Raney is drawn to the sport of water polo due to the camaraderie and her teammates. “I love the social aspect of water polo,” she said. “Playing team sports has allowed me to develop socially, and develop longlasting friendships through sport. Also, the pursuit of excellence in the sport in general. Working on perfecting my craft and pursuing permanent excellence since you can’t be perfect in everything.”
She competes for NC Vouliagmeni in Greece. “Greece is an amazing place,” she said.
For young and aspiring water polo players, Raney said, “Don’t be afraid of failure because failure is often where you see your biggest strides. Also, have fun with the sport because it’s a team sport and that makes it even more rewarding.”
Raney spoke about the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I was disappointed initially because we put so much work into the first seven months of fulltime training, but reflecting on it now, I just see this as an opportunity to get even better and get to know the girls I am playing with even more, so the connections will be even stronger. My water polo skills will be more enhanced by then and I will be more confident by then. We are only going up from here,” she said.
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she said, “Personal Development.” “Everything is an opportunity at this point,” she explained. “Now, I have the time to focus on myself. I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts and I’ve been working out. There has been a lot of personal development in my life.”
For her fans and supporters, Raney said, “It really does take a village. I always say ‘thank you’ to everyone that has been involved in my tribute. I try to say ‘thank you’ every day to people that I come in contact with. I didn’t do everything myself, I have plenty of people to thank for being there throughout my journey, including coaches, friends, athletic trainers, and family members. You don’t do everything by yourself.”
Raney defined the word success as follows: “If you work hard enough, you will get there. Oftentimes, hard work doesn’t always pay off. You don’t always get to that point that you want to get to. Success is more personal and it means being the best that you can be, and being your own frame of success. As long as you are satisfied with your performance and how hard you worked, then you are a success.”
To learn more about USA Water Polo, visit its official website.
