We had a tough group, facing Brazils Olympic team, Colombia who ended up in 2nd place last championship and Uruguay. In order to meet our goals we would have to beat at least 2/3 countries. I am not embarrassed to say that we lost 33-1 to Brazil, this may sound bad for those of you who don’t know what water polo is. Peru is just starting to gain a name in water polo and doesn’t have a big budget, on the other hand, Brazil has 4 million dollars assigned just for their Olympic water polo team and have been 6 months this year in Europe practicing. I am proud to say that I played with great players such as Perrone and gained a lot of game experience after this game, its incredible how talented and disciplined this players are.
Then, we played against Colombia, a game that through my criteria was winnable. We lost this game 14-7 but I am frustrated about the final score because the second quarter ended 5-4. We didn’t know how to face the pressure of the game due to lack of experience and the game slipped away. I must say that Peru went to this tournament with 6 players that were between 15 and 17 years old and 5 out of those 4 out of those 6 were in the main team (starting players). We also had a tough game with Uruguay losing 8-4. I respect my opponent always but this score doesn’t represent Peru’s water polo level. Probably the easiest of the 3 games we had in the group section and we lost by 4 goals.
I could keep on talking about water polo for days but what I really wanted to share with you is my learning experience. With just 17 years old, I was able to attain a absolute South American Tournament facing great teams and being able to watch great players and countries face each other. I was able to measure my skills with players from different categories and found out that I am a good player and people trust in my water polo abilities for the future. Teams like Colombia, Uruguay, Chile and Venezuela congratulated me personally for my growth as a player. I learned how to understand the feelings of my teammates better and undertake moments of pressure. I got feedback from my teammates, other players, coaches, referees, everyone making me a better player and providing me with greater amount of knowledge for future occasions.
It looks like practicing 6 hours per day is not enough if I want to be the best. I am hoping to have a 2015 with better results and extreme practice routines that consume all of my energy in order to take Peru, my club and my future university to its peak.