Players' Blog
Welcome to the Siena Water Polo Players' Blog - a space where our team members can share first-person stories throughout their journeys as NCAA Division I student athletes. This is our way of bringing family, friends, fans, recruits and YOU inside the world of Siena Water Polo.
Syd's Quarantine Activities
Hi Everyone!
In this hard time, we can't go out and see friends and do our normal activities. However, in my time being home I have found many different activities that have always peaked my interest but never had the time to do. For this blog post I would like to share some of the new hobbies I have acquired and some I would like to still try. I hope to inspire some of ya'll to try and stay active during this quarantine. I hope y'all are staying healthy and thank you for reading!
-Sydney Jones
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Knitting 
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Drawing
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Many puzzles
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Crocheting
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Gardening
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Writing letters 
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Cooking something new
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Starting a new show
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Painting
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Learning the Napoleon Dynamite dance
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Hiking (if you have a path near by)
May 10, 2020 - Happy Mother's Day!
Siena Water Polo wishes all of those lucky ladies a happy Mother's Day, and will celebrate with a special blog post on behalf of the team. Below is a letter from each of the Saints' to their mothers on this special day.
Bianca Prinsloo
Dear Mom (Karen Prinsloo)
I wish I could be home with you right now so I can do our tradition and wake you up with a mother's day coffee. I will tell Sam to bring you one (don't expect her to get out of bed before 1 though). I am not good at writing mushy things so I am going to leave it here… love you
To my Granny - Thanks for raising my cool mom.
To the mother that is looking after me now, Eileen Boyle - Thank you for being a mother to me while I am away from my own mom!
To all the moms - Happy Mother's Day!
Love,
Bianca
Anna Mossakowski
Hi Mama!
Wszystkiego najlepszego w dniu matki! Kocham cię mamo za to, że jesteś. Za to, że byłaś i za to, że będziesz. Kocham cię mamo z mej całej mocy! Kocham cię mamo rano i w nocy! I could try to write the rest of this post in polish but that would be too difficult so I will keep the rest in English. Thank you mom for everything you do. Your hard work and motivation inspire me everyday to become the best person I can be. Although Maria and I (and dad) can get on your nerves more often than not I am grateful that you are patient with us. I am happy that I get to be home during this quarantine and spend more time with you even though you are at work most days. The memories that we share hold a special place in my heart and I can't wait to make even more in the future. Although I kept this short and sweet I hope you know I love you with all my heart even when I don't show it!
To all the mothers on the team have a wonderful and lovely Mother's Day too! Hopefully we will get to see everyone on the pool deck soon!
Love,
Ania (Anna)
Sydney Jones
Dear Mom,
I want to say thank you for all that you do for me. Happy Mother's Day to the best mom ever. Over the past year while I was at school I have missed you so much. My favorite thing about you is your contagious smile and laugh. I guess that's two things but really everything about you is my favorite. Since I have been home I have appreciated so much our long talks about random subjects, big hugs, and your home cooked meals. I love you so much! Thank you for being your goofy, crazy, self and always loving me no matter what.
Sydney
Georgia Vargas
My mom has always been there for me and all my water polo craziness. My mom loves me regardless of the commitments I make, and it makes me feel so great to see her get excited after a win, or a tough game. I know that sometimes trips would have to get canceled for long drives to tournaments in the OC, or practice would run through the weekends, but I appreciate everything my mom has done for me to get where I am. She taught me to be loud and proud of my accomplishments, and has always brought support to my games. She is such a strong and powerful woman who makes me want to show her my strength in the pool, and everything I do. She works hard everyday dealing with work, while having two polo players drag her to different pools. She is always so proud of everything my sister and I have accomplished and I am so great fun to have such a great woman in my life. Love mom! I don't believe one day is enough to appreciate you!
Danni Croteau
Momma,
Here's to celebrating you on this special day!! I'm so blessed to call you mine. I aspire to be as strong & accomplished as you are! Thank you for laughing with me until it hurts & for kicking my butt when I need it!!! I love you times infinity.
xoxo
-you're favorite child forever, no matter what the other two say;)
Diana Fernandez
Feliz día de las madres! I just want to thank you for all the amazing work you've done to raise all three of your kids with such odds stacked against you. With not even getting to finish high school yourself, you were able to work and put us all through private school and many years of university. You pushed us to succeed in fields we constantly doubted ourselves to work through. And without any hesitation you always wanted us to be happy in whatever we chose to do. Thank you for the infinite times you have babied me and reassured that my decisions would take me to the path I was destined for. You are and will continue to be the hardest working woman I know. Thank you for always being there. Te amo mami.
