On November 10, 2018, the Newberg High School boys water polo team won the Oregon 6A state championship for the FIFTH consecutive year. Very few high schoolers can say they played in a state championship game. Even fewer can say they WON a state championship. What high schooler gets to say they won the state championship EVERY SINGLE YEAR they were in high school? My boy and his buddies. That's who.
End of the season banquet
Last year's state championship game vs. Lakeridge was intense and hard fought. Read the details here. Lakeridge's league MVP graduated, but they returned a big chunk of their starting lineup. Newberg returned our entire starting lineup, minus one. The Fab Five - who all lettered as freshman and helped their team win an unexpected state championship - were now all seniors. They would accept nothing less than a fifth state championship. Early in 2018, they started a hashtag: #5x. It was their reminder of the season goal.
Fab Five at a photo session we did before the season started
Training for 2018 started the day after they won the state title in 2017. Almost all the water polo boys swim for the high school team in the winter, and they aren't slow. They helped lead their swim team to Newberg's first ever district championship in the winter of 2018. They also sent a ton of water polo player/swimmers on to the state meet. #attakids
Cheering on the final relay to seal the win
District Champs!
Spring is when club season ramps up. Newberg Water Polo Club's team is basically our high school team with a couple of additions that come from other towns. Our high school team battles it out against club teams stacked with the best talent from all the local Portland schools and still wins. A lot. These boys are good.
Spring session bleeds right into the summer season. All summer long, our kids trained: in the pool; dry land; sometimes twice a day. Grant had four part time jobs (three on farms and one for an event company), because they are all willing to flex around his high maintenance water polo training schedule. In July, the boys traveled to California to play in the Junior Olympics. They anticipated getting crushed by the strong, stacked California club teams, but surprised themselves and won several games. #attakids
Fab Five at the Junior Olympics (we didn't go so I copied this from Grant's Instagram feed).
High school season officially started mid-August. By the time Day One rolled around, our kids were already in incredible shape. They were strong and experienced, and it showed. They crushed every opponent they faced. No one could touch their impeccable defense and strong offense. Every single one of their starters can score. When one was double teamed, they'd get the ball to the open player who would score. Their talent goes so deep into their bench. Newberg was the team to beat this year and it would take a GOOD team to do it.
The first close game they had was against Johansen, a California team, in the championship game of our home tournament. Johansen expected to come to Oregon and win the tournament, but they couldn't keep up with our boys, so they played dirty. It was ugly to watch, but our boys kept their composure and systematically dismantled them, winning decisively 10-3. #ATTAKIDS!
Home Tournament Champs
Lakeridge was last in our league rotation. We faced them first in their shallow-deep pool. The game was all we hoped it would be. Lakeridge came out firing and scored three, quick, unanswered goals. It was the first time all season our boys had been behind in a game. Newberg adjusted their defense and started chipping away at the lead. The game was intense and highly physical. Late in the game, Grant scored from the hole to tie it up.
Lakeridge and Newberg both scored once more, sending the game into overtime. Lakeridge scored first in overtime, putting the Tigers in an unfamiliar come-from-behind scenario. But I was confident.
I spend a lot of time with these boys. This was their senior season. Defeat was not an option. With two minutes left, Zach scored back-to-back goals, leading the Tigers to an 8-7 victory. It was so exciting! Everyone in that building knew this game was a preview of what should be the state championship matchup.
Five days later, our boys took their undefeated season to a tournament in Washington hosted by Curtis High School. The Curtis boys' team had a win streak of more than100+ games going. They were big, strong, and experienced with a bunch of seniors on their roster, just like Newberg. It was the number one goal of our boys to beat Curtis in their home pool. And THEY DID IT! Snapped that Curtis win streak with a 10-8 victory in the championship game, and kept Newberg's undefeated season rolling. I got to be an official chaperone for that trip and it was a highlight of the fall for me to have my Sequoia filled with these boys that I have come to love like my own sons.
Tournament Champs at Curtis
The following weekend Newberg and Lakeridge both traveled to Modesto, California, to see how they matched up against bigger, stronger, better California teams. Curt and I always said, "When Grant is a senior, we'll go on the California trip." You better believe we got ourselves down to California to be Those People cheering in the stands for every game and sending play-by-play updates to the parents back home.
