In the age-old question of brains vs. brawn, Kristina Bergquist has discovered it doesn’t hurt to have a bit of both. Not only will she be hitting the books this fall as a rising freshman at Harvard, but she will also be hitting the pool as a newcomer on the Division I Water Polo team.
“I’m excited,” said Bergquist, 17. “It should be fun.”
While many of her peers have spent their summers on vacation, at the beach, or sleeping in till noon, Bergquist has been working hard to stay in shape for next year. As a member of the Alamo Club Team, a competitive water polo team that plays in the summer, her day begins at 7:15 in the morning for an endless routine of wet and dryland practice. Some of her drills include passing exercises, swimming events, and counterattacking formations.
And whenever there is time, she manages to squeeze in a trip to the gym.
“I go to Club Sport,” she said. “I try to stay in shape as much as I can.”
Though such a rigorous schedule may make the average teenager cringe, Bergquist doesn’t mind it at all. In fact, she wholeheartedly embraces it.
“Just being in the pool makes me happy,” she said. “There’s something therapeutic about it.”
Water polo is one of the most aggressive sports played. Participants have been known to pinch each other in the pool and even to claw at one another’s faces.
Enter Bergquist. While she may appear to be an amiable girl, she is living proof that you cannot judge a book by its cover.
“There’s some satisfaction in kicking off of someone,” she said, laughing. “It’s a good match. Maybe some tribal instincts come out. The physicality is appealing.”
The upcoming water polo season will certainly take up a large portion of her schedule, but don’t expect Bergquist to pile up a bunch of cakewalk classes. An avid fan of the classics and chemistry, she plans on majoring in history and science.
As for time management, she doesn’t believe it will be a problem at all.
“Whenever I have stuff to do, I usually manage my time better,” Bergquist said. “If I keep myself busy, I make the most of the time I have. It’s a challenge, but it tends to work out.”
In many ways, the upcoming season will simply be a continuation of the past four. From her sophomore year at Monte Vista, Bergquist played on the school’s varsity team.
While the other girls on the team were usually older, she managed to hold her own. Besides leading the Mustangs to back-to-back North Coast Section titles in her sophomore and junior years, Bergquist held the titles of “Most Improved Player” as well as “Defensive Player of the Year.”
It also didn’t hurt that she had a chance to play with some of the best players in the entire country.
“I played with people on the national team, the Olympic team,” said Bergquist. “It’s kind of cool to say that you’ve played with them.”
When college applications rolled around, Harvard wasn’t even on her radar.
“I really didn’t want to go to Harvard,” she said. “I visited Harvard junior year and I just didn’t like anything about it.”
It wasn’t a university brochure that changed her mind or even the prospect of playing water polo at Harvard. Instead, it was a solitary walk she took around the campus after she had been accepted, where she had a chance to gather her thoughts and consider her future.
The walk culminated in her buying a Harvard sweatshirt, the telltale sign of a high schooler’s plan.
“It was a good day,” she said. “It turned out all right.”
It looks like she has found the perfect place to use her brains, and her brawn.
