Read the whole article here https://mbird.com/religion/testimony/rejection-and-the-good-news

It was a lock, they told me.

The team would meet for its annual post-season banquet. We’d eat some pizza, our coach would hand out a few awards, and then we’d elect next year’s captains. I say captains, plural. My sophomore year there had been three. My junior year, two.

Water polo is what you call a niche sport -- in New England at least. Sunny places like California and Florida boast robust high school programs, both public and private school leagues. These states tend to feed the US Olympic roster. Up in Connecticut, though, the sport is mainly something for swim­mers to do during the off-season. No one takes it that seriously.