Seaver keeps sports, studies afloat

Most Princeton students would tell you that being up in the middle of the night with work due the next day is one of the most stressful parts of college. Then again, most Princeton students would also probably tell you they wouldn't enjoy climbing into a pool and getting punched in the face on a regular basis either.

Apparently, Nick Seaver is not most people.

The sophomore men's water polo center has helped guide his team to a 12-4 record this season but ask him what he enjoys most about his position, and he won't mention scoring goals.

"[Basically], what I do is swim to the other side of the pool, take a beating from their player and then counter back and repeat. Over and over."

Nevertheless, when he's not in the pool enjoying the more physical aspects of water polo, Seaver deals with the same academic pressures as everyone else.

"It's hard," he said. "We practice [on weekdays] and we play tournaments all weekend. It's hard to get work done when you're traveling and in hotels.

"[But] I wanted to play water polo here, I liked the academics, and I liked the fact that it has a good community. When you spend all your time with the team you've got to make sure that these guys are your best friends."

The team is remarkably close, and Seaver feels the bond he shares with his teammates is integral to his academic success.

"We work on problem sets together. We all help each other out. When I have a math problem I call [sophomore driver] Kyle Morgan and he'll help me out," Seaver said. "You have to be completely dedicated to it, and whether that means getting your work done ahead of time, or not going out, or not hanging, all that stuff, you have to stay dedicated to it."

Morgan described Seaver's ability to balance athletics and schoolwork with the tongue-in-cheek style that defines the team.

"Nicholas excellently balances demanding coursework with the responsibility of being a campus celebrity due to his rugged good looks and athletic prowess," Morgan said.

And so, if you haven't guessed it by now, the prospective economics major, the guy his teammates call "Maximus" because of his tendency to play to the crowd during games a la Russell Crowe's character in "Gladiator," is completely crazy.

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"Nick has the right screws loose," Morgan said. "That is, he manages to be utterly confused [during games] but also totally committed and completely focused on the task at hand."

For Seaver, the task is to expand that focus beyond the pool and transfer it to the academic rigors of Princeton. While this can be hard to do, Seaver sees it as just another element of his dedication.

But in work, just as in water polo, he recognizes that nothing is worth accomplishing unless you take something away from it.

"It takes drive [in both], almost the ability to tolerate pain. Grades aren't the ultimate end; the end is to learn the material as best you can. The point is to learn something."

More than anything though, sometimes the hardest part of balancing being on a major college athletic team with being a college student can be getting school work done while on the road with the team.

"Like our California trip [two weekends ago]," Seaver said. "We left on Thursday afternoon and got back Monday morning after a redeye, and a baby had sat down next to me and was crying the entire time. When you get back in the morning and have a French test and math quiz that afternoon, it's tough. You work ahead of time and get stuff done. And make sure you get it done before you go out to tournaments."

But while it will always be a challenge to deal with the time constraints that college athletics impose on students, Seaver does seem to realize that balancing water polo and school will have its benefits in the long run. And in his own laid-back way, Seaver has found a way to master the art of taking a beating by day and focusing on his schoolwork by night.

Of course, for Maximus — master of having the right screws loose — it also doesn't hurt to be just a little crazy as well.