Lily Graham
Dear Mom,
There is no way that I would be where I am today without you. Thank you for always supporting me and pushing me to be my best self. You have helped me become the woman I am and I'm so grateful for all that you have done and continue to do for me. I know I may not show it all the time, but I love you so much and I am so so proud to call you my mom. Thank you for letting me go to school so far away from home; I know it was incredibly hard for you to let me move all the way across the country. If it weren't for you I probably wouldn't be at Siena and I definitely wouldn't be playing water polo. You're the one that pushed me to try it and I will be forever grateful for that. I have made major life decisions and met my best friends because of this sport. I am so incredibly thankful for all that you do. Happy Mother's Day to you.
XOXO,
Lily
Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing moms out there.
Sophia Torres
A famous quote from Melanie Torres is, "trying isn't enough and neither is your best"
It sounds harsh, yes, but it is something that has pushed me to be the very best that I can be. My mom has always believed in my capabilities even when no one else could. She knows when to push me but she also knows when to let me walk on my own. My mom is the most selfless and dedicated mother I have ever met. She not only helps me when I need it but she helps others as well. She will never turn anyone away and she puts others before herself.
To Mami,
Thank you for the endless support and knowledge that you have given me. Thank you for the countless games you have sat through and the FaceTime calls you have answered on my way to class. Even 2,000 miles away you are always there for me when I need it and I can always count on you to brighten any dull situation that I get myself into. I hope one day I will be half the mother you have been for me. I love you.
Kristen Burger
To my dearest mother,
I wanted to thank you for always pushing me to find my own path. I mean, I wouldn't be writing this letter if you never taught me to take risks. My entire life you have taught me to push myself beyond expectations. Even when I find myself stumbling a little bit, I can always rely on you to support me unconditionally. I can only hope that inherited at least some of your best traits. I could go on (you know I can), but I won't. We can rendezvous in the kitchen for the extended version.
Happy Mother's Day!
With love from your favorite daughter :)
Kristen
Anna Borton
Bigs,
I would never be where I am today without all you do for me. Thank you for all you sacrifice for me. I love you more than you'll ever know and I am grateful you gave me your clumsiness and your laugh that can be heard from a mile away. I'll keep this short and sweet and be consistent as always.
Love, your favorite brown haired blue-eyed daughter.
Maggie Verduijn
Happy Mothers Day! Thank you for always being there for me. Without you I wouldn't be where I am today.
Maggie :)
Grace Boeve
Dear Mom,
where do I even begin? There are not enough words to describe how thankful I am to have you as my mom. You have always been my biggest supporter. And I wouldn't be where I am with out you. Thank you for all you have done for me. I love you so much
Alex Williams
O'Mom,
You have done some above and beyond parenting. I am grateful that you taught me to be tough and independent. I am most appreciative though, that you taught me to be compassionate. I count my lucky stars every day that I get to go through life with proper perspective and a grounding to the things that are truly important.
Love,
Al
To all our Siena Moms,
I can't thank you enough for entrusting me with your children and their growth. I have to admit though, that I am the beneficiary of some amazing parenting. It's obvious every day that our student athletes have amazing support from home. We don't do enough to show our appreciation, but today, please know that we have deep gratitude for all the sacrifice and love you pour into our lives.
Happy Mothers Day from Siena Water Polo!
May 5, 2020 - Freshman Lily Graham
Hello, Siena Water Polo friends and family!
I hope everyone is well and making the most of their time in quarantine, I know I am. Recently, I have found myself doing a lot more things than I usually wouldn't make time for. For example, I am really getting into arts and crafts. My brother's birthday was April 30th, so I made him a big collage of old pictures that I took on one of my many film cameras. Photography is one of my greatest passions. I know that sounds a little cheesy, but it's true! I have always had an interest in photography. I remember growing up and watching my dad take pictures with his camera, and I thought it was the coolest thing. I really got into it in high school when I took my first photography class as an elective. High school can be a tough environment and the fact that I had this wonderful creative outlet really helped. I learned a ton about myself because of photography, and I am definitely learning more and more as I am able to express myself through art. One of my favorite things about photography is that there are so many different mediums that one can experiment with. For example, I love manipulating photographs in order to create pieces like collages or transfers. Photography allows me to be super creative and try things I have never done before. It can also be very challenging, but I think one of the best feelings in the world is having finished a project and feeling that sense of achievement and pride. After taking an intro photography class during my first semester in college I decided to change my major from psychology to a major in communications/marketing with a dual minor in psychology and multimedia! I hope to pursue a career that involves some sort of photography.
