One of the players leading off the attack on this year’s water polo team was junior Nicolas Restrepo. Restrepo’s water polo journey began five years ago when his grandfather, who used to play, encouraged him to start.

Restrepo has just finished his third year of playing for the Gables team and is glad to have met his goals this season. This year was more of a rebuilding year due to the loss of seniors from the year before. Restrepo aimed to help build a strong team for next year.

“My goals for the next [season] would be to help the team make it to district championship and maybe even regionals,” Restrepo said.

Restrepo’s inspiration for water polo has always been his grandfather and, to this day, he wears the same cap number as his grandfather. Something that makes the sport a little more intresting for Restrepo is that he can’t see from one eye, so he always has to be more alert. Restrepo aspires to continue playing water polo after high school, and is currently looking into some club teams such as University of Florida (UF) and Florida State University (FSU).

“I would tell [incoming freshman] to join because not only is the sport itself fun but it’s great to meet new people and become close friends with your teammates on and off of the pool deck,” Restrepo said.

Restrepo isn’t just a water polo enthusiast; he is in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. He finds it important to keep up with his studies and to balance his academics and extracurriculars. With practice right after school from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Restrepo goes home immediately to do his homework. So watch out for cap number 18, Nicolas Restrepo, because he is shooting for another great season in the 2015-2016 school year.