Author: Mirin Fader
Standout women’s water polo player Karie Nickle (senior) looks forward to winning a SCIAC championship in her last year at Occidental, to be determined when the team plays Caltech on Friday, April 29.
The sociology major and education/psychology minor from Hawaii has been swimming competitively and playing water polo since age five.
Despite her love of swimming, Nickle chose to only play water polo competitively in high school, joining her school’s varsity team. She finds water polo much more interactive than swimming, and her favorite aspects of the sport are the competitiveness and camaraderie she has found on teams.
“It’s just so much fun and still extremely competitive. It’s a contact sport, and the refs let us play. There are six other people in the water at the same time working for a common goal, and I love that. Plus, when all your friends are playing, it makes the sport even better,” Nickle said.
Upon graduating high school, Nickle was recruited to play for the water polo team at Occidental.
“I wanted to come to Oxy because I would have the opportunity to play and still have a social life. It’s very hard to do that at a Division I school. With Division III, it’s still highly competitive, but it isn’t year round, which works really well for me,” she said.
The college not only gave Nickle the opportunity to play on the team, but it increased her confidence as a player as well.
“When I was growing up swimming and playing water polo, I was never confident in my abilities. I wasn’t really the fastest swimmer or the best water polo player on the team. In fact I was always on the ‘B’ team or was a player who sat on the bench. Not until I got to Oxy did I really gain the confidence I have now to really grow as a player,” she said.
Nickle’s teammates have played a large part in increasing her confidence.
“I love my team. We’re all close friends. Throughout the four years, the team is the one thing I can count on. I’m with these girls 20 hours a week, plus five or six more hours on top of that from weekend tournaments. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Nickle said.
During the season, the team practices twice a day every day except for Fridays. Each practice is two hours long. The team conditions in the morning, which usually consists of weightlifting, swimming laps and the most difficult conditioning exercise, “Great Bowls,” where the team runs up and down the Greek Bowl stairs, usually completing six in a row. The afternoon portion of practice consists of ball-handling skills.
The team usually plays two games a week and prepares for the Wednesday game on Monday and Tuesday and the Saturday game on Thursday and Friday.
Because of her demanding practice and game schedule, Nickle’s athletic experience taught her to manage her time effectively.
“I’ve been an athlete my entire life. I’m used to doing homework in cars and in random hours at any break I have. I get my best grades in season because I’m forced to do my work in so little time, and I get more done. There’s more pressure, but I become more diligent with my time,” she said.
Because of these skills, Nickle was able to study abroad in New Zealand the fall semester of her junior year.
Although Nickle has made the most of her college experience, coming from Hawaii, she faced culture shock her first year.
“It was very different at Oxy. I missed home. People in Hawaii are so friendly, whereas I’ve seen in Los Angeles that it’s every man for himself. But I’ve grown into the Oxy community, and now I love it here,” she said.
Nickle has also grown as an athlete throughout her time at the College. After finishing fourth her first year, third her sophomore year, second her junior year and now currently ranked first in SCIAC and Division III, Nickle is focused on winning the championship.
“This is our year. I want a championship. We have a target on our backs now. We’re not the underdog like last year anymore. We just have to keep proving ourselves and working as hard as we can to get what we want,” she said.
Though Nickle is focused on the end of the season, her future plans are set.
She will be attending graduate school for social work at Washington University in St. Louis, which has the number one program in the field. She decided to attend school at Washington University over Columbia and USC.
When she graduates in a few weeks, she will miss her teammates most.
“It’s going to be so hard to leave this team at the end of the season. I will be sad to graduate. Moving on is the scariest part. At the same time, I’m ready to leave; I feel prepared. Oxy has become a second home to me … but it’s time to start a new adventure,” Nickle said.
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