If you combine swimming, handball, and wrestling, you get the sport of water polo, junior Carter Bosch, Varsity Water Polo player said. Bosch and players from, Elmhurst Aquatics, his water polo team outside of South, will get the opportunity to scrimmage against Vaterpolo klub Partizan, located in Belgrade, Serbia, this upcoming summer, Bosch said.

The Serbian program aims to train national team athletes at a high level of proficiency, fostering personal growth and helping participants improve as individuals, Robert Juhas, Varsity Boys’ Water Polo Assistant
Coach, said. The three-week program is well-known for being challenging, Juhas said.

“The athletes will practice twice a day, and most of their time will be spent either practicing or recovering,” Juhas said. “While the athletes will naturally become better water polo players, this trip also requires
a lot of character and adaptability. Being away from home for three weeks is always challenging, so athletes naturally become more independent and learn to overcome obstacles along the way.”

Bosch had only dabbled in swim and dive before high school, but after his peers suggested water polo, Bosch found his passion. Bosch started playing water polo as a freshman and advanced quickly, joining the varsity team his sophomore year, he said. Bosch has worked hard for this opportunity, he said.

“It will make me a better player,” Bosch said. “A coach once said three weeks in Europe is like three years here because of the coaching style and intensity. I hope I can bring that experience back and help my team next year.”

Despite the rigorous training demands of the sport, Bosch has grown as a person
because of it.

“I’ve made friends, grown closer with teammates, and learned how to work with people better,” Bosch said. “We spend so much time together that it really builds connection.”

Bosch’s mother is a key figure in his life, who supports him with the sport, he explained. She went to all 32
games he had last year, he said.

“She loves it,” Bosch said. “I always hear her on video just yelling. I love it and I love that she likes it too.
She’s proud of me.”

His ongoing perseverance and work ethic was a contributing factor in the recruitment, Morgan McDermott, Assistant Boys’ Water Polo Coach, said.

“He’s got this happy go lucky attitude, and he is always like that,” McDermott said. “You would never see
him get too up or too down, which is a really good quality to have for any athlete, but especially for water polo.”

Only a few clubs in Illinois organize these kinds of trips, and high school athletes are invited based on hard work and undeniable passion for the sport, Juhas said.

“It is going to be a fun experience for me,” Bosch said. “I’ve worked really hard for this opportunity, and I want to make the most of it.”