It’s not often that an adolescent not only sets a lofty goal, but also maps out a plan to get there, and then puts in the dedication to achieve that goal. But that’s exactly what Righetti High School senior Caleb Sandberg did when he decided in the ninth grade that he wanted to play water polo for a Division 1 college.
Recently, Caleb got a verbal commitment for a spot on the roster of the University of the Pacific water polo team for all four years. Official commitments don’t go out until next year but the verbal commitment means if he doesn’t get into trouble he’s headed to Hawaii when he graduates.
“I was really excited. That school fit the style of playing I do, and I like the coaching style,” Caleb said.
Caleb said he played some water polo in the eighth grade but when he began laying in the ninth grade he fell in love with the sport. He was attending Nipomo at the time and decided to transfer to Righetti because of its reputation as a water polo powerhouse. He knew that alone wouldn’t get him where he wanted to go. He started playing club polo between seasons traveling to Santa Barbara to play.
He asked Division 1 players and even Olympians if he could pay them to have a one-on-one session with him. “Anyone I could get some one-on-one time with, I would.”
And he endured long practices. Morning and afternoon polo during season, and then sometimes he’d get in another two to three hours.
“Anytime I could get in the pool I would,” he said.
Of course with that schedule, when asked about other hobbies or interests, Caleb chuckles, “water polo is pretty much my life,” he said.
He credits his dad, Blair, for doing most of the driving, which allowed him to get homework done and study en route to practice.
Blair said he’s proud of his son, and that it’s unparalleled how hard Caleb worked to meet his goal.
“If you could bottle it, it would be priceless,” Blair said.
Playing with the Righetti Water Polo team has given Caleb plenty of chances to shine, but one of his best memories happened last year when the team won CIF. He said he was a starter and so he got a lot of play time. And though they worked hard he said, “It was a fun team.”
This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2016.