Fun fact: I have a camera collection with twelve cameras! Eight are film cameras, two are digital cameras, and one is an old camcorder. Four of these cameras I was fortunate to recently add to my collection, two of which are 80-90 years old and are still usable! I just ordered some film and I am super excited to see how the photos turn out from my new, but old cameras. Below I included a link to my website from the intro photography class, an image of the collage I made, and pictures of the cool cameras!
Best,
Lily Graham '23
April 21, 2020 - Sophomore Georgia Vargas
Epic Movie Night!
Hey Siena Water Polo Family,
As a movie fanatic, I'm excited that I get to share with you some amazing films you can enjoy with your families! This week I'm bringing you some of my all-time favorite movies & hopefully you'll be able to watch something (or reconnect with) from this list! A mix of drama, comedy, and epic stories guaranteed to keep you occupied for at least one more day....
1. Unbroken (the book is even better!)
2. Hacksaw Ridge
3. The Goonies
4. The Sandlot
5. The Sound of Music
6. Harry Potter series (an epic binge-worthy watch)
7. The Lord of the Rings series (also epic)
8. Star Wars series (of course)
9. Forrest Gump
10.Indiana Jones series
BONUS: If you love the world of Disney just as much as I do, I made sure to include a special list for us fairytale dreamers!
1. Pocahontas
2. Tarzan
3. The Lion King
4. Beauty & the Beast
5. Hercules
6. Mary Poppins
7. Aladdin
8. Pirates of the Caribbean series
9. Finding Nemo
10. Coco
I know there are so many more I could add to these lists but I figured I would save us from becoming complete couch potatoes… So, pick from either of these lists... Or watch them all! Just make sure to invite someone to share them with, grab your favorite snacks, and let the movies bring their magic to you!
Stay Safe & Movie-Educated!
Georgia Vargas '22
April 18, 2020 - A Virtual Senior Day
Under normal circumstances, the Saints would have been preparing to hop in the pool at the Siena Swim Center for their fourth of five consecutive home matches to close out the 2020 regular season. Prior to today's scheduled 5 PM match against Iona, the pool deck would have been full of family & faithful as the team recognized it's lone senior and one of the most decorated Saints to ever play water polo at Siena - Diana Fernandez.
Also the team's lone captain for this season, Diana as served as the team's leader in and out of the the pool during her four years in Loudonville, and has done her part to contribute to a team that has had three different head coaches in the last four seasons. Siena Water Polo regrets not being able to honor Diana in a traditional setting, and instead would like to show appreciation below. The following are remarks from Coach Williams and each member of the team on their graduating teammate.
My favorite memory with D was something hard to come up with. One of my favorite times with her was before we played at marist against LIU, we were talking about Finding Nemo, so we did the "fin, noggin, duuuude" and after that we did it before every game we had. I was excited to get even closer to D for the rest of our season, I am truly sad to see it end so abruptly, but D is an amazing player and a better teammate and I couldn't have asked for a better leader for my freshman year, I'm excited to see all she's going to accomplish in the future!!
Receiving my "first game" letter freshman year from D, I've always looked up to her so hearing how much she believed in me before my first collegiate game (which I was terrified for) gave me courage! also just saying I was a part of a team with an awesome captain:) I still carry the letter in my wallet!
Dear D, thank you for being my first college captain! I am going to miss playing box with you and defending you. I learned a lot from you!,
Love, Maggie
My favorite memory I have with D? All of them. You can't seriously make me choose just one. I mean I could talk about our war to throw each other in the pool. How somehow our rack was always the one to be taken when another team came in for a makeup lift. Our talks about Grey's Anatomy and Station 19. Or how she would always stick her fingers up in an L shape at me during the cool down. So although I haven't known Diana for that long it's hard for me to choose a distinct memory that stands out in my mind when I'm asked the question. I will admit a distinct memory that I do have is when I first met her on my recruiting trip and let me tell you, she terrified me. I very quickly came over that fear though when the school year started because I learned that she was someone I could count on and talk to whenever I had a problem or just simply wanted to rant. It stills saddens me that we couldn't finish our season together, but I know that if I ever need her help or just want to talk I can always count on her.