Oregon teams typically go to California expecting to lose, but with the intent to learn from playing more experienced teams. The Modesto tournament setup puts all the weight on the first game. If you win your first game, you move into the winners bracket and the worst you can get is 8th place out of 16 teams. Lose your first game? The best you can get is 9th place.
Every single team our boys faced this tournament was big, strong, and experienced. Lincoln was our first opponent and Newberg won 10-7! Our second game was a rematch against Johnansen. Johansen was out for revenge, but Newberg controlled the entire game and won 10-8. All the boys played great, and Grant scored a lot. Here's a video summary of his highlights from day one.
Their third opponent was Granite Bay, a constant California powerhouse. Granite Bay sent Lakeridge to the losers bracket in the first game to battle for 9th place. It had been years since Newberg beat Granite Bay. There was a lot riding on this game and we all could feel it. We expected an epic battle, but our boys destroyed Granite Bay 10-4. And just like that, our boys found themselves in the championship game of a California tournament!
Our opponent in the championship game was Davis. Davis' star player (who Grant was assigned to guard), plays for the USA national water polo team and is committed to a Division I college team. He was HUGE and scored a goal with three Newberg players draped all over him. But somehow after that first goal, we contained him and stayed in the contest.
Davis was up for the majority of the game, but our boys did not quit. They battled back to tie it 2-2 at the end of the first quarter. Got behind by three goals in the second. Scraped their way back to within one goal with 59 seconds left in the game.
We had possession and were setting up an offensive play, but Davis stole the ball, then went down and scored to secure the victory. Davis handed our boys their only loss of the entire season (5-7 final score) in a game that came down to the last handful of seconds. We were so proud!
The boys left California exhausted, but confident. They knew they had what it takes to beat Lakeridge and win state. Now they just had to do it.
Me with the Fab Five in Cali. I just love these boys.
Second place - Modesto Tournament
Three days later, Newberg and Lakeridge met for the final contest of the regular season in our home pool. It was senior night. It was surreal to be buying balloons and making a poster for Grant, OUR senior. I put "5x" in the bottom corner of his poster then pulled myself together to go to the game.
You know it's a big deal if I attempt a craft. Crafts are not my thing.
Our fam, minus Alli plus Britney
Grant and his sisters
our boy.
One by one, they announced each of the TEN seniors (four girls and six boys). They ran through a tunnel of their teammates to their parents and family members waiting with hugs and treats. After the fanfare, the boys got in the water and dismantled Lakeridge 11-4. It was never even close. What a way to finish out their season and secure another league championship.
our senior. #allthefeels
Our boys rolled through the district tournament, trouncing their opponents 18-2 and 20-5. Everyone on the roster got to play in both games. The following Friday was the state semi-final game against Westview. Grant scored SIX goals and helped lead his team to a 21-9 victory. Again, everyone on the roster got to play.
After the semi-final victory
Grant's cheering section for the semi-final game. SIX goals for our boy.
His sisters and the Menke's
Lakeridge had a similar trip through the district and semi-final games. No one could touch them.
A showdown was on.
Saturday night, November 10th, at 7:00 p.m. both teams stood on the pool deck at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center and faced a packed house. It was standing room only and it was LOUD.
Fab Five have cap numbers 1-5.
for the state title game, they announce every player before the game starts.
TIGERS!
wall to wall fans.
Both teams came ready to play. Lakeridge scored first and the game quickly became a defensive battle. The teams traded goals and came into half time tied 3-3.
Newberg's defense shut out Lakeridge's offense for the second half of the game.
At the end of the third quarter, the score was 4-3. Newberg had the advantage but Raleigh, one of our senior starters, was out on ejections. Oz, one of our three juniors in the starting rotation, had to step up and fill the void. He excelled.
Grant - after his stellar performance in the state semi-final game - was double and tripled teamed the entire game. The Newberg boys trust their teammates and they exploited this game strategy, dumping the ball to their open teammates. Nathan and Alex - the other juniors in the starting rotation - made Lakeridge pay. Together, they combined for five of Newberg's six goals! Back to back goals in the fourth quarter by Nathan and Alex put the exclamation mark on the victory, but Newberg's defense had to finish it out. Lakeridge fought to the very last second in a game that was billed by the media as "one of the best state championships Oregon has ever seen." Final score: 6-3.
