Water polo is often listed as one of the most difficult sports. With vicious plays and water so deep one’s feet can’t touch the ground, it’s more than an intimidating pastime. Nevertheless, Senior Ellie Harper has mastered it with an expertise that few players possess.

   “I’ve been around water polo my entire life, with my parents being coaches, but I didn’t start playing competitively until I was about ten years old,” said Harper. Choosing to play a sport as physically taxing and aggressive as water polo is by no means an easy feat, but Harper continues to stay dedicated no matter the difficulties that accompany her passion.

   One of her teammates, Junior Jordan Einav said, “She’s extremely committed and passionate about the sport. She’s really good at encouraging us to play our best.” Teammate Senior Julia Lauth said, “Because Ellie knows so much about water polo, she steps up and happily gives tips to her teammates when they need help with a certain skill or strategy.”

   As one of the captains on the team, it’s Harper’s responsibility to not only be a leader, but to encourage her teammates to constantly improve their skills, something she surely excels at. Harper said, “I think my teammates would call me a leader. I have a lot of knowledge about the sport and a loud voice, so I like to think I’m helping lead our team.”

   “Ellie is a natural leader and is dedicated to helping the team improve with her knowledge of the sport. She gives us many opportunities for self improvement and has implemented team workouts like strength training after practices,” said Lauth.

   However, her journey hasn’t always been an easy one. In fact, Harper opened up about health issues that she’s had to face while playing the sport. “My health has definitely made me want to give up a couple of times. I have some kidney problems, and have needed seven surgeries in the last two years, so it was really hard to find motivation to keep going. However, my teammates have really helped with that. This being my last season, I’m just going to fight the pain and play to the best of my ability,” said Harper.

   Despite the challenges, water polo continues to be something she loves. Harper said, “My favorite moment so far was when we beat [Canyon Crest Academy] for Senior Night my sophomore year. It was so wild and to have contributed to that win for our seniors felt great.”

   All great players need great inspiration, and for Harper that came in the form of a former coach. In fact, Harper hopes to leave just as positive an impact on her teammates as her former coach has left on her. “My most memorable coach was my [12 and under club team] Coach Hope Mayer. She and I are still very close. She’s like another sister to me,” said Harper.

   Currently, Harper enjoys her position as a center. “I love it. I get to be the one right in front of the cage basically wrestling the defender, so I have an opportunity to score for my team,” said Harper.

   As she looks back on her fond memories playing the sport, she recounts a significant moment from her sophomore year. “The best play I ever made was my sophomore year, when we were playing Clairemont, who was really good at the time. We were losing by a lot but no one stopped playing so I wrestled my way into center, and I got the ball with three defenders on me. I just ripped it backhanded to score our third goal,” said Harper.