My Favorite Memory of D is watching her lead our team huddles before a game. I love remembering all her encouraging words and slight trash talk that got us all fired up to play our game. She is always such an inspiration inside and out of the pool and really cares for everyone. She is a little scary but that's just because of the passion she has inside to go 100% in everything she does. Although it's Intimidating at times, it's also inspirational to everyone trying to be like her. D is such an amazing, strong-willed, and outgoing person, and I will always remember her powerful force in the pool. D is always hard working and there's no stopping her once her mind is set. Although our season was cut short this year I will always remember her leadership regardless of what was going on. She took the role of a coach, teammate, and friend first semester, and I won't forget how she made sure we were still well put together. I know She will succeed in what ever she dose, Love you Diana!!
I only had 2 years with Diana, well 1 and a half really… As a freshman, I was terrified of Diana. Not because she was mean or anything but because she was so intimidating. She is so confident with everything she does and that is what makes her such a good water polo player. You always hear other teams say that they hate playing against Diana and that is the best compliment you can possibly get. Diana has been a player that I have looked up to since day one. She is a role model to me and I strive to play like her in games. My favorite memory of D is the one day in the weight room when Terez's dream predicted reality. From that moment I knew Diana and I could not get any closer! I wish D good luck with her future studies and I hope to see her soon!
I would say that I am spoiled to have only known Siena Water Polo with Diana in it. Except, three years with Diana? There are almost too many good memories to pick from. I could start with any time we sat in her little blue car (including the road trip from Siena back home) or memories from the weight room, and of course, any memories from sharing a lane.
Whenever Diana and I were in the car, a routine drive became 'driving to our location and sitting in front of it for a while).' It may sound a little crazy, but those were the times that Diana gave me the best advice. Something about sitting in her little blue car just brought out all sorts of conversations: weird, tearful, joyous, fury, and everything in between. I am gonna miss being able to have those conversations with her, in the little safety bubble of her car.
In the weight room, on the other hand, those memories are ones of Diana helped push me out of my comfort zone. I remember doing box jumps and making the box taller and taller until we failed with Sophia, we were able to push ourselves beyond what was being asked of us. Working with Diana in the weight room meant pushing yourself beyond what was asked. Don't get it twisted though. You would push beyond what was asked because you wanted to. D has never failed to provide me with motivation and drive to improve. Regardless of what obstacles we faced, Diana always worked as hard as she could. It is infectious too, I can see it in every member of our team. It would come to no surprise why Diana was such a good leader, she always put her all in.
Sharing a lane with Diana does hold a little special place in my heart though...Diana and I were one of the few lanes in the pool that shared. Before Siena, I would have said I would avoid sharing a lane if I had a chance, but now I've come to appreciate it more. I could always count on D to be a confidant of mine (it was especially easy because she could read me pretty well). Throughout my time sharing a lane with Diana, it was always a place to just check-in. In other words, the menial details of day to day life get aired out. She was always ready to listen to me talk about what random philosophical principle I had learned today or I got to hear about how she was slaving away in Roger Bacon to prepare for her practicals. I am really grateful to have been a teammate of Diana's (especially because she would for sure beat me to smithereens). What I am more grateful for is the ability to say that
Diana Fernandez will always be apart of my life.
I am sad to see her go...but I know that D is a smart, driven, and passionate woman, so she will always find a path to success.
See you soon D,
Much love,
KB
My favorite memory of Diana is her telling me to shut up everyday even when I wasn't even talking. She can handle the ball like no other. There is no way to say one favorite memory but the three years I have been on a team with you have been unforgettable, we will all miss you.
My favorite memory of Diana is at the beginning of junior year. We didn't have a coach and everyone was super worried because we still wanted to practice and be a team. Diana was our captain the previous year but since we also had a senior captain I didn't get to see a lot of her leadership skills in action. Fall of junior year Diana was able to bring all of us together and be our pseuto coach and leadership figure. I really enjoyed seeing her put together practices based on her extensive knowledge of us as a team and I had a fabulous time watching her lead us. Diana has been an amazing captain in and out of the water but I especially loved having her as our fill in coach.
