Ryan Rossow Takes His Talents to the Pool

Ryan Rossow Takes His Talents to the Pool

By Katie Mitchell

 

Mira Costa Senior Ryan Rossow has proven to be a force to be reckoned with in the water.

 

As a four year member of the Mira Costa varsity swim team, and a three-year member of the Mira Costa varsity water polo team, Rossow has always been most comfortable in the pool. At 18 years old, he is already a seven-time Junior Olympian for water polo and a four-time Junior Olympian for swimming. 

“It was not the easiest road, but in the end, it was worth it all,” Rossow said. “It feels amazing to be able to see how much I have accomplished, but at the same time I can’t help but feel a sense of gratitude toward everyone who helped me achieve my goals.”

 

Rossow was six years old when he began competitive swimming. He swam year-round for the South Bay Swim Team. When he was ten, Rossow was recruited for the Trojan Water Polo Club. Rossow played water polo for a year and then decided to take a one-year hiatus to focus on competitive swimming. He has played both sports all throughout his four years at Mira Costa.

 

“I stuck with swimming because I was always a natural in the water and had fun with the competitive nature of the sport,” Rossow said. “I stuck with water polo because I found the camaraderie the game gave me was unmatched.”

 

During Costa’s water polo season, Rossow is in the pool twice a day, 5 days a week with an additional 1 or 2 days of weightlifting in the gym. After the season ends, he continues training around 5 days a week for Trojan Water Polo Club. During his Costa swim team season, Rossow is in the pool 4 days a week, and in the gym for 2-3 days. In total, he usually trains for about 20 hours every week. 

 

“There is a sacrifice every athlete has to make both physically not being able to hang out with your friends who do not play the same sport as you, but also emotionally because you want to be a part of the fun, but you have to weigh what’s important to you,” Rossow said.  “I am always trying my best to balance school, training, and having a social life.”

 

According to Rossow, as rewarding as these two sports are, he finds the intensive training to be the most challenging, but a beneficial aspect. He is continuously pushing himself to new limits in order to improve. This attitude drove him to become the team captain for the water polo his senior year and the team captain for the swim team in his junior and senior years. 

 

“In water polo, we have a saying called ‘respect the grind,’”, Rossow said. “In other words, the training is rigorous and difficult, but in the end, we know it’s all worth it.”

 

To Rossow, the best thing about swimming and water polo is the competitiveness as well as the sense of camaraderie he was able to experience with his teammates. According to Rossow, it is really a sense of brotherhood when it comes to his teams. 

 

“The most beneficial part of both of these sports is the fact that I have made long-lasting friendships with my teammates,” Rossow said. “Being able to play with them through the thick and thin has brought us closer as a team.”

 

Rossow is currently committed to attending Vanderbilt University for the next 4 years as a public health major. He will not be playing either sport for his college but, he’s considering joining a club or intramural swim or water polo team. 

 

“Water polo and swim, especially in college, is really a good way to make friends and get good exercise,” Rossow said. “At the end of the day, if you love to play the sport(s) then you will be able to find others who share the same passion as yourself.”