Captains of the Week: Vedika Amin, Sofia Contreras, and Mya Scott (Water Polo)

By  SAM ALTMAN, ERIN HAN, and LOGAN LIU

The spring term marks the season of girls’ water polo. Every day, the pool fills with team members as they tirelessly scrimmage, drill, and run plays for their next game. The driving forces of this team are its captains, who have been fostering both a supportive and rigorous team environment thus far in the season.

The girls’ water polo team has three captains: senior Vedika Amin, senior Sofia Contreras, and upper Mya Scott. Senior Nataly Delcid commented on their leadership, “They’re two seniors and an upper, and they have a great dynamic. They’re all very charismatic, energetic people. When we’re at practice they make sure to liven up the mood and get everyone excited, which is really important when you have to come in and play a sport as intensive as water polo for two hours when it’s cold outside. Overall, they are a great trio.”

Coach Meg Blitzshaw echoed, “The captains are our appointed leaders of the team. Their role entails frequently leading warmups for practices and every game, being a liaison between athletes and the coaches and certainly being energy leaders. Mya, Sof and Vedika have worked well together and they’ve modeled sportsmanship, dedication, and effort. They’re happy, dedicated, joyful humans who are a delight to be around. Their unique personalities complement each other well and have been a good team to lead our group!”

“We work well as a leadership team with our coaches to put forth the best image for the team,” added Scott.

The team has all sorts of traditions they perform before games to get everyone excited. “The captains always run warm-up well because they organize ‘secret psychs’ before matches, in which we give a little gift to each other, kind of like Secret Santa,” prep Juliette Morgan said. 

Blitzshaw further lauded the palpable support and energy that all three captains have brought to every game and practice. “The captains are deeply encouraging of each and every teammate to work to their best and improve over the course of the season. They are incredibly supportive, which was clear just yesterday when we had our first opportunity for a novice player scrimmage with Loomis and the captains led a loud and enthusiastic cheering squad for these teammates, some of whom were getting their first real game experience.”

“They walk into every game acting as if we’re going to win. And, even if we’re going against the hardest team, that mindset is important if we want to bring the energy. We don’t always succeed, of course, but it’s vital for team spirit, and it’s great for the team,” Delcid said. 

Scott recalled a specific instance when the captains worked to support the team not only in water polo-related aspects, but also those relating to emotional well-being. “With all of the sickness that’s been going around, along with the stress of midterms, the team has been really struggling in practices lately, myself included. One of my co-captains Sofia Contrares noticed this and had the team do a ‘team scream,’ both above the water and below,” she recalled. “It may seem silly but I actually think that it helped a lot. After, we were able to have a good laugh and then a fun scrimmage. It’s important for the captain team to notice these things and offer solutions, and I admire Sof for her leadership.”

Blitzshaw mentioned another anecdote, recalling how “the captains gave the polo bulletin board a fun makeover with new photos.” She continued, “It’s great to see how inclusive the captains are of all the levels of players on our diverse team where many athletes started their water polo experience here at Exeter. “

This aspect of diversity in the level of players, was one that wasn’t criticized, but instead positively highlighted by captains and players alike. “My favorite part about the girls’ water polo community is definitely the shared love for the game. We are a developmental team, meaning that many of the new players come into the season with no polo experience, but we’re all there because we love to play and that is evident in the water,” shared Scott. “Students from all grade levels come to tryouts without knowing how to tread and leave at the end of the season with a new-found passion. Watching this arc, within myself as well as others, over the past few seasons has been amazing to see.”

Amin echoed, “Water polo promotes a one-for-all and all-for-one approach. I have always been a strong team player and what I loved most about being a captain this year was seeing my teammates improve as a result of teamwork and dedication.”

“This year, we definitely have a lot of new people on our team. I think that the captains have done a really excellent job allowing everyone, regardless of skill, to feel that they are equally part of the team and have the same expectations as everyone else. The traditions that they make for us really do keep us going. Overall, they make it a very social team,” Delcid commented.

The coaches and players’ familiarity with the players was a testament to the group’s tight-knit bond. Blitzshaw described each captain in remarkable detail: “Vedika speaks four languages, once had a pet snail named Gary Turbo, is a big fan of Pitbull’s music and mochas from D squared. We’ve been able to count on Vedika to receive goalie outlet passes and help lead our offensive opportunities; Sof has a dog at home in Texas named Lola, hopes to work internationally, and is a fan of Goldfish and Dr. Pepper. Sof is a dynamic leader in our game warmups and we can count on her voice to encourage us to be balanced in our setups; Mya is excited on the days the dining hall serves General Tso’s chicken, has a pet cat named Little Foot, is a fan of coffee and Trader Joe’s Takis and would recommend the book Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Mya has been crucial for our help defense and it’s great to see her having confidence in her shots this season.”

Upper Sophie Phelps offered, “Mya’s a math genius. Vedika loves dinosaurs. And Sof’s a social butterfly.”

“They’re all very nice people, and extremely outgoing. They’re able to lead at every level of water polo, but are also always willing to reach out to you outside the pool whenever you need it,” Morgan added.

Whether dribbling through the pool or organizing team bonding events, there is no doubt that Amin, Contreras, and Scott are confident, energetic, and experienced leaders. “Being a captain teaches you to work with people, to be a mentor and to be a voice,” said Amin. “These are all skills, in my opinion, that everyone should aim to develop and nurture, not just in sports but in their professional lives as well. If one can learn to lead a team, I think they’ll excel, whether it be in their career or on a sports team.”