D, thank you for being such an amazing captain and senior this past year. Your guidance and dedication have truly been an inspiration to me. There have been so many moments where you have faced challenges with such elegance. From the beginning of the year when you had to be a coach, player and student. To be in the water not getting the calls that you deserved and keep playing through them. You are such a strong person. It is incredible. I am so glad I got the chance to look up to you this past year. I'm not sure if I have a favorite memory of you. I think the entire year has been and will be a great memory. We have shared a lot of time together that it's hard to pinpoint just one or two. Thank you again for an amazing freshman year. I hope you have an amazing time in Chicago. Also, I'm sorry there is no picture of your dog in this letter like last time but I'm sure the real thing is even better :)
When I first met Diana, I'm not going to lie, I was terrified of her. She intimidated me so much. She's a force to be reckoned with; you do not want to mess with D. I remember one morning I slept through morning weights and I woke up to D and KB banging on my door. I specifically remember how mad D seemed and how bad I felt because it was like I completely disrespected my coach. She basically coached the team for the first few months of school. I look up to her so much, she is so strong and she's a boss in and out of the water. After about a month of practices, team activities, and dinners after practice I started to realize that D is actually also a very sweet and funny person. She would sometimes drive a few of us to get dinner with her after practice. She, along with other girls on the team, took us apple picking. She encouraged us during hard practices. She would have the funniest little screeches and the biggest burps in the middle of practice. She is the most hardworking person in and out of the pool I have ever met. Diana will always be my captain. I'm going to miss her a lot. I know she will do great things and command the respect she deserves wherever she goes.
My Favorite memories of Diana are all the times she made that little laugh (squeal? scream?) every time someone pressed her during the box drill. It was such a nice juxtaposition to her competitive fire and ferocity at other moments.
For real though…
For me, my lasting memory of Diana isn't one particular moment, it will be her legacy. I've only known Diana a short amount of time, and sadly, have only coached her for 13 official games. So it is a testament to her ability to impact others that after only a few months, I can say I've seen all I need to see to know that Diana has cemented her place among Siena's greatest student-athletes ever.
Diana's statistics speak for her incredible athletic ability, but her greatest performances all happen behind the scenes. In her time at Siena, Diana has given the program stability when forces around have been chaotic. She played for three different coaches and took the personal responsibility of being player-coach prior to my arrival at Siena in October. Diana is
resilient.
Our program prides itself on having epic film sessions. Despite consistent performances at every game, Diana was ready for every film session, eager to learn, taking notes, asking questions. Diana is always
hungry for more.
Diana's classroom statistics (grades) rival her athletic achievements. For obvious reasons I won't share her GPA, but suffice it to say it's high. Very high. No matter the environment, Diana is a
student of her crafts.
Diana would routinely be in my office for captain-coach talk giving me feedback on how the team was doing, the challenges they're facing as student-athletes, and offering ideas to spice up practice. I'll never forget the time Diana passionately expressed how she views her teammates: they are her children. She cares for their safety and well-being. She treats them as family. Diana is totally a
MOM.
Above all else though, what I admire most about Diana is that she loved being a water polo player. Here are some things I heard her say:
"I just love playing."
"I wish I could play in college forever. Year after year."
"This is my last first game of a season!"
Sometimes I would troll Diana and remind her about all the "last firsts." This was not appreciated, hahaha.
Diana plays for the love of the game.
It's impossible to sum everything up about Diana in one sitting. If you have tried, then you have also failed! You would not be doing her justice.
Sometimes I day dream and think about how amazing it would have been to coach her for four years, but then I quickly realize I am torturing myself.
Here's to you D! You're the ultimate competitor. You're resilient! You have an insatiable appetite for greatness. You're humble, a true student of the game. You're a self-proclaimed team mom!
Thank you for everything you have done and will do for the Siena program. I am honored to have been your coach and I know you will continue to honor the process forever.
Much love,
Alex
Vice President / Director of Athletics John D'Argenio
Diana,
I wish this could be a normal senior day so that everyone could salute you and your family in person. Thank you for being a member of Siena's water polo team the past four years. Your road hasn't been easy given the coaching changes, but you always managed the challenges with humility and grace. More importantly, thank you for being a terrific member of the Siena College community.
March On!
John D'Argenio
Adjustment to the Variable
Oh! Siena Water Polo Family! Hey!
We've talked a lot about how adjusting to the variable is so important. So, in a time where we are all being challenged to adjust to the variable, I wanted to share one of my own experiences.
