POUGHKEEPSIE, New York - Marist water polo's all-time leader in points (293) and assists (175) Amanda Amorosa '17 was named to Canada's National Team talent pool for the Olympics back in December. Having reached the final of the 2019 Pan American Games in August, Canada qualified for the Olympic Games and had begun the preparations for the biggest athletics event in the world.
Amorosa was selected to a short list of 18 athletes who had a chance to represent Canada, and was excited for her opportunity to play on the biggest stage. Sadly, with the postponement of the Olympics due to COVID-19, athletics around the world are at a pause, and hopefuls such as Amorosa must hold off on their goals for another year.
"When it was announced that the Olympics were to be postponed another year, I think there was a mix of emotions running through each of us," explained Amorosa. "At times you feel sad because you have to wait another year to fulfill your dream. You have already endured an entire year of training and games and were so close to the summer. But then you moved to the feeling of relief and understand that this was the right choice."
With teams worldwide under lockdown, athletes must find more unconventional ways to practice and exercise. No longer can teammates simply jump in the pool and run plays together, and they must find ways to train on their own.
"Every week our coaching staff comes up with a workout schedule that somewhat mirrors our schedule from when we were training full time. We have two training sessions each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon," described Amorosa. "Our sessions include strength training, conditioning, water polo shooting drills, interval training, pilates etc. We even have zoom calls with the entire team three times a week and have a trainer run a workout with all of us. The zoom workouts have been a really fun way for us to workout as a team and keep us connected, which is something we are obviously much more used to and miss dearly!"
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Like everyone, professional water polo players' lives were flipped upside down by this crisis, and they might find themselves at a loss with how to spend their time. The days are no longer regimented with busy schedules and constant motion. However, Amorosa takes solace in her solitary training, and is continuing to work towards her dreams.
"As many people have been experiencing through this isolation, keeping busy throughout the day has been tough. For me, I was worried that with all this free time, I would lose my focus because my schedule was going to be so heavily impacted. But, having all these workouts keeps us pretty busy during the day, and also keeps us on a schedule which is nice. It is important to not only stay physically in shape, but mentally as well, and keeping a routine helps this a lot and keeps us focused."
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Marist's all-time leading offensive player has continued to find success in water polo after graduation, and looks at the postponement as one more year to prepare for the Olympics. Come the summer of 2021, we just might see a Red Fox in the pool, fighting for a medal with her teammates.
"Now we are focused on 2021, and we have one more year to learn and improve. It's like we were given extra time on our final exam, to look over, review and perfect everything we have already done."
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