As the final buzzer echoed throughout the pool arena, junior Jenna Rickelman fixes her eyes on her opponents as they launch the ball. With her quick reflexes, she deflected the ball from entering the goal. It was moments like these that defined Rickelman’s journey as the only goalie on the girls water polo team. As a sophomore, Rickelman began playing water polo, which has historically been seen as a ‘boys’ sport,  because she sought more recognition for the girls team. 

“Part of [why I play] is [because] I know if I don’t, no one else will. It’s really important for girls [to show that] we’re strong to. We can play water polo, too. ” Rickelman said. “It’s not just a [boys] sport. We can do it just as [well] as they can.”

Being on the water polo team comes with its challenges. In particular, it’s difficult to manage a small girls water polo team because of the varied skill levels among the team. 

“A big thing with girls water polo [is that there are] people who’ve been playing for years, and people who’ve never touched the ball in their life. The biggest thing to get used to is being able to learn and teach people who have no idea what they’re doing,” Rickelman said.

Along with the challenges of managing a team, the lack of recognition for girls water polo has caused concern among players. On April 19, the girls water polo team released a statement on Instagram regarding the lack of coverage of their sport. According to the team, the St. Louis Post Dispatch, specifically writer Chris Gove, refused to publish content about girls water polo.  

“The main issue with that is a lot of people expect that because our boys teams are so good, the girls teams are supposed to be [great also]. [However], we’ve only been a girls team for two years. We don’t have enough people to have a long-lasting team. The reason why we don’t get the recognition we deserve is because no one comes in,” Rickelman said.

Rickelman plans her life around water polo, dedicating her summer vacations to practicing her skills. She has been fascinated by the journey of her improvement since she first began playing.  

“When I started water polo, I thought [that] I could not do this — I would never be able to do this, [but] you don’t realize you’re growing until you see the difference,” Rickelman said.

Through shared experiences on the water polo team, Rickelman has created deep connections with her teammates.

“We love each other. We have a community. Especially because when you’re a girls team, you have no one but each other,” Rickelman said. “I drive half the freshmen to every game. You get used to being around each other so much, and you see each other every day. You become a family.”