I’m at the doctor’s office with my mom for my 7th-grade physical, standing against the wall getting my height measured. “5’11,” my doctor says, confirming that I’ve officially grown over a foot in a single year… “Shoot up like a weed” as my grandma would say.

But they also send me for an X-ray. The result — I am diagnosed with double-curve scoliosis.

I’m a kid facing a life-altering decision… undergo spinal surgery that would fuse metal rods into my spine as I grow, or wear a back brace 24 hours a day. Am I even allowed to be making a decision that big at 13?

After weighing the options, my parents and I decide to start with the less invasive choice: the back brace, to see if it could mitigate the adverse effects. With this choice comes an even harsher reality — I can’t play “land sports” anymore due to the compressive effect on my spine and the risk of worsening an already bad situation.

I have a big triathlon coming up that I’ve been preparing for for months…

Can’t I have one last go?

Am I ever going to feel normal again?

Am I ever going to feel like me again?

With some hesitation and a lot of unregulated emotions, I began thinking about what life would be like with swimming as my primary sport. I had never just focused on one thing, and I took a ton of pride in that. Playing multiple sports had given me the ability to holistically develop as an athlete because I avoided specializing early.

But without much of a choice, I turned to the water.

The Transition to the Pool

After a full year of staring at the black line at the bottom of the pool for countless yards, I’m mentally burnt out from the repetition.

Warm up. Pre-set. Kick set. Main set. Cool down. Repeat.

The physical support that my back brace had given me, now was weighing me down mentally. I’m unmotivated, uninspired, and underwhelmed by how bland the world feels compared to who I was before that doctor’s appointment.

A friend from swim had invited me to a pre-season water polo practice, it was “bring a friend” day and I was the lucky selection… or so I thought.

After that practice, I swore to my 14-year old self that I would NEVER do THAT again… How do people pick a sport like water polo?! You can’t touch the bottom of the pool… you can’t grab the ball with both hands… if you don’t want to play defense, you will most certainly pay for it… theres only a few minutes between each quarter to catch your bearings… and while doing all of this, people are trying to DROWN YOU?! I hate it…

But I keep showing up.

I quickly fell in love. The challenge, the team, the competitiveness of it all spoke to me in a way that was completely different from swimming – and every other sport I grew up doing.

The balance between the two sports is everything that was missing. I’m mentally stronger than I have ever been, and it’s all because of an unexpected finding at the doctors office.

After three years of being a dual sport athlete and creating success in both swimming and water polo, I can’t imagine one without the other. Do I have to pick just one to do in college? There’s no way to do both…

But is there?

NCAA Division-I Career

I begin my dual-sport collegiate career as a biology major at one of the most competitive universities known for sending brilliant undergraduates straight into dental, physical therapy, and medical school. Trying to manage rigorous academics, two sports, and freshman life runs me into the ground — and it does.

A question that I often ask myself arises from this specific adverse moment, “So what? Now what?”

The weight of knowing I could do more becomes the chip on my shoulder. I make the decision to step away from swimming to focus strictly on water polo, work hard in the classroom, and begin to develop exponentially.

With the rapid increase in my capabilities, my role on the team shifts, and with that shift, came a new obstacle – pressure from performance expectations.

The doubt in my abilities slowly starts creeping in — filling the cracks in my confidence, whispering its way into my mind. I go from barely touching the water my freshman year to becoming a critical piece my sophomore year.

I can execute the tactics in practice with ease. But in games, I feel the game moving at lightspeed, I can’t keep up, my head is barely staying above water.

The water has turned into quicksand. My heart rate skyrockets, my hands vibrate, and my vision pins. I feel myself spiraling; I don’t know what’s going on; everything is happening too fast.

After a few ‘quicksand’ games, I ask for help.

I’m handed a single breathing exercise and sent on my way with a smile and a pat on the back.

“You’ll be alright, Sav. It’s just a phase. You’ll get through it.”

I know I need more. There has to be more… right?

Stumbling into Sport Psychology

That spring, I sat in my first sport psychology class… and I found exactly what I had been searching for. I experimented with the concept of reset routines — what we do when the moments feel bigger than we can handle. I fell in love with the science of building composure, resilience formed through repetition, and mental clarity achieved through breathwork.

Within two weeks, I had changed my major to psychology and added several sport science classes. That summer, I was invited to try out for the national team. After a grueling week of being pushed to my physical limit — with numerous opportunities to practice my new love for mental skills training — I was selected to represent Team USA at the World University Games.

I came back to school my junior year ready to dominate and train incredibly hard that fall. I was becoming the version of myself I always knew I could be… and then I broke my thumb in practice a week into the season. And then, two days after I’m cleared to play, COVID sends everyone home. I completed my bachelor’s degree alone on my computer in my childhood bedroom.

Coach Sav

I’m sitting at home — depressed and frustrated — when my phone rings. I’m asked if I want to help coach a local girls’ water polo club in the Central Valley. Little do I know this conversation will alter the trajectory of my heart — and the hearts of so many others. The next day, I receive my acceptance letter into the Sport and Performance Psychology program of my dreams.

Over the past six years, I’ve had the honor of coaching water polo at nearly every level: youth, middle school, junior varsity, varsity, club, and NCAA Division I.

My path has been filled with bumps, sharp turns, and unexpected drop-offs… and the only way out has always been through. When your back is against the wall and you feel like there isn’t a way out… How long does it take to realize you can break the wall down behind you?

Perfect progression was never something I experienced. It was all about setbacks, fear, and finding new ways forward.

That’s why I love being a mental performance coach: to help athletes do the same — to adapt when plans fall apart, to grow when comfort feels safer, and to play with confidence no matter what life throws their way.

You can learn more about Coach Savannah by clicking the video below: