大象传媒

Jessica is a member of the Thirsk White Horse swim team and has been swimming for a long time. She explains how she got into water polo:

"When I was younger I used to watch my dad play water polo and that got me interested and he helps me with all the tactics."

Jessica Miller

She plays for the Harrogate Sport Walkers in the National league. For two years Jessica has been selected to attend regional and national water polo training days in Newton Aycliffe, Manchester and Walsall which means a lot of commitment from all the family:

"We have to get up quite early to get there in time and Mum and Dad are my taxi! They enjoy coming and they are very supportive and watch me.

" I get most of my school work done at school, mostly at lunch so I've got less to do when I get home and I can go training."

But, where are the horses? "A lot of people ask that" laughs Jessica.

Water polo is the oldest continuous team sport in the Olympics, with men's water polo being introduced in 1900. Women's water polo wasn't introduced until the Sydney games in 2000.

Jessica and her team-mates

The game was first played around 1870 and the modern game has evolved from a form of rugby football played in rivers and lakes in England and Scotland with a ball made of Indian rubber. This "water rugby" came to be called "water polo" based on the English pronunciation of the Balti word for ball, pulu.

Jessica has worked hard over the last two years and her dedication has paid off as she has won a place in the junior GB water polo squad. What does the future hold?

"I'm training as hard as I can to keep my place in the team and hoping to be selected for the European championships. London 2012 would be like a dream come true and would mean a lot of training!"