Summer vacations are supposed to be about enjoying yourself, relaxing, and taking some time off. Unless of course you are CHAWP goaltender Caitlin Dement. The 17-year-old recent graduate of Ayala High School has been through USA Water Polo's version of the gauntlet the last two weeks. She started off on July 22 in Northern California with the Women's 20 and Under National Championships, which ran right into the Women's National Championships, and now she finds herself minutes away from jumping in front of the cage for her squad at the 2008 S & R Sport Girl's Junior Olympics.
Dement had done the 20 and Under into the Junior Olympics before so she kind of knew what to expect, but the Women's National Championships removed the normal break for the UCLA bound freshman. "For the Women's Championship it was a mentality thing, it is more just telling your body to keep going because it is definitely a higher level," said Dement. Playing with some of the older crowd also will help prepare Dement for the collegiate scene which will be on a different level than club and high school. "Especially playing with the women it is good preparation, you realize that's the level you need to play at all the time," added the former Youth National Team goalie.
The CHAWP team short for Chino Area Water Polo took 9th in the 20 and Under and then 11th in the Open Championship but Dement has eyes on something better at JOs. "I would like to end up in the gold medal round, if we stay focused we can definitely make it," she concluded. But one last question, she must be sick of water polo by now, right? "No, not yet," she said with a laugh and with that she was right into to the pool for CHAWP's game against Great Lakes.
