Senior attacker Amanda Young positions herself to get open against Hartwick on March 25. Young switched from goalie to attacker and it paid dividends for Young and ASU water polo. (Photo by Molly J. Smith)Some athletes know from the very beginning what sport they are destined to play. Some take some time to figure out their calling.
Amanda Young took some time to find her place on the ASU water polo team.
Her unorthodox career path made her a senior captain and attacker for the No. 3 team in the nation.
Young started her water polo career in high school in her hometown of Fountain Valley, Calif., about 35 miles south of Los Angeles. She jumped into the pool and gravitated toward the net.
“I started playing goalie right away just because I didn’t know how to swim competitively at all,” Young said. “I could doggy-paddle but that was about it. As I stuck with water polo through high school, I learned how to swim and joined the swim team and then ended up here at ASU.”
If Young wasn’t the strongest swimmer in the first place, water polo seems like a strange choice. It was her backup sport, because she didn’t make her high school’s soccer team.
“I’m really glad I did not make that soccer team,” Young said. “They weren’t very good anyway. I love playing water polo, and I’m so happy that I got into the sport.”
She played goalie for her entire high school career, but she's now starting as an attacker for the Sun Devils.
Young explained she came to ASU as a goalie and split time with Dana Harvey during her freshman year. In her sophomore year, two new goalies were recruited and coach Todd Clapper suggested Young move to attacker.
Young said the move was in part due to her handedness.
As a lefty, the team needed an attacker to play the 4-5 side. Because that position is to the left of the opposing goalie, a left-handed attacker has the benefit of receiving the pass then shooting without throwing across her body.
Right-handers have that same advantage on the 1-2 side.
The Sun Devils needed a southpaw. Young answered the call.
She made the transition a few weeks before her sophomore season and has thrived since then. She has 16 goals and 17 assists.
Young’s best game came during her first season in the field. She scored three goals and two assists on April 3, 2011 against Fresno Pacific.
Overall, Young is happy with the switch. But she can’t help but think of playing her old position.
“Sometimes I miss playing goalie,” Young said. “I really enjoy playing the field. It’s a totally different aspect of the game. I must admit, it was a really hard transition.”
Young’s work in the field earned her a position as co-captain, which she shares with fellow seniors Alicia Brightwell and Shannon Haas.
“It means a lot,” Young said. “I’ve definitely grown not only as a water polo player but as a person. ... I’ve learned a lot more about my own strengths, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally even. I’m competing with girls that have been playing for years, and this is technically only my third year in the field. So it was a lot of stress and pressure, especially the first year, almost year and a half, until the end of last season."
Now, Young has embraced her new position and feels she fits better with the Sun Devils as an attacker.
“This year I feel like I’ve really come into my own," Young said. "I understand the game a lot better; I feel comfortable in there."
Young had hoped to continue playing competitive water polo internationally once her collegiate career ended, but she has since changed her mind.
She said she is “definitely going to play Masters Water Polo or club,” after her ASU time is done. Neither are as competitive as the NCAA.
Instead, Young intends to focus on academics.
Young has already received an undergraduate degree in anthropology. She is currently working on a master's degree in museum studies and a graduate certificate in nonprofit management and leadership.
Young plans to receive a doctorate degree in classical archaeology with a specialization in Greek and Roman studies. She wants to become a professor and have her work published.
Shifting her focus solely to academics will be a change.
Young has showed she can excel when she makes a switch.
Reach the reporter at justin.emerson@asu.edu or follow him @J15Emerson
