Sophie Smith '11 Recruiting Profile

Hello, I am a 5'7" senior in high school. I live in the Sacramento, CA area. I love the water, and started swimming at age six. My favorite stroke is the butterfly, which made me a natural fit for water polo, because it's given me alot of upper body strength. I am very serious about playing water polo at the college level, where I want to bring my strong work ethic and positive attitude to a team. I believe that I am very "coachable", and strive to learn more and build on my playing skills. Friends would describe me as outgoing, funny, loyal, and honest. I am still deciding on a major. I have 2 loves, working with children, and US History. I may major in Child/Human Development, or US History/Political Science/Government. I work hard for my grades, but test-taking does not come easy to me, so I struggle at times. I currently have a 3.5 GPA, (Cum of 3.2), I am in Student Government at school, a member of our school's "Teens for Christ" club, I work a part time job at a restaurant, and try to do community service when I can. I started playing water polo in high school, and I played JV my first two years, and was Offensive MVP both seasons. I also was moved up to Varsity for our high school sections as a freshman and sophomore. In my sophomore year, I played and scored in a section game. I am a starter on our Varsity team, where I normally play in the hole set position. My first Official varsity year was as a junior. I was Offensive Player of the year, and was voted All-League. I was nominated for "Student Athlete of the Year" at my high school, which recognizes scholastic achievement first, then athletic achievement. Now, as a senior, I am excited to have been a team captain. Our water polo team had new coaches this season, and in addition - our high school moved up to Division II. We ended our season 9-1, taking first place in our conference. It was exciting to be a part of the team that brought a conference winning banner to proudly display in our gym! This year, I was awarded MVP and All-Conference awards. In the summer of 2009, I played on a Junior Olympic Qualifying competitive team. In the summer of 2010, I played club polo,however the team I was on was new, and we didn't have enough players to compete at JO quaifiers. I also worked as a coach for younger kids in water polo ("noodle ball"), and am lifeguard certified. As for colleges - I'm pretty much open to anything that seems like the right "fit" for me. I'm not one to get homesick, so distance isn't an issue. I know wherever I'll go, I'll make friends and I look forward to many of those friends being on the women's water polo team with me! Thanks for viewing my profile!