The Nexus

With two-a-days twice a week and the regular two-hour practices after school since summer, Lukas Syka (12) can already see his body slimming down. Despite his efforts to stay at a consistent weight during water polo season by eating more than usual and weight-lifting, Syka has already lost six pounds.

Having played water polo since seventh grade, Syka understands a change in his eating habits is necessary during the season.

“I’ve been playing water polo for so many years, it’s a part of my life to start significantly eating more food,” Syka said.

After a breakfast that usually includes cereal, yogurt and orange juice, Syka heads to his first morning practice. A usual brown bagged lunch for him should consist of two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a turkey sandwich, two fruit snacks, a bag of chips, a Chewy bar, an apple, an orange, a banana and a full bag of Cheez-Its.

After this second practice of the day, Syka said his mother makes sure to prepare a hearty dinner like pot roast, steak, or a bean and cheese burrito.

“It’s not that I mindlessly eat during season,” Syka said. “I notice that I eat more proteins, fats and fruit, anything that will help me in the pool.”

Like many athletes, the night before a game, Syka leans toward eating healthier carbohydrates and consumes protein shakes every day after practice.

“Just being in the water makes me hungry because I’m always working out when I’m in the pool,” Syka said.

Before high school, Syka played water polo year-round on competitive club teams. His hard work and dedication throughout the years has brought him to the position he is today; however, his choice to keep a healthy diet is a major factor that allowed him to keep going.

“No matter how much I hate it, I learned I always lose weight during season even though I eat a lot more,” Syka said. “I always want to get bigger and put on weight, or gain more muscle during season, but it’s tough because the sport itself isn’t something that allows that to happen.”

With the amount of conditioning and swimming that the sport calls for, players are more than likely to lose calories than gain muscle. Syka finds himself exercising on his own on the weekends, allowing his eating habits to continue without sporadic changes during the week.

Syka said when he’s not playing water polo, he enjoys paddling and taking yoga classes.

The boys water polo team practices consist of conditioning for the first half and ball control for the second half.

Syka said that they swim about 3,000 meters during each practice.

“It’s one thing to understand that you have to exercise as much as you can to be able to perform better, but it’s another thing to understand that a healthy nutrition that’s compatible with [the activity] you’re doing is important also,” Syka said.