WALNUT CREEK, CA - There is simply no other way to describe the play of Las Lomas water polo star Spencer Creed than intimidating. In fact, many players cower at the sight of Creed, who towers at 6-foot-4, possesses a wicked ability to block any ball in his path, and has a knack for graceful and accurate downline passes.
The senior, who is an unsung hero in the high school water polo community, recently committed to UC Davis where he will play as a goalkeeper next year.
However, although a formidable presence inside the cage, Creed is arguably one of the most humble and modest individuals on the pool deck.
“It’s amazing how the lessons you can learn from the sport positively influence athletes; and I think my experiences from water polo have helped play a crucial role in developing the person I am today,” said Creed.
While the high school polo season has come to a close, the senior sat down with Prep2Prep to discuss his last four years of polo, life as an student athlete, and his goals for the game of college polo.
So the last time we talked, Las Lomas had lost their NCS semi-final to Miramonte and you dislocated your shoulder. Has your injury affected your performance in the off season?
Creed: Since my injury, I haven't missed a day of training. I make sure to get in the pool everyday, and on the occasions I can’t; I spend them stretching and strengthening my left shoulder. I have managed to keep from losing leg strength and maintaining my goalkeeping abilities by going behind the cage and "taking" shots. At this point I am working on any weaknesses that I can fix in my current condition, in the hopes that I will be able to return, if anything, better than I left.
How does it feel to commit to UC Davis at this point in the school year?
Creed: To commit is the best feeling I've had in a long time. For the longest time, the search for colleges has been up in the air, and to finally have my decision solidified is one of the greatest feelings I can describe.
What are your goals for the future in terms of college polo?
Creed: In college I would love to win a championship, aside from that, I want to become the best that I can be. To me that signifies taking my level of play to the absolute highest I am capable of. Whether that means playing in college, the olympics, or professionally, I do not yet know.
Let’s talk about your high school polo career. Who was the biggest influence?
Creed: Out of everyone in my life, one person has always been there for me, and that is my father. He was a goalie both in high school and in college (UC Davis), and has always been my biggest fan and teacher. My dad was the one to get me into the sport, drive me to the countless practices, and teach me everything that I know about polo. Without him, I would not be the player nor the man I am today.
Who is your biggest motivator behind your future ambitions besides your dad? Fans? Mom?
Creed: My greatest motivator is not a person nor group of people, but rather an expectation. I expect greatness from myself. No individual nor team will get in the way of what I have set out to accomplish.
We've talked a lot about your experiences, but have you had a significant moment that changed your life and outlook of the game?
Creed: I played polo in Montenegro during the summer, and my experience overseas was eye opening. First of all, success doesn’t come easily, and my experience was not all fun and games. I was nothing compared to the players in Montenegro, and I got my butt handed to me. The first two weeks were terrible, awful, and I felt like I was going to die. However, after those two weeks I started to improve quickly and that was the best part about the whole experience. Although I have improved, my success didn’t magically happen over night. People don’t magically go over there and get better. But it has influenced me to work even harder. When I came back, trying to stay at that level was so hard because water polo in the United States is at a much lower intensity compared to Montenegro. It’s easy to cheat, and fall back from the lessons you’ve learned. All that work can be lost very quickly, but it has equipped me with the drive to work hard inside the pool.
Besides that, have you had any memorable experiences in Montenegro? Games? Practices?
Creed: This past Summer was full of very meaningful practices, but all for very different reasons. The first was around the two week mark. I had been there ten or so days and was getting handled quite routinely, but on this particular day the guys decided to mess around with me a bit more than usual. One man, Ugljesa, is a very talented lobber, and he took and scored three lobs in a row on me. Seeing this, the entire group joined in and scored, probably, about twenty lobs during the remaining thirty to forty minutes of practice. Outwardly I was absolutely livid, but in the inside I was dying of embarrassment and shame. I came back the next day vowing to not allow a single lob and to shut out the man who started it all, Ugljesa. He did score once or twice the next day, but after that no lobs from anyone.