Grant and Dane
Acknowledging their fans and holding up five fingers for FIVE TIMES
Celebratory jump in the pool with the coaches
Fab Five with their trophy
Each member of the Fab Five earned all league and all state honors, and Wilson won MVP of the state for his incredible performance in the goal. Grant took home first team all league and first team all state honors. We are SO proud!
First Team All League. First Team All State. Atta kid!
Our family on this incredible night.
Dad and Marcy came from Bend to watch G play.
It was a fairy tale ending to one incredible high school career. I stood on the pool deck, bawling, with my phone in one hand videoing the celebration, and my camera in the other snapping photos.
I never doubted for a second that our boys would win. This was their senior season. They wanted 5x bragging rights and they got them. They also earned a 34-1 season. Nearly perfect.
In Grant's lifetime, I have watched hundreds of water polo games. And yet, I would watch hundreds more. I have loved every second of watching my boy and his best buds morph from little boys into grown men. Throughout the journey, their character has developed too. These are good boys. Do they make mistakes? Sure. But they are kind, inclusive, hard working, athletic, and oh so fun. I have loved being a Super Fan.
Little baby water polo player Grant
Senior water polo player Grant and state champion
Celebrating the victory at Abby's. Love my boy.
Well done boys. You know we parents are proud of you, but it's not just us. On December 3rd, the boys were invited to a Newberg City Council meeting. The mayor and council members honored them for their successes and declared, "the citizens of Newberg are proud of you."
December 3rd - honored by the city
It's the end of the era for the Fab Five. Wilson will head off to the Marines and Raleigh off on his mission for his church. Dane, Zach and Grant are in the thick of college applications, but none of them are convinced they want to play college water polo. How could you replicate the brotherhood these boys have formed? It will be interesting to see where they end up and if water polo continues to be an active part of their story.
Pre-season photo session
End of season banquet holding five state champion trophies
Wilson - #1
Raleigh - #2
Grant - #3
Dane - #4
Zach - #5
Years from now, we will all still talk about the Fab Five and their epic journey from unexpected freshmen champions to dominating senior stars.
You are halfway through your senior season of water polo. Undefeated still and working toward your dream of being state champions every year of your high school career. Your season gets tougher tonight: a repeat of last year's state championship game and then some tournaments with good competition in the next two weeks. This morning on my run I was praying for you and felt compelled to write you a little love letter.
I am a Super Fan, and not because you win all the time, though that is pretty awesome. I am a Super Fan because of the young men you are and the young men you are becoming. Are you perfect? Heck no. But you are fun, smart, hard working, kind, and inclusive. I have thanked God often that he gave me all these "sons" to love. The brotherhood you have is unique. You will carry these friendships with you into the rest of your life. What a gift!
You boys - especially the seniors - have stepped up to mentor the younger players. When you were freshman, the older players believed in you, coached you, and included you as equals in spite of your youth. You boys are now carrying on that tradition. I kind of want to burst with pride over all of it. Stay kind.
You work hard. When I saw your freshman year practice schedule, I was skeptical. It seemed too intense. Too hard. Too much. But you stepped up to the challenge and got stronger every day. All year long. For the past three years, you have built upon a foundation of hard work and mental stamina.
Six days a week of practice with weight belts and extra swim sets before or after games? Those early morning weekend and late night practices? Insanely hard, but you do it without complaining. Your work ethic is remarkable. It's a life skill you will come back to over and over. You have trained yourself to show up: on the good days, the bad days, the tired days, the sick days.
You boys are in the best shape of your lives and it shows. It is so fun to watch you string victory after victory together. But I would be remiss if I didn't give you a motherly warning. Don't get cocky. The Bible says, "Pride goes before a fall." Arrogance is ugly, but humility?
Humility is so, so attractive. Be humble.
Keep your cool. When things get rough in the water, stay classy. Don't resort to playing dirty. You don't need to do that to win. Rise above that stupid stuff and let your play speak for itself.
