Once the bell rings, releasing students from 6th period, Christopher Esparza (11) remains in the pool. For the next 2 hours, he practices water polo with the team, running drills, and swimming laps to improve his skills.
As an athlete, Esparza works hard every day, practicing ways to swim faster, defend to his best ability, and get as many goals as possible on offense. Many people look up to him as an athlete because of his abilities but don’t realize how much determination and commitment it takes to be successful. Coach Varela, the varsity water polo coach, explains the work that Esparza puts in to be a varsity-level athlete.
“He’s always wanted it, and so he works really hard, he swims hard, he takes swim season seriously, he does like the toughest events in off-season… He does what it takes,” says Coach Varela.
Esparza puts in work in and out of water polo season, including summer practices. He saw the most progress made last summer during which he injured himself but continued to work and recover. Esparza’s close friend, Mayra Gonzalez (11) credits Esparza for the hard work he put into summer practices and how he pushed through the burden it put on him physically.
“Athletically, summer he really tried his hardest, he even got hurt, which shows how much work he was putting in, and he really has improved since freshman year,” said Gonzalez.
While learning how to get better, Esparza steps up as a leader and encourages others to get better themselves. Being a leader isn’t always easy, but Esparza rises to the challenge for his teammates to rise to their potential.
“With leadership, I feel like it’s a lot easier to say the right thing, but Chris always does the right thing,” adds Coach Varela.
As well as being an exceptional athlete, Esparza maintains a challenging class schedule. He admits that being a scholar-athlete is not easy, but with the proper time management and determination, he finds a way to be successful in both his academic and athletic careers.
“I balance my complex schedule by keeping in mind what I need to do, at what time it’s due, and seeing which one I have to prioritize first,” says Esparza.
When balancing sports, school, and social lives, some people can find themselves becoming short-tempered or easily annoyed. But Esparza continues to be kind to everyone he encounters, despite his stressful schedule. People gravitate toward his warm demeanor and appreciate the way he includes everyone in any conversation.
Coach Varela highly praises Esparza for his dedication to the sport. “Once we started working together I just got to know the guy, and man, he’s such a good teammate and such a good guy.”
