Troy Barker '23 Recruiting Profile

My name is Troy Barker. I am in the class of 2023 at Granite Bay HS in Granite Bay, California. I started playing water polo my freshman year of high school, fall of 2019. I grew a passion for the sport during that winter club season. Continuing into spring of 2020, I started swim  with a 1:15 100 free, then Covid had hit, stalling everyone's progress in the sport. Excited for summer, my club coach and varsity team met at a park to do dry-land conditioning. I won’t lie, some days I was tempted to relax and not go. Mostly because of the heat, that's a reason why I chose to start the sport. It's nice to have fun and compete in the pool when it's 90 outside. My commitment only grew from there, once we were allowed back into a facility I didn’t take any hours for granted. I knew if I could practice at a higher level and before the rest of the world, my development and mindset would strengthen my capability in and outside of the goal. I have dedicated my effort and goals to school and polo. My mom loves to tell me that she's proud of my growth but I should stay humble. She says not to be better than anyone else, but to be better than I was the day before. If that happens to be better than others, so be it. My academics flourish with a busy schedule, I think having lots of time leads me to procrastinate and think all will be well. By playing water polo, I’ve learned how to dedicate myself to anything I choose and prosper as a student athlete. I wish to become an educator in the field of mathematics, and coach the sport at any level along with others who share common goals. As a keeper, during the game my goal is to deny yours. But outside of the pool I would like to help others grow, and learn how to give their aspirations everything they’ve got.