California Golden Bears Athletics
Photo by: Catharyn Hayne/klcfotos
Golden Bear Spotlight - Nikos Delagrammatikas
4/24/2020 10:45 AM | Men's Water Polo, Inside The Lair
Rising Above Until The Storm Passes
Before I start describing my experience with everything going over the past month, I would like to address a couple things.
First, I would like to send my thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the circumstances that have come along with it. Second, I would like to say thank you to all the senior student-athletes who had their seasons end abruptly and didn't get the chance to finish their careers. Thank you for your contributions to Cal Athletics, and to your individual programs. Thank you for your efforts in and out of the court/field/pool. I wish you the best for the future.
For me, when everything started to unravel, a specific quote came to mind: "When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about." I feel this quote resonates with me and describes how Cal Men's Water Polo has been trying to manage the situation.
For our team, spring training was really enjoyable in all aspects. Competitiveness, camaraderie, good health - it was all there. Based on how everything was going, our group was set to build upon last year and improve heading into our 2020 season. We're currently doing our best to conserve that positive energy and be ready for when we can get back to training together. For us, whether we are sheltered-in-place or in the pool, the goal remains the same – to own the expectation of excellence. Like Coach (Kirk) Everist has told us before when challenging situations arise, "It doesn't matter, get better."
For us to get better as a group, we realized that the technological tools available to us would not serve their purpose unless we maintained our team chemistry. If there is something that our team has been developing the last year and a half, it has been culture and chemistry. Whether it's through practice or through outside activities, such as a team barbecue, our team has become very close and it shows now when we find ourselves away from each other – everyone is trying to stay in touch. Workouts, jokes, news, you name it – our group chat is as active as it gets and it keeps everyone involved. On top of this, our coaching staff is constantly trying to figure out ways of keeping us fit and connected. Whether that is a Zoom call to check in or whether it's sharing workout ideas, they are there for us. As Kirk and (assistant coach) Jeff Tyrrell have said before, our strength is in our group and our locker room. I couldn't agree more with that. We all genuinely miss hanging out with one another and that tells you a lot about our team.
On that note, I would like to take the opportunity to thank, from the bottom of my heart, all my teammates and their wonderful families that offered me and the rest of our international teammates a place to stay during these times of uncertainty. It means a lot to us and I think at the same time it tells you something about the group. Even before the suspension of in-person instruction at UC Berkeley was announced, most of my teammates had already messaged others on the team offering their houses, making sure no one stays behind.
In these difficult and demanding times, there are always good things that we can lean on until the storm passes. Think about those good things in our lives and please stay home to protect them.
Stay safe. Go Bears!
First, I would like to send my thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the circumstances that have come along with it. Second, I would like to say thank you to all the senior student-athletes who had their seasons end abruptly and didn't get the chance to finish their careers. Thank you for your contributions to Cal Athletics, and to your individual programs. Thank you for your efforts in and out of the court/field/pool. I wish you the best for the future.
For me, when everything started to unravel, a specific quote came to mind: "When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about." I feel this quote resonates with me and describes how Cal Men's Water Polo has been trying to manage the situation.
For our team, spring training was really enjoyable in all aspects. Competitiveness, camaraderie, good health - it was all there. Based on how everything was going, our group was set to build upon last year and improve heading into our 2020 season. We're currently doing our best to conserve that positive energy and be ready for when we can get back to training together. For us, whether we are sheltered-in-place or in the pool, the goal remains the same – to own the expectation of excellence. Like Coach (Kirk) Everist has told us before when challenging situations arise, "It doesn't matter, get better."
For us to get better as a group, we realized that the technological tools available to us would not serve their purpose unless we maintained our team chemistry. If there is something that our team has been developing the last year and a half, it has been culture and chemistry. Whether it's through practice or through outside activities, such as a team barbecue, our team has become very close and it shows now when we find ourselves away from each other – everyone is trying to stay in touch. Workouts, jokes, news, you name it – our group chat is as active as it gets and it keeps everyone involved. On top of this, our coaching staff is constantly trying to figure out ways of keeping us fit and connected. Whether that is a Zoom call to check in or whether it's sharing workout ideas, they are there for us. As Kirk and (assistant coach) Jeff Tyrrell have said before, our strength is in our group and our locker room. I couldn't agree more with that. We all genuinely miss hanging out with one another and that tells you a lot about our team.
On that note, I would like to take the opportunity to thank, from the bottom of my heart, all my teammates and their wonderful families that offered me and the rest of our international teammates a place to stay during these times of uncertainty. It means a lot to us and I think at the same time it tells you something about the group. Even before the suspension of in-person instruction at UC Berkeley was announced, most of my teammates had already messaged others on the team offering their houses, making sure no one stays behind.
In these difficult and demanding times, there are always good things that we can lean on until the storm passes. Think about those good things in our lives and please stay home to protect them.
Stay safe. Go Bears!
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