Tri-season athlete, Emily Erickson, has been the one to watch throughout her athletic career at Terra Linda. This year, Erickson plays Varsity water polo, Varsity basketball, and Varsity Swim. Erickson will be swimming in her third season this upcoming spring, but in this first semester of 2023, she has excelled in basketball and water polo as a valuable player.
This fall season, Emily played as co-captain alongside Senior, Julia Hamilton. Erickson shows no struggle with holding the responsibility and title of a captain, as she displays true leadership, performing under pressure, and being a true team player. Head Coach Roland states, “Emily’s grown into a leader which is a tough role to take on. She holds everyone and herself accountable on and off the pool deck and takes the important shots when we need them. She always just does the right thing.” Emily showcased her talents tremendously this year. Throughout the season she had 20 assists, and 18 goals, with 38 points total, and a 44% shot percentage. Not only does Erickson create a lasting impact and influence on the scoreboard, but on her team as well! Roland states, “Her good attitude showing up every day just rubs off on everyone else…We were playing in a tournament in the East Bay and we went into overtime, but she said something to keep everyone engaged and focused in the game and suddenly, it got everyone fired up and we won.”
Having strong chemistry with your team is always essential to having a successful season, which she displays, especially with a sport like water polo. For this athlete, being a close team is very important. “I love the team aspect of water polo. Just being with them and getting better with them, making plays, passing, it’s my favorite part,” Erickson explains. Erickson’s teammate, Junior Haley Brown, adds, “She’s very hardworking and makes sure everyone is understanding what we’re learning and makes sure everyone is always included. She’s an amazing teammate.”
With every sport, having good motivation for yourself and your team is key to having a great performance, and continuance of your love for the game. “Sports have been part of my life for a long time, and I’ve always just wanted to work hard and try and do my best. I just want to motivate myself and do what’s best for myself, that’s just what encourages me to do good and want to get better,” Erickson states. Among many traits, being hardworking seems to be a very common theme for Emily. Her coach goes on to say, “She’s very hardworking, never says no to anything, and she’s always up for a challenge, Whether it’s a tough drill, or guarding the best players on the other team, she’s always up for it. As a coach you just love to see that because you know you can trust her and rely on her in a game to be that person in the pool who’s pushing others and not just the coach.”
This is Erickson’s first year in the Terra Linda basketball program, and first year playing on a basketball team since middle school. Her first time back in the game immediately clicked with her, “My first time scoring, even though it was a free throw, it came all back to me and it honestly just motivated me more, now I just want to score more in every game.” Even after a couple of years away from the sport, Erickson made a tremendous impact on her team’s dynamics. Head girls Varsity basketball Coach, Mary Dong, contributes, “In a month’s time she’s gone from not playing since 6th grade and now she’s starting. I think her energy and desire to get better and be a good teammate has been contagious for the other girls. It’s really impressive to see how she’s improved over a short amount of time.” Additionally speaking on Erickson’s attributes is her teammate, Junior Sammi Reno, “Emily is a very dependable teammate. You can always count on her to do her best, whether it’s making a good play, or just motivating her teammates.” Basketball, like water polo, heavily relies on teamwork, but of course, still comes with its differences that need to be adapted to remain successful. “Working as a team and communicating for both sports is very similar to me, basketball is more fast-paced. Setting my brain to that pace is the biggest change for me, there are different plays and techniques than water polo, so just applying what I already know helps.” Says Erickson. So far this season Erickson has 10 points, 30 rebounds, and 20 steals, but there’s no doubt that those numbers will continue to rise.
Erickson Is not certain about which college she’d like to attend yet but is confident she wants to continue her water polo career possibly through a club. Coach Roland has no doubts about her ability to do so. He states, “I think if she keeps going at the rate she’s at, she could play in college. She has the ability, athleticism, and the brains to play in the collegiate atmosphere.” But as this Trojan still has one more year at TL, there’s no saying how much of an impact she’ll create in all three sports. Coach Dong adds, “I think the sky’s the limit for her, I’m sad I didn’t have her for longer, but next year, she could be one of the main players on our team if not by the end of this season’’
