Achieving 400 career goals is an incredible accomplishment, one that many players across all sports can only dream of. But, for one Barlow High School varsity Water Polo player, that astonishing number isn’t just a record; it is now Makayla Riegelmann’s water polo career goals record. Riegelmann has put in countless hours of practice, both during and outside her water polo season; she very much deserves this achievement and has worked hard for it.
Scoring goals in water polo is an extreme challenge on its own. While treading water, you have to hold the ball in one hand while one or more opposing players are trying to push and pull you underwater. While all of this is happening, you also have to focus on communicating with your teammates, throwing the ball in a specific direction in hopes of keeping it away from the other team, and you have to try to throw it into a small goal with not only the goalie blocking your way, but several different players. But Makayla Riegelmann never failed to make it look easy, scoring several goals every game, resulting in this new 400 career goals achievement!
Riegelmann started playing water polo when she was only 8 years old with a youth club team. She was very young when she was introduced to the immensely competitive sport. This is because when her father, Michael Riegelmann, went to Sam Barlow High School, he, too, was a significant part of the water polo team. After high school, he began coaching the Barlow team in 2004 and continues to coach to this day. So, Riegelmann grew up watching him coach and fell in love with the sport, which led her to play for about a decade. Getting this early exposure to the sport set Riegelmann up to be an amazing athlete and an essential part of the Sam Barlow High School varsity Women’s water polo team. While in the pool, Riegelmann would clearly stand out as a leader and an essential aspect of her team. This landed her a spot on the Mount Hood Conference First Team. Being one of the Varsity womens’ team captains, it was extremely important that Riegelmann would help encourage, guide, push, and lead her team to perform their very best every single game.
Throughout the four years she has played for Barlow, a few things stick out to her as her favorite memories. As a very competitive person, Riegelmann, of course, enjoyed winning the games, but the family aspect of the sport was equally important to her. “Being able to be coached by my dad, plus playing and getting to practice with my brothers, was a lot of fun,” Riegelmann described. When asked who her biggest supporter was, she stated that her parents would easily take that title. She explained, “They have taken me to countless practices and tournaments in state and out over the years. And they have supported me in every way”.
After high school, Riegelmann is looking forward to heading to Hawaii for college. She is hoping to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa to study business. Reigelmann does not plan to join the UHM water polo team, but she hopes to play or coach for a local club team!
On behalf of Barlow and the Bruin Banner team, we would all like to congratulate Makayla Riegelmann on this astonishing accomplishment, and we wish her the very best in the future!
