InINthethe Spotlight spotlIght
SASK EXPORTS BOUND FOR GOLDEN STATE By Jenn Smith Nelson
Alexandra Massier
Lorrie Dobni
by Lee Parent
The two super talents are also current teammates. When looking to schools in the U.S., it was clear for both the right team fit was priority. “To have a close team bond was important to me and I just felt very at home with the Long Beach girls,” said Massier. Yule also stated her choice was made on feeling right at home at Northridge, and added that the team “had great values and I felt like I fit in.” That team bond, said Massier is of the utmost importance. She also noted other key characteristics, which aided her accomplishments as a water polo athlete, such as personal development, self-discipline and drive. But the nod to the tight knit team was a reoccurring theme from both Massier and Yule.
Have you ever heard the expression ‘there must be something in the water’? Well, in Saskatchewan’s case, it’s true. The province will soon be shipping off two of its richest and celebrated water polo exports, athletes Alexandra Massier and Amy Yule. The Regina born pair has certainly made a splash in the world of water polo. Soon enough they will be heading off to California colleges on full sports scholarships thanks to 18 collective years of hard work and dedication in the sport. Although water polo seems to have a bit of a lower profile compared to other sports in the province, there is no question on the extreme physicality it takes to reach the top tier. Games last about 45 minutes and require players to tread water for several minutes at a time, while playing strategically and defensively. Meanwhile players watch and read every teammate’s moves anticipating consequent actions. At the top level of the sport, players have learned precisely how and where their teammates want the ball. They come to understand each other almost as well as they know themselves. That type of teammate dependency is something Massier and Yule have come to know and expect after years of playing the sport at a national level. For the duo to play at such a high level requires serious time commitment with practices occurring during every ounce of spare time, including lunches. Training about 15 hours a week, Massier and Yule attend seven practices, including lunch practices on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with night practices every night except Friday.
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FOR SASKATCHEWAN WOMEN | VOL. 3 ISSUE 5, MAY 2014
Massier, 18, started her career in the sport at the young age of 7 after happening upon a promotional flyer from school. Now with 11 seasons under her belt, her teammates have simply become her best friends and other family. And although leaving the group is indeed a significant change, the opportunity to live somewhere new and learn new skills from a new batch of girls is a prospect that excites the teen. Massier will be adding her acceptance and scholarship at Long Beach State University in California to a long list of accomplishments in water polo. She has played in eight national championships with Team Saskatchewan and this past summer, had the opportunity to join and experience international play with the Canadian Junior National Team. Proudest moments for Alexandra include being named Most Valuable Player at the 2013 Alberta Open and making the starting line up alongside Amy, for the Junior Pan-American Games in Argentina last year, where the team placed second. Without question, Massier is a motivated and ambitious spirit. She shared however, that it is her sister who provides her with a great deal of inspiration. Another natural born athlete, Massier’s sister Kendell has proven her ability in a number of sports, often times reaching national level finishes only to find that she wants to try something new. After years of competing in gymnastics and diving, she is now onto rowing. “To have the courage to quit something your good at to find something else you “might” be good at it, is so brave. That is courage and perseverance.” Perseverance and hard work are words it would seem well understood by the Massier household. Amy Yule’s inspiration however, draws a direct line back to her team and their accomplishments. “I have been with the same group of girls for so long that when I see someone go on and play with the Senior National Team, and another go and play