The Lancer Way: Zach Lowery
2/4/2021
The Lancer Way is a platform provided by California Baptist University's Athletic Department that allows student-athletes to share their stories. All of the words are their own.
Written By: Zach Lowery, Men's Water Polo, Sr., Fort Worth, Texas
Throughout my life, I had a dream to play water polo at an elite level. Of course, at a young age, I was encouraged to go to the Olympics, but as my future became a reality, it turned out that I was actually striving for a Division I collegiate experience.
The opportunity to grow and mature as a leader and a man of Christ in and out of the water at this level was the ultimate dream. This seemed like an easy task as a teenager, but granted, at this age, can we really fathom all of the sacrifices?
The answer is no!
Entering my freshman year, I expected college to be difficult -- yet manageable, despite a strict and busy schedule attempting to balance an engineering major along with water polo. However, that was not the most challenging sacrifice I had to deal with.
It turned out that being away from home was perpetuating feelings of insecurity and hardship. The 1,371-mile separation between the ones I loved the most and myself was not easy to overcome.
Through the first two weeks of school, Coach Kevin Rosa mentioned that he felt like I had been on the phone every second I had free time. Looking back on it, that was an accurate statement.
After coming out of Texas as the top recruit from the state, my freshman year was not as I expected. Because I had sacrificed my comfort by traveling so far from home, it was extremely hard for me to deal with my role and not being immediately influential on the team.
Frankly, I was considering for the first time if it was even worth it to keep training with the team and pouring so much into the sport. My passion for water polo was quickly becoming tested. The only option was to reach out to those I cared about for a support system.
My family, old coaches, and best friends gave me another perspective on the big picture and how patience and perseverance has the amazing potential to build character in college.
I decided to apply this advice to my life and not take a single experience for granted. Little did I know that God would use the biggest struggle in my life to make me into the confident man I am today, both in the water and out.
Zach Lowery goes cross cage to get CBU on the board.#LanceUp? pic.twitter.com/oq0t97TaJp
— CBU Men's Water Polo (@LancerWaterPolo) November 24, 2019
I look back on that time, thankful to have been tested because of what the hours of praying had led to.
Roy Bennett said it best, “Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep going. Tough situations build strong people in the end.”
In the end, I decided that I would not allow this adversity to get in the way of my passion and ultimate goal. Through the grace of God and encouragement within my support system, I pushed through into my sophomore year, where I took a giant leap as a leader as I had always dreamt of.
I am so content in and enjoying the role that I have stepped into on the team, and continue to establish new goals, such as chasing the CBU NCAA-era assist record. Thus, I would claim that my previous distress and this journey were more than worth it.
