Water polo is a daunting sport that requires both stamina and speed in order to achieve success. Two outstanding athletes that have earned Coach Janice Clark’s praise on AHS’ Water Polo team are Tyler Ybarra and Christine Chua. Here is how they got to where they are today.

Tyler first got interested in water polo when he watched the sport during the 2012 Summer Olympics.

“I was motivated to join the sport because I wanted to meet new friends, form connections, and become a stronger athlete,” said Tyler.

Christine, on the other hand, had always been a swimmer. After she became aware of the aquatic sport, she looked up some YouTube videos of water polo and was immediately hooked.

“The amount of excitement and fun I had during camp motivated me to join the team,” said Christine.

Although both are on Varsity now, the two did not immediately make it into the Varsity team and had to work hard to get where they are. Tyler started his freshman year on the JV team and in his sophomore year, he was able to make his way onto Varsity despite setbacks, such as balancing his academic life with the sport.

On the other hand, Christine started off on the JV team and by working hard, she was able to get a spot on the starting lineup. Even though she did not have as much experience as some of the other players, Christine was able to become a starter on the Varsity team in both sophomore and junior year.

After being accepted onto the Varsity team, Tyler and Christine found their hard work paid off. In his junior year, Tyler received the title of Varsity MVP as well as becoming the Varsity team captain in both his junior and senior year. He also qualified for CIF in both his sophomore and junior year.

During Christine’s first year on the Varsity team, she earned Third Team All-Southern Section Division 6. In her junior year, she received Second Team All-Southern Section Division 5 as well as First Team All-Pacific League Honors. She was also named Girls Varsity MVP for 2019-2020 and obtained the Scholar-Athlete award for the last three years. These two individuals are not only skilled in sports, but are also high achievers in academics as well.

Even though these athletes pooled a lot of time into the sport, they were also able to keep up with their academics despite the abundance of work provided by the AHS curriculum.

“By prioritizing academics above athletics, I was able to make sure my grades were fine, while still having time to play sports,” said Tyler.

Christine knew she needed to improve her time management skills to manage, and “playing the sport I absolutely love with my teammates became a huge motivation for me to excel in school,” said Christine.

These two amazing athletes show how hard work and motivation can produce results. With some determination, anyone can aspire to succeed!

Photo courtesy of CHRISTINE CHUA and TYLER YBARRA