yang had just scored his fifth goal in that water polo game.
Yang joined Lynbrook’s JV boys water polo team in freshman year with his mother’s encouragement. Due to his background in swimming, an activity he had participated in since elementary school, Yang’s mother felt that water polo was the sport most suitable for him.
“She wanted me to join a school sport so I could get healthy and exercise more,” Yang said. “Another reason was so that I could make friends because I didn’t go to a middle school in this area and didn’t know anyone entering high school.”
Despite initially joining because of his mother’s wishes, Yang soon grew to love the sport. During his first water polo tournament in Santa Cruz, Yang played the center position for the first time. After the tournament was over, the team visited the beach and bonded.
“I initially tried many different water polo positions, but that tournament was when I found out the center position suited me the best,” Yang said. “I scored my first two goals in that game, and it was very memorable.”
Throughout the process, Yang improved his skills and became captain of the JV team in his sophomore year. Not only did he refine his technical skills in water polo, but also his mindset.
“When you play a sport, just showing up to practice is very different from actually working hard during practice,” Yang said. “I would tell my younger self to try much harder and think about how much better I could be later on.”
Playing water polo also pushed Yang to join Lynbrook’s swim team. Yang started working out as well and consistently started going to the gym in the middle of his sophomore year.
“I was able to make a lot of new friends and connections through working out,” Yang said. “Some people have asked me for help or advice on how to work out, and it feels good to help other people get started on their workout journey.”
In the future, Yang plans to continue playing water polo as a hobby. He hopes to participate in water polo through club or intramural teams in college.
“Playing water polo has really helped me be more confident in myself, especially when I feel needed and important on the team,” Yang said. “Most of my best friends right now have been made through this sport, and I am also hoping to become a better player overall.”
