My name is Josie Hlohovsky, and I am going to be a writer for the Estevan Mercury this summer.
I am a 17-year-old student from Estevan, and I have three siblings, including a twin sister, an older sister and a younger brother. My parents live and work in Estevan, and I went to school here until grade 10, when the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the city, cutting my grade 10 year off early, along with my sport. I play water polo, a popular sport in Estevan.
I have been involved in water polo ever since I was seven years old, and when I first joined the Estevan Sharks water polo club, I was one of the worst athletes. Small, slow, a brick in the water. I got older, and I learned how to get better, even getting good enough to get the attention of Team Sask. coaches, a water polo group spanning all of Saskatchewan. Because of my interest, my twin and I became more and more invested in the sport, and continued to play, finally culminating in my twin’s decision to move to Regina during her grade 10 year, leaving me in Estevan.
We played together that entire year, going on to qualify for a national tournament and winning more honours. We travelled to Edmonton, to Calgary, even across the ocean to Croatia, to play water polo, and were planning to go to Montreal for the national tournament. Unfortunately, most of my bigger ambitions and dreams were cut short by the pandemic, and I went on to stay in Estevan for the lockdown. I have since joined my twin in Regina, attending Martin Collegiate high school, training full time in Regina under strict guidelines.
I’ve always had a big imagination, and beginning grade 9, I started to write my ideas down, creating short stories and small novels. My writing was cut short by intensive training and a new job as a lifeguard at the Estevan pool, but, over the lockdown, I tried again. I wrote a lot, and ignited a new passion for writing. I became a contributor for the Estevan Mercury because I wish to pursue that passion, into adulthood, hopefully.
I’m not very old, and I’m not very experienced, but I want to get some experience, earn what I hope is a good reputation, and I’m very glad to be working for the Estevan Mercury.