Freshman year is the pinnacle of adjusting to the variable. I mean, you are away from home, on a new team, making new friends, the list seemingly goes on forever. Looking back, I know that I was feeling the pressure of these worries and anxieties, especially with the team. It's funny now looking back on those days because it couldn't be more different now.
As my freshman year went on, the insecurities began to melt away when I started getting in the swing of things. I had gotten an opportunity to play two scrimmage games before our season started in the second semester, I felt prepared for what my team needed from me, I understood my role offensively and defensively. But, of course, this was all about to be flipped on its head.
If you had told me that I would spend any time, let alone a chunk of the season, as a goalie, I would have laughed in your face. So, when I found myself in the goal, it was a tumultuous adjustment. Many of the things that I had begun to find comfort in were now ripped from me. I felt all of this pressure flooding back. I was scared to let my team down. I was nervous about learning a position I had never even thought of playing. I was scared of being forced out of my comfort zone.
My stint in the goal taught me more than just how much it hurts to take a shot to the face. It taught me about the importance of taking things in stride and seeing the light of the situation. Instead of looking at our season as an immediate lost cause, my teammates were able to put their faith in me and our ability to still play as Siena Water Polo.
Even though all of us had to take on different roles to adapt, we were always still Siena Water Polo. We were never "Siena Water Polo without their starting goalies," or "Siena Water Polo missing subs," or whatever the obstacle was, we always played our game as Siena Water Polo.
Obstacles get in the way of a lot, but they never get in the way of our identity. So, in this time of uncertainty and chaos, remember that these obstacles can never separate you from your identity.
On that note, here's to never having Kristen Burger be the goalie ever again!
Hope you all enjoyed this little memory from my time at Siena. Stay happy and healthy!
Best,
Kristen Burger
Siena Water Polo
Class of 2021
April 9, 2020 - Julie Schoenlank '02
Co-captain of the first water polo team in school history (2002)
The Siena Water Polo Origin Story
My name is Julie Schoenlank, class of 2002, and I was the first co-Captain of the Siena Water Polo team in the spring of '02. I can share some of the history.
Siena received a grant from the NCAA in 2001 to begin a water polo team. We had to practice as a club for the first year before we were able to play Division I. I also competed on the Siena Swimming and Diving team, and my coach at the time wanted to recruit several of us swimmers for the team he would also coach. (Ken McLaughlin). ( I agreed, even though Swimming is a very long season!). The team was mostly made up of swim team and also field hockey girls.
We would not have our equipment until the next season. We didn't have a ball, net or pretty much anything to work with. So I decided to go to Walmart and pick up a hot-pink rubber ball so we could practice! It worked for the time-being!
(Top Left: Rebecca DeVeincenzo, Top Right: Kelly Collins, Bottom Left: Angie Mead, Bottom Right: Lauren Morrison)
Fast forward to senior year. We went to our first tournament (as a Div I squad) against nationally ranked teams (Hartwick, Iona). We were still learning the rules. We didn't even know everyone's name on our own team yet... we were a work in progress!
We ended up 0-13 that season. It didn't matter- I learned so much and had so much fun! Being a swimmer, I'm used to an individual sport- you swim your own race. I had the chance as a water polo player to participate in a team sport. The field hockey girls brought a lot of the team aspect with them. We did a lot together and I enjoyed playing with them.
(Siena 2002 Roster)
I Learned how hard the sport is too. If you make a bad pass in basketball, you have to run back. Not in water polo- you are swimming back. I was in the best shape (as we made maybe a few bad passes). I loved the fact you could eat wherever you wanted after a tournament.
It was such a great experience and met so many great people. And, to this day, I'm very proud to tell people I was on two Division I Sports Teams at Siena (and Captain of both as well!).
(Left: Julie Schoenlank, Far Right: Kelly Collins)
Currently, I am a Physical Education teacher in Westchester County, NY. I am also the varsity coach for the girls and boys swim teams. I am a registered United States Masters Swimmer and have traveled around the country competing in meets and national championships (my excuse to travel!). I still love the water and always will.
Be well and keep in touch!
Julie Schoenlank
Class of 2002
(Siena Water Polo 2002 Awards Dinner Speech)
Welcome Friends and family!
I am so excited to have the opportunity to share with you what my team and I have been up to during this strange time. Although we are not physically together, our team has stayed connected in many ways. Whether it be through GroupMe or writing letters our team will continue stay in touch until we are together again.
