WATER POLO AND 'THE BIG G'

BY JESSICA RONNAU

WHEN I STARTED COLLEGE last August, I had some trouble making close friends and getting along with my roommate. So many changes were happening all at once.

My life seemed full of obstacles that were keeping me from experiencing the fun college had to offer. The biggest problem was shoulder pain while I was swimming and practicing on the water polo team. At first I ignored it because I figured the pain would be temporary, merely soreness from not playing much water polo during the summer. Although it wasn't constant, every time I got in the pool, the pain would kick in all over again. The arm circles I'd been doing daily to try to loosen up my shoulders didn't resolve anything either. During this time, I did try to pray on and off, remembering spiritual ideas I'd learned in Christian Science Sunday School. This helped, but the situation with my shoulder persisted.

After a few months of playing water polo, one Sunday night our team was swimming sprints, and the pain in my shoulders was almost too much for me to handle. I left the pool at 11:30 p.m. ready to cry, and planned to call my mom and dad on the walk home to talk.

About the author

Jessica Ronnau is a freshman at Illinois State University, majoring in math education. She plays water polo and the French horn, enjoys watching movies with her roommate, and lifeguarding during the summer.

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