- 2024 Highlights
Personal Statement
It may seem strange for a water polo player to find any inspiration in a snooker player, considering the enormous difference between both sports. Yet, Irish snooker player Ken Doherty captured the essence of sports training in the five S’s of sports – “stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit”. Likewise, distinction in academia can only be achieved with a comparable outlook. It is the spirit that strives towards excellence in all that one does, which in simple terms, as ex-basketball player and coach Pat Riley argued, is the “gradual result of always striving to do better”.
Growing up, sports was always a part of my life. My family was involved in soccer so naturally I used to train and play with my hometown team. But summers in Malta are hot and long and inviting to spend more time in the sea than out of it. It had to come about someday, finding myself using my legs even more than in soccer, but for a different purpose. Welcoming my first summer as a teenager pushed me to explore water polo at our neighboring town. And it happened ... I fell in love with this fast, dynamic and physical team game. For two years I kept playing soccer and water polo, until at 15 soccer became the occasional fun get together even and stuck to water polo as my sports of choice. From the first ball I used to kick when I started walking to the intensive daily training regime I currently follow, sports has taught me the important values of self-discipline, time management, and perseverance in order to excel in both academics and sports.
My current Sixth Form experience (equivalent to the last two years of senior high-school in the USA) at the most highly selective school in Malta could not help me but look beyond our shores to further my studies. Apart from the vast academic opportunities available in USA colleges, such an experience will help me grow as a person. Living away from my home country, meeting people from different cultures, and experiencing the best of academic and sports resources will help me develop not only on an academic and sport level but also my full personality. I value and recognize the importance of community engagement beyond sports and academics, and employ this approach wherever I am. At my sixth form I received a special recognition for initiative and organisational skills after fundraising, designing and buying new kits for all the college. Having been vice captain of my Sirens U/17 side, and also having organized several events within my school community, I have learnt how to be an excellent leader as well as a valuable team player. Still, I endeavor to continue striving to do better at all levels.
Standing at only 5’10 as a goaler, water polo life has not been easy. Indeed, what I lack in height has been striven for through hard work. Having been selected to represent Malta’s national team throughout all age groups has given me the experience of playing against the best players of my age from all around the world. These experiences have broadened my knowledge for the game and have helped me develop as an agile and smart goalkeeper who is not deterred playing against the best physical and technical players of all ages. Being part of the senior team of my club team Sirens ASC has also given me the opportunity to train and play against Olympic medalists and world champions such as Christian Prescutti and Valentino Gallo. Training alongside such great players has helped me develop and understand the game from a unique perspective, that of the very best players in the world.
The qualities that make a great player are the same makings of a successful student. My good academic record and my achievements in sports support each other. Being a good student has helped me develop into a good athlete even as working hard to become a good player has helped me become a better student. Looking forward beyond my high school studies, having the opportunity to study abroad and a great college experience will help me to continue living by, and further develop, these qualities, both academically and athletically. I am determined to work for excellence in my studies and sports by “always striving to do better”.