When you get tired, trust your training. Pull from that reservoir of physical conditioning and mental stamina. If you're exhausted, I guarantee your opponent is too. It feels hard because it IS hard. But you? You can do hard things.
No one cares about your dream the way you do. *
Only YOU can make your dream a reality. So get after it.
Tonight is a big night. It's going to be fun to watch you. Win or lose, I want you know I love you and how proud I am to cheer you on. Let's do this.
Love,
Momma Jodi
*adapted from Rachel Hollis' book Girl Wash Your Face
Tuesday, September 18, 2018, was an extraordinary day because of some beautiful, ordinary reasons. Let me tell you why.
Grant
GRANT: On Tuesday, September 18th, I took Grant's high school senior portrait session. It was surreal for both of us. The saying about the days being long but the years flying by felt like a big fat lie in the early days of toddlerhood, but it really is true. The past three years have been one lighting-fast blur of life and activity. My son - the one who gave me the title of Mom - is a month into his last year of high school. He has grown into the coolest kid. When we sat down to plan his senior session, we realized just how varied his passions are. Water polo. Drums and music. Our dogs. Skateboarding. Surfing. Snowboarding. His girlfriend. AP classes and engineering. How on earth could we include them all in his senior session?
I meet with all my high school seniors for a pre-session consult where we creatively collaborate and go over a preparation checklist. One thing I stress is to plan outfits and gather props beforehand so they can actually enjoy the day of their session. Grant was also required to attend a Senior Consult appointment in my office, but did he remember to gather his props or lay things out the night before? No way. The morning of his session he was bringing piles of clothes and shoes downstairs asking, "What about this?" and "Mom... we have to get to school early so I can see if I can borrow a drum for some photos..."
His absent-mindedness can be aggravating at time, but mostly it's endearing. One of my favorite moments of the day was when Grant grabbed an off-white sweatshirt from the back seat of the Sequoia to change into for his next outfit. It was stained with pizza sauce and dirt. His face fell into a kind of embarrassed but mostly amused smirk and he quipped, "Whoops. Forgot I spilled pizza on that. Guess I'll wear something else." No negative emotion or drama about something he couldn't change anyway. Grant lets things roll off his back. It's something I have always admired in my son.
We finished Grant's senior session at the beach because the boy was made to be in water. Thankfully we shot most of his session along the route to the beach because as soon as his eyes caught sight of the surf, I lost him as a willing participant. His mind was already in the water. He changed into his wetsuit and immersed himself in the cold Pacific Ocean, paddling deep into the powerful water to catch one wave after another. Lunch at a local coffee shop and deep, insightful conversation on the drive home finished out our time together. This time with my boy is a precious memory I will revisit for years to come.
About to head home from a really fun time together.
Katie Joy
KATIE: Katie is a junior this year. Katie quietly sets ambitious goals and accomplishes them. Earn a varsity letter in lacrosse her freshman year? Check. Take high level AP classes, get A's and make it look easy? Check. Get her license on her 16th birthday? And land her first job that required an interview? Check and Check. Katie is crushing this thing called life, and she does most of it with a smile on her face. Last year, she started feeling bad. The chronic exhaustion and brain fog complicated her life as a student athlete. In the process of helping her feel better, Katie set a new goal for herself: choose joy. It's hanging on a plaque in her room and often written in marker on her mirror. My girl - in spite of still not having full energy reserves - has regained her joy. It splashes out of her and all over the people lucky enough to be around her. On Tuesday, September 18th, she was voted Captain of the JV soccer team. I am beaming with pride. Atta kid!
Alli
ALLI: Alli is a freshman this year. Athletics are Alli's thing. She loves All the Sports and is good at them. Exercise, for my girl, is therapeutic. She has been waiting and waiting to play high school sports and was thrilled when she made the JV soccer team. It meant she and Katie got to be teammates, and they work so well together. They both play the left side of the field, Katie on defense and Alli on offense. It has been so fun to watch them work together and cheer each other on. An added bonus is that being on the same team meant one soccer schedule for two players and a teenage driver in Katie to shuttle them back and forth to their practices and games. It was heavenly. But on Tuesday, September 18th, all of that changed. Alli got called up to the varsity roster for soccer.