The next day that comes to mind revolves around my favorite Montenegrin in the world, Arsenje. Arsenje is not only the starting goalkeeper for Montenegro's Seventeen and Under National Team, but he also plays professionally for Primorac. There was one day where he took me through a grueling two hour leg set. I kid you not, two hours of straight work. I have never been in so much pain in my life. He showed me what it takes to be the best and I will not soon forget it.
Lastly, one of my final days in Montenegro really stands out to me. After about six weeks I was astronomically better than I had ever been and I was finally showing it. I was practicing with the professional team and the guys shooting on me couldn't get a thing by. A good friend of mine watched from the sidelines for a good forty five minutes until my practice was over and when I hopped out he came and spoke to me about my play. He approached me and went on to tell me how much I had improved since my arrival in his home town. He told me how proud I should be for what I've accomplished and that the guys all can't wait until I come back. Hearing all this from him really solidified what I went to Montenegro to do.
I’m interested in finding out more about your life as a student athlete. How have you managed to balance school while being a star athlete? Have the rigor of academics and grades been an obstacle?
Creed: In school I have made sure to focus on my strengths. My classroom forte is language and I have made the most out of my abilities. I've gone through Spanish 1, 3, and 5, french 2 and 3, and now Japanese 1 in hopes to both prepare myself for my college major and to raise my gpa to that acceptable of a school like UC Davis. I may not have taken a million AP's, but I am positive that I have prepared myself for my college experience.
What is one problem you are best at solving for your teammates? What do your coaches and teammates ideally say about you?
Creed: In the water I love to talk. In the game of polo, communication is crucial. If there is one thing that coaches or teammates often refer to as an ability and skill of mine that benefits my team as a whole, is my talking. It is always my goal to never shut up throughout the entire game. I take it upon myself and greatly enjoy individually telling each player on my team when, where, and how to go where they should and what to do once they get there. I really enjoy how quickly it makes me think. I have to instantly to process the entire situation, create a game plan, and then make my players do whatever it is I came up with. When I am able to improvise a defensive game plan, which my team has never heard of, nor practiced, that is able to bring down our opponents pre planned offensive game play- it is one of the best feelings I can describe.
You talked a little bit about how polo comes before anything, has that interfered with personal relationships? Friends? Girls? At home?
Creed: If anything water polo hasn't halted me from making relationships, but the exact opposite. I came to Las Lomas knowing about five people, and not one of those people was in a single one of my classes; but regardless of how my school days went, I had an entire group of guys to train and bond with. My teammates took me in, made me one of their own, and forced me to meet many new people. Without them, my high school career would have been drastically different.
With girls in particular, however, I wouldn't say water polo has stopped me from building relationships. The first thing I imagine people say when they talk about me to someone who has never met me is, "He's a water polo player." First and foremost, everyone around me knows that, to me, water polo is number one and that I will make no exceptions for anyone. That in mind, no girl has ever once, to my knowledge, been angry or hurt by the fact that if I have the choice of going to practice or on a "date" I will always choose practice. That could, however, also be the reason I have never had an official girlfriend, but what ever, who knows!
If you weren't playing the sport, what would you be doing?
Creed: If I wasn't playing water polo I'd probably be dead. At this point letting it out of my life isn't an option. However, if water polo had never been a part of my life, I think right about now I would be freaking out about what college I am going to. If I didn’t have the backbone of a sport behind me, it sounds terrifying and I feel for everyone that has to apply on academics alone.
Favorite pregame ritual?
Creed: My pregame rituals have become a thing of the past and have been replaced by a routine. I eat the same food, drink the same amount of water, do the same stretches, and in general prepare exactly the same way before every game. Doing so has really helped me, because as I walk onto every pool deck I know for a fact that I am ready to play. As long as my head is in the game there is nothing that can get in my way.
How would you define success?
Creed: To me success is achieving your greatest goal. I don't think until you've reached said goal you've accomplished comparably anything.
Greatest fear as an athlete?
Creed: My greatest fear is by far injury. Without water polo my life would take a drastic turn for the worst. From my college plans to general contentment with life, water polo is an integral part of my future that I can not afford to lose. The thought of watching everything you've worked hard for your entire life, and be thrown away for nothing is by far the scariest thing I can imagine.
