Photo Courtesy of Choate Flickr
When Martha Chessen ’22 proved to be a key player in the pool as a freshman, the Girls’ Varsity Water-Polo team was not surprised. Even from the start, Chessen was a valuable asset during her freshman winter swimming season, and she quickly became a key water polo player, too. Now, as a junior, she is a Co-Captain of Girls’ Varsity Water Polo.
Growing up in San Francisco, Chessen was introduced to the game at a young age. “I would see the club water polo team practicing next to me, and I would sometimes hop in with the high school boys who were super intimidating. Once, I got hit in the face by one of their shots, and so I quit and never went back,” she said.
That experience sidelined her until eighth grade, when she decided to join a club team. Chessen said, “I instantly fell in love with the game. It was completely different from swimming, as I actually got to engage with the people on the team.”
Like many athletes who begin competing in sports at such a young age, Chessen eventually cooled on swimming. “One day I went to a meet, and I realized I wasn’t even swimming anymore,” she said. “I did it for so long where it was that same black line at the bottom of the pool, and I could not do it anymore.”
Although Chessen continues to swim competitively, her focus has shifted to water polo. When she came onto the team as a freshman, Chessen quickly assimilated into the group and its culture. “The girls on the team, such as Isabelle So ’20 and Grace Zhang ’20, were all very good swimmers compared to my team at home. Because the Choate team could keep up with other fast teams, I was able to really develop my fundamentals and become a much more rounded player.” That year, the team placed third at the New England Championships, and Chessen was recognized on the All-New England Second Team.
After such a rewarding and productive freshman year, Chessen’s water polo future looked bright. Then, Covid-19 hit. Under the Choate Sports Agreement, the Girls’ Varsity Water Polo team has not been allowed to play in any interscholastic scrimmages due to the lack of social distancing and impossibility of wearing masks during games. “It is crazy because I have not been able to grow with a team. I had a team freshman year, and then the next time I will be playing for Choate, it will be a whole new team.”
As Co-Captain, Chessen is tasked with helping the team bond and work well together under tight restrictions. “I have never had that leadership responsibility; especisally, going from the youngest person on the team to a junior captain has been a challenge,” she said.
Chessen hopes to continue playing water polo in college for a club or a varsity team, but she also noted the challenges the pandemic has put on recruiting.
