Star water polo player at St Peter’s makes national team

A Grade 10 learner of St Peter’s College will play for the South Africa U15 team in the upcoming Cana Zone IV Water Polo Tournament in Harare from 11 to 15 March.

Fifteen-year-old Jenna Dunstan has been playing water polo for almost four years and recalled feeling ‘really happy’ when she was called up to the squad.

Admittedly, Jenna, who has not been selected for national squad before, is finding the experience to be a bit daunting since so much is happening very fast. She recalled the first time she started playing the sport and the many ways she tried to improve her accuracy. “When I started, I would throw a ball at a single brick and now I’ve come such a long way in such a short time, and it’s still a lot to take in,” said Jenna.

Growing in the game is something Jenna has done a lot of since she started. Being a goalkeeper means more pressure and she said her mental toughness had grown with her. “I used to struggle a lot when I was younger because I would always cry and get so frustrated.

“Now I just go underwater, and not even think about the game. I just tell myself to focus. I know I can play well so I just say: just do your thing.”

Now in Grade 10, Jenna spoke about managing both school and water polo as something she had struggled with in the beginning but is now coping with the work. Early morning and late evening practices happen often. “A lot of time it’s doing work in the car or even by the pool.

“Working until midnight is not ideal, so being able to manage time is a big thing.”

Being selected for South Africa has been a goal of hers but her ultimate goal is to carry on making SA squads. “To play out of school and maybe study overseas is a big goal, something I aspire to…

“There’s always a lot to learn. Mental strength is something I still want to improve on, knowing we can’t always win and learning that it’s okay to lose.”

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