Jaymul Barot, a Berkeley High School senior, started playing water polo in his freshman year after being a swimmer for most of his life. Four years later, Barot is a standout driver on the water polo team and captain of both the boys varsity water polo team and swim team.
For Barot, the biggest difference between water polo and swimming lies in teamwork. “I would say I enjoy playing water polo more, just because there’s more community,” Barot explained. That community faced challenges when key players graduated, forcing the water polo team to rebuild. “We tried to work on fundamentals, so that when time progressed, they were able to mature into amazing players like we have now,” Barot said.
That leadership and mental toughness are traits Barot draws from basketball superstar LeBron James. Although water polo and basketball are vastly different, Barot admires James’ resilience in the face of adversity. As an Indian American player in a predominantly white sport, Barot has faced challenges. “It’s just a lot of white people saying a lot of things about my race, on occasion, but I just let my success speak for itself,” Barot said.
One of his proudest moments this season came in a comeback victory against Bishop O’Dowd High School, when Berkeley rallied from a 5-1 deficit to win by a single goal. Barot scored six himself. “Everyone’s pushing each other to do better and succeed, and we’re all supportive of each other,” he said.