When I found out about this decision, I experienced a giant range of emotions. Intense pride for my Alli. To be added to the varsity team as a freshman is a huge honor. But I also felt instantly sick about how Katie would feel about being passed over by her younger sister. And what about the other varsity players and their parents? How would they feel about a freshman coming up to play on an already full roster? What if Alli takes playing time over their kid? I spent the better part of a day fretting about all of it and then I remembered a quote from Rachel Hollis's book Girl Wash Your Face. "Someone else's opinion of me is none of my business."I made a conscious choice to let that stuff go, rallied my inner circle to pray for Katie, and waited for the news to drop.
But my Katie Girl... she humbles me with her depth of character. It didn't even cross her mind to be jealous or angry. She came running across the field, arm around Alli, and with a huge smile declared,"Alli's on varsity now! I'm so excited for her." I'm crying just writing this. The high school version of me would not have responded that way. Heck.. the grown up version of me probably wouldn't have responded that way. I would have been angry. Pouty. Jealous. But not my Katie. She is teaching me what it means to be gracious and supportive. What a gift to learn character development from your child.
Tuesday, September 18th, our Alli Girl made her high school varsity sports debut. I sat with goosebumps and butterflies in my stomach as I watched my Baby Girl run out onto the field when they called her name. Alli is strong, capable, and fast. She is hard to push off the ball because she knows how to stand her ground. I thought my heart would burst with pride as I watched my daughter stand hand in hand with her teammates as the national anthem played. And then she got called to play! Alli played in that game and held her own against girls who might have more soccer skills, but could never rival Alli's heart.
You would never look at that strong, athletic, confident young woman and know that she was once fragile... crippled by anxiety and panic attacks. Alli is who she is today because she walked through the fire of deep suffering and chose to look it in the face and say, "Not today. Not again. Not in my house..." She is a warrior, on and off the athletic field. She is one of my heroes.
Paige
PAIGE: Paige is in 7th grade, squarely in the middle of middle school. I am so thankful she's not doing anything earth shattering to my heart and emotions right now. Thankful that like usual, she is steady and predictable. Our Paige brings her easy-going, big smile into her academics, her athletics, her siblings' activities, and into every other facet of our daily lives. She is joy and sunshine, wit and intellect. I adore her. On Tuesday, September 18th, Paige did nothing spectacular. She came home from school and gave me a hug as I headed out to the soccer games. Thanked her carpool for the ride to soccer practice. Thanked her brother for the ride home from soccer practice. Did her homework. Played games on her phone. Showered. Read her book and her Bible. Did her chores and everything we asked of her. Nothing spectacular, but everything amazing. What's not to love about that? Atta kid!
My kids will probably be embarrassed when they find out I wrote all this mushy stuff about them. I guarantee I'll get at least one, "That's so embarrassing Mom. WHY?!?!?!" accompanied with an eye roll. But I'm not going to stifle my delight in my kids because it's not cool or because there's a possibility other people will think it's braggy. I am insanely proud that I have had anything to do with the beautiful humans my children are becoming. I am so thankful to Jesus for redeeming my brokenness and failures as a parent and growing our kids to be who they are, in spite of who we are. My prayer is that the overarching story line of their childhood that they will take with them into adulthood is one of love, grace, forgiveness and joy.
Yesterday (which was NOT September 18th), my husband and I were talking about dreams. He didn't think I had any because I'm so practical. But you know what? I'm living my dream. When I was a little girl, my dream was to be a wife and a mom. By the grace of God, I am married to the kindest, most steadfast, faithful man on the planet. God's gift to me to be a mom not once, not twice, but four times? Indescribable joy. THIS was my childhood dream and I am living it out.
And then there's the extra stuff. The stuff that I never could have dreamed up on my own if I had tried. A business owner with the best clients and a flexible schedule that still allows me to be a Mom first? The best surprise! That Crazy Person who runs every day year after year? Never on my radar, but it's now a dream I embrace every single day.
Tuesday, September 18th, was a culmination of dreams. Mine. My kids.
What's your dream?
May I encourage you to live into it? Take the steps necessary to start actively pursuing it. When you do, ordinary days - like Tuesday, September 18th - become days you will cherish for a lifetime. In Newberg as it is in heaven...
