Water Polo, Swimming, Softball
Favorite athlete: Haley Cruse
Favorite Team: Phillies
Favorite memory competing in sports: During our Beast of the East tournament this year on Friday, we had probably the craziest game I’ve ever played. If you know anything about water polo, you know that the refs rarely take the ball out of the pool, but in our second game, they took the ball out about 5 times in the first quarter. And their goalie got rolled, which I had only ever seen happen once in my life.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: Last year on senior night, our goalie scored her first and only goal, and I was so excited I almost slipped in the pool.
Music on playlist: I grew up listening to country music, so that always has a place on there, but I’ve been listening to a lot of Zach Bryan and Noah Kahan recently.
Future plans: I plan on studying psychology and later going to grad school to become a sports psychologist.
Words to live by: Everything happens for a reason
One goal before turning 30: One thing I really want to do is go to Greece!
One thing people don’t know about me: In my free time, I like to read.
By GORDON GLANTZ
In sports, as in life, you can be your own worst enemy or your own best friend.
The difference? Not letting others rent space inside your head to the point that you are full of self-doubt.
There is no need to tell that to Souderton senior Grace Christie. As a lifelong softball player who has competed in water polo since 8th grade, while also swimming for her school, she has experienced how much sports are played from the neck up as they are with the body.
“All three sports I play are very mental sports – mental as much as they are physical ones,” she said. “That’s also why I know some of the struggles people could be going through, and I want to be able to help with that.”
A year back, she joined Souderton’s Athletic Leadership Council, under the guidance of Athletic Director Dennis Stanton.
It helped crystallize a career path to lead her to sports psychology.
“That helped me realize how much I enjoyed the mental part of sports and not just the physical part,” she said. “It’s been tough, growing up through the different sports, having coaches that I didn’t agree with or who didn’t see my full potential, but I’ve also been lucky enough to have coaches - after the coaches who put me down - who have helped build me back up.”
Filling the Void
One coach who never doubted Christie’s full potential is water polo coach Daniel Fleck, who came in as head coach at the same time Christie joined the varsity squad.
She immediately made an impact, not only as a goal scorer – at a clip of between 2 and 3 goals a game, but as a positive influence within the team.
“Grace stood out right away as someone who would take the lead in both practice and in games,” said Fleck. “She didn’t really ever come out of the pool.”
With many players graduating, she stepped into more of a leadership role this past season.
While Christie did all she could, she laments the team’s lack of success in terms of wins and losses.
“Last year, we graduated a lot of people,” said Christie, who followed in the footsteps of her older sister, Hannah (2020 Souderton graduate), who now plays club water polo at West Chester. “We had three junior starters and a young goalie. We had to gel that way, when most of us hadn’t played in games together. It was just a little tough.”
However, her impact as a leader will be important for the future of the program.
“She is vocal but also leads by example,” said Fleck. “She plays hard, but she is not afraid to speak up when someone needs to speak up. We have some more quiet girls on the team, who aren’t quite yet ready to lead, so Grace is sometimes that bigger voice.”
Top Sport
Despite her individual success on the water polo team, it is not Christie’s No. 1 sport.
She is still looking to carve out a place in Souderton’s strong softball program.
A year ago, the Indians were knocked out in a 3-2 heartbreaker against Spring-Ford in the second round of the District One playoffs.
For context, Spring-Ford went on to win the state championship.
Despite playing showcase level travel softball for the Boilermakers, Christie was not up with the varsity squad until the end of the season.
“I haven’t had the best time on my high school team, just because there is so much talent,” she said. “I shine more in travel. There is a lot of talent on our high school team.”
For what it’s worth, coach Carol Atkinson liked what she saw of Christie, with her attitude standing out.
“Grace is a super great kid,” she said. “She’s just so nice. She’s a team player. She’s always there, every practice, always looking to learn more. Wherever you put her, whatever you ask of her, she’s there.”
Atkinson will have a senior-laden team this year, with a pair of Division One commits among them, but she envisions Christie somewhere in the picture in the outfield, perhaps left or center field, but knows she can plug her in at other spots as well.
“It’ll definitely be a big season,” said Atkinson. “She’s going to see a lot of playing time and be a good asset to the team.”
Eyes on the Prize
Christie’s goal is play softball at the college level, and she hopes to do it at Catholic University, which has a Division III program.
It’s just a matter of getting accepted (she has a 4.1 weighted GPA) and getting a financial package that works.
Division III schools, while giving aid packages, do not give out athletic scholarships.
In the back of her mind, she knows she can probably play club softball – and/or water polo – at another college.
But that’s Plan B, and Christie is focused on Plan A. She is keeping her eyes affixed on the prize.
“I don’t ever see myself fully leaving that (softball) world,” she said, adding that she can stay in the sport by helping to coach at the Ambler Sports Academy where Boilermakers is headquartered. “I think I’ll be OK if I don’t play in college, but I’m really trying to.”
Making It All Fit
Christie is also in the National Honor Society, works as a cashier at Giant and as a swim coach in the summer.
She has been taking honors classes since 8th grade and has since added AP classes, accounting for her stellar GPA.
How does she do it, while playing three varsity sports – and adhering to a year-round travel softball program – and keep herself focused?
A simple-yet-tiring formula: School. Practice. Shower. Homework. Dinner. Bed.
Press repeat.
“It’s easier for me to stay on track having that kind of a schedule,” she said. “I’m much more motivated during the season. I find it easier to do my schoolwork when I have less time to put it off.”
Diving into the Deep End
Theoretically, Christie could free up her hectic schedule without the swimming team in the winter.
“Last winter, it was six days a week, every weekday and Saturday mornings,” she said. “With softball, for travel, it was Tuesday nights and also Saturdays and Sundays. The Saturdays were tough. I’d go from swimming right to softball. I actually really liked having that busy morning. I was training and feeling more productive.”
While Christie is admittedly not a nautical superstar, she helps out by competing in some relays and the 50 freestyle.
Give it up? Not a chance. Too many benefits.
“I use swimming mostly to train for water polo,” she said. “I love Coach Lou (Williams) and the whole team. I’m not the fastest, but I just like being there.”
Specifically, Christie understands that swimming helps her build strength that helps not only with water polo but also softball.
Additionally, her softball arm has made her a lethal scoring threat from a distance in water polo.
It’s a cycle that works, and she does not want it broken.
“Being in the pool helps me with everything else,” she said. “I’m not a great swimmer but softball skills come into play, with throwing.”
Beyond the physical, though, is the emotional support.
Christie tops her list with her parents, Tracy and Steve, and Fleck for providing stability to the water polo program.
“After two straight years after two different coaches, having him come in and then stay this has been beneficial for our team camaraderie,” she said, adding that all her teammates, “in all sports,” hold a special place in her soul.