In light of this new time off my team has found it very important we keep a daily routine to be productive. In an earlier letter Coach Alex had sent us we read an article in
The Washington Post by Jelena Kecmanovic. One tip I found most useful from the article was to create new routines. Now is the perfect time to slow down and try things that you have always wanted but didn't think you had enough time. For me, I have been baking nonstop! The Mossakowski family makes the most amazing banana bread and I am making countless efforts to recreate it on my own (practice definitely makes perfect).
I have also dabbled in the world of cinnamon roll making and brownie baking.
Kristen Burger (Des Plaines, IL) is following suit by whipping up some amazing naan pizza in her spare time.
Although we are shut in for the time being we are still athletes and we still love to stay active.
Lily Graham (Portland, OR) is doing sunrise workouts with her mom and
Coach Alex is taking daily neighborhood walks. As far as staying connected out team has even found a way to workout together.
Bianca Prinsloo (Johannesburg, South Africa) creates a Zoom Classroom so we can all workout together. You know what they say... teams who sweat together stay together!
Georgia Vargas (Whittier, CA) is surpassing all of us in the exercise category by doing CrossFit every week. As division one athletes it is important to all of us that we keep up our conditioning even if we are not at school.
I am so glad to have to opportunity to update everyone on my team. I hope everyone is staying active and healthy. These times can be pretty brutal for all of us but as long as we stay connect and keep busy we can all get through it together.
Much love,
Sophia Torres
Siena Class of 2021
March 30, 2020 - Head Coach Alex Williams
Hope You're all doing well and found a way to enjoy the weekend and stay active.
I Wanted to share a podcast interview of author and mental skills consultant, Trevor Moawad. Trevor has worked with major college football programs, NFL teams, and players. He recently wrote a book titled, "It Takes What It Takes."
The Team and I led some classroom exercises related to this and I wanted to extend the material to family and friends. The drivers of success are universal, so whether you're an athlete, entrepreneur, artist, teacher… it takes what it takes.
His simple approach to success stemmed from a conversation with NBA legend, Vince Carter:
"I had to give up choices a long time ago. Choice is an illusion. The reality of sports is that it "takes what it takes". You're either going to do it, or you're not going to do it. If you want to be good at anything, there's a path that is set and the choices are finite. It takes what it takes agnostically."
Trevor goes on to talk about players' number one struggle: negativity and how pervasive negativity is. He implores the audience to adopt neutral thinking, the ability to own the past, but affect the future by focusing on what we can do here and now.
Is it more important to be less negative or more positive? According to the research, the answer is less negative and it's not even close. If you were never positive, but learned to be less negative, it would change people's lives.
Here is a link to my full notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MwuLzG7Hl3TRRyZ4F0tj3KGs3AEaUOwXbwmwRcelsXk/edit?usp=sharing
Take care, and let me know if you would enjoy discussing.
Thank you,
Coach Alex
March 24, 2020 - Head Coach Alex Williams
First, I hope everyone and their family are staying safe and healthy. Nothing else is more important.
This morning one of my mentors reached out to me to share an article he read that was first published in the Washington Post: A psychologist's science-based tips for emotional resilience during the coronavirus crisis by Jelena Kecmanovic.
I have to admit that adjusting to an isolated lifestyle away from the team has not been easy for me. At times, it has been downright stressful. I have tapped into some of my tried and true methods for emotional health, but I have been concerned about my ability to maintain my standards over a prolonged period of time. Mostly, this is because a lot of my strategies such as heading to the weight room, grabbing a meal with friends, and going to a movie are all off the table now. It's taking more creativity than ever before to stay physically and emotionally fit.
The article I'm sharing takes a science-based approach to help all of us make the best of our new reality. It may not provide all the answers you're looking for, but it does have a lot of solid information. I urge you to give it a read, if nothing else than to give you something to do for 5 minutes.
As we all move forward, it's more important than ever that we do so together. It's going to take effort and work to stay in touch with family, teammates, and friends. As we say in our program, "sacrifice the easier wrong for the more difficult right." That effort will prove to be worth it when we come out the other side of this stronger and more resilient.
I'm here for all of you if you need anything, especially for our student athletes who are adjusting to online learning. If you are struggling, SPEAK UP. I will go to great lengths to ensure your success.
Honor the process,
Coach Alex
