Less than a minute on the clock, and one point down, the water polo match against Palo Alto seemed hopeless. Heavily guarded and having played for the entire game, senior Summer Adler was exhausted. Yet before the timer struck zero, her teammate, senior Melody Yin, lobbed a lucky shot, scoring a point and knocking the game into overtime. Despite her exhaustion, that moment gave Summer the push she needed to keep going and help the team win the game. 

For Summer, water polo is a sport of resilience. Her flexible and resilient mindset contributes to Summer’s approach to not just water polo but life itself.

“There are mistakes that stand out more than others. You miss a shot, you mess something up, and certain teammates just freak out,” Summer said. “But it’s not really how you play in the moment; it’s how you recover. Can you come back from that and move past it? You have to just move on and be aware of it next time and not make excuses; not dwell on it unless it needs dwelling.”

Summer’s water polo journey began when her dad introduced her to the sport when she was around eight years old, signing up to play in a club. Initially, she lacked the intrinsic motivation to play and quit for a season when she was 13. However, her season off shifted her perspective on the sport as she took to swimming and kept polishing her water polo skills. 

“The summer after eighth grade, it was surprising to me that I was actually good and that I actually got play time,” Summer said. “I got better, I got played more. When I felt more appreciated, felt better at the sport, better about myself, it showed me the endurance that it takes.”

Not only did her personal improvement help her develop an intrinsic motivation for the sport, but her love for her teammates also encouraged her to work harder and play with them more. The connection she shares with them motivates her to show up to practice to spend time improving with them, and to Summer, they make practice the best. 

“My teammates are some of the nicest and funniest people that I know,” Summer said. “It’s always been my teammates who keep me playing. What’s important is the connection. I want people to think of me as someone who made them laugh, even in hard situations.”

Whether it be just striking up conversations between people or even making handmade pancakes in advisory, Summer’s attention to the people around her does not go unnoticed. Art teacher and Summer’s advisor Pilar Agüero-Esparza appreciates the energy Summer exudes during advisory to bring everyone together.

“Advisory is not always easy,” Agüero-Esparza said.  “You get a group of kids, and you hope for the best. Summer has always been one of the students whom I appreciate within the advisory because she’s always helped to bridge the gaps.” 

Close friend senior Bahar Sodeifi reflects on Summer’s warm and open personality. The two met in second grade, and Bahar admires Summer’s ability to bring levity to situations.

“I like that I can always talk to her no matter what the case is,” Bahar said. “She brings ease into everything she does, and when I talk to her, she’s able to lighten the mood.” 

Summer’s attention to the people around her branches into her role as a captain of the high school varsity girls water polo team. In charge of bonding people of different skill levels and ages, she focuses on building a sense of connection between her teammates, setting up team bonding events and trying to get to know everyone on the team. 

“You get to know people so well in such a short amount of time,” Summer said. “It’s a range of experiences so there’s a bigger age range than in club, so when the people who aren’t normally stepping up during games have their moments, that brings me so much joy.”

For senior Keren Eisenberg, Summer’s close friend and water polo team co-captain, Summer’s love for the team creates a positive environment for all members. 

“Summer brings a lot of energy through joking around with people and really energizing them by trying to appeal to their interests,” Keren said. “She motivates people through making practice super fun and enjoyable.”

For Summer, it’s not always about the victory. Instead, it’s about the connections she’s forged and the lessons of perseverance and resilience she’s learned throughout the years. 

“It’s so easy to hear that ‘oh, consistency is key’ but when you experience it, it’s different,” Summer said. “You go to the gym, you work hard every day, you get results. And you consciously do that.”