Nov. 26, 2013
Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone has been having a wonderful start to a fun holiday season. Thanksgiving is always my favorite holiday for a variety of reasons. I love to eat, so a holiday set around enjoying delicious home made goods is always at the top of my list. But I also love what Thanksgiving is for. To spend time with those we love most and to be reminded of all that we have to be thankful for. It's a time for reflection so I thought it appropriate to share with you all a bit of my recent reflection. This maybe a longer one, so before you sit down to read...I suggest you make your Jamba Juice run. I recently tried the new Premium Juices and boy are they delicious! Its a perfect time to grab a juice and let your stomach rest from the turkey, ham and rolls!
Have you gotten your juice yet?!
Juice in hand and ready to read...
As athletes, but also as individuals we all have core values that we strive to live by. One of my core values has always been gratitude. I see being grateful as not taking anything for granted. Whenever I complained to my dad about not wanting to go to practice when I was younger he would always tell me, "Sports are not something you have to do, they are something you get to do. You get to do something people would love to do." My father instilled into me a perspective of gratitude from a young age and I've tried to carry that with me in everything I've been able to do.
That being said, I have decided to 'retire' from water polo at the age of 25. This has come as a shock to some of my closest friends and family, but I feel that now is the time for me to get really good at somethings else! It's not so much why I chose to 'hang up the cap' but why I'll always love the sport that I want to shine a light of gratitude on.
So in light of gratitude, I want to express my thanks to the sport of water polo. Water polo has really been my life's work thus far. I began swimming at the age of 7 and since I caught the water bug, I knew that going to the Olympics was my dream. How I was going to get there was the big question, but the things I learned as a young swimmer have been invaluable to me in everything I've done. The things I have learned about setting goals, working towards those goals, experiencing defeat, victory and everything in between has made me who I am today.
Most of all I have swimming to thank for bringing me to water polo. I began playing water polo junior year of high school and never looked back. I was a skinny, awkward and lanky swimmer turned water polo player that couldn't throw the ball to half-court. It was in my first year of water polo that I grew into myself. I attended CDM high school in Newport Beach and was lucky to play with some of the best players in the country at that time. Not only did I get stronger as a polo player, but I would say that I became more confident and social in building friendships with my new teammates. Water polo has helped me in the pool as much as it has helped me out of the pool. I have been able to make life-long friends with everyone that I have been blessed to play with. Whether they be my high school, college or national team friends. I'm grateful for my ever growing family through water polo.
Finally, I'm thankful for being able to live out my dream. I can honestly say I have been able to do everything I have ever wanted to do in sports. I've won JO's thanks to Dan Klatt, I've won CIF thanks to Aaron Chaney, I've won NCAA's thanks to Jovan Vavic and I've won an Olympic Gold Medal thanks to Adam Krikorian. I have my teammates over the years to thank for making it so fun and for pushing me to be better than I ever thought I could be. Best of all I have my family to thank for always loving and supporting me. When I stood on the podium in London I thought of all these wonderful people and if I could pinpoint the descriptive emotion, it was undoubtedly gratitude.
THANK YOU WATER POLO. Thank you for the good and bad times, the people and the dreams. Here's to a great thanksgiving and the start of a new dream!
Until next time,
Tumua Anae
