If Stanford University athlete Jewel Roemer wrote an essay about what she did last summer, it would tell an amazing story. Most of her time was spent at the 2024 Paris Olympics as a member of the U.S. Women's Water Polo team. With the support of hip-hop artist Flavor Flav, she and her teammates rode the wave of women's sports popularity, narrowly missing the podium by just one goal.
Jewel grew up in Martinez and is a two-time NCAA National Champion with the Stanford women's water polo team. She was also a member of the USA national team that won the 2024 World Championship in Doha, Qatar. Jewel is a senior completing her degree in human biology, focusing on human performance, health, and physiology.
Walnut City Lifestyle asked Jewel about her life and what the future holds.
You started playing at the age of seven. What drew you to the sport?
In the beginning, it was really hard for me to play as a younger girl, competing against 10-year-olds. I obviously didn't like being drowned or splashed, but once I started to improve after about two years of playing, I began to really enjoy it. I was the one dominating others, and I found myself being competitive. I really appreciated the mix of intelligence required in the game, along with its physicality. It's just very rewarding to engage in such a high-intensity, physical game while also having to outsmart your opponents.
How do you balance life and sports at your skill level?
The balance is something I've been managing since I was younger, so it's not new to me. I'm lucky to have parents who supported me through those situations. Going into college, I felt very prepared for the athletic-school-social balance. Sometimes, when I find myself feeling overwhelmed, I'm usually hyper-fixating on sports or school, and I need to just take a break, step back, and reconnect with the people I love and enjoy spending time with.
What was the Olympic experience like for you?
There's so much more to the Olympic experience than the Olympics itself. Specifically, my team trained every day for an entire year, with just one day off each week. When I reflect on my experience, I think about that a lot. I learned a lot about myself, my team, and the journey even before we arrived.
You're now playing your senior year at Stanford. What do you envision for the future? The 2028 Olympics?
That's what I'm trying to decide right now. I can go play on a European professional team because I do want to continue playing water polo and train for 2028. I'm also thinking about potentially staying at Stanford and doing a one-year program to keep learning more.
"When I reflect on my experience,...I learned a lot about myself, my team, and the journey even before we arrived."