Why would someone from Carmichael, Cal., come to Harvard to play water polo? One wonders why this same water polo player from Carmichael, Cal, did not swim a lap when he was in Germany for two years?

In answering the first question, Harvard Tri-Captain John Griffin points out his "adventuresome spirit" as one of the many reasons which brought him to the East.

"Stanford or the [California] schools might have better water polo teams," the Leverett House junior explains, "but I wanted to get the 'Eastern Experience.' On the West coast, Eastern water polo is considered a joke. Well, I thought it is more important to establish a tradition than to be a part of a tradition."

And Harvard men's water polo has indeed dramatically improved since Griffin was a freshman in 1985, the second year of the Crimson's existence as a varsity sport.

Griffin recalls seeing only two other freshmen at the introductory water polo meeting during Orientation Week. The program has been improving "slowly but surely," as Coach Chris Hafferty says, and Griffin has played an important role in helping it to establish its own traditions.

Mission Impossible

Griffin is also an active member of the Cambridge Latter-Day Saints Student Association. And after his freshman year, Griffin went on a mission and spent two years in Germany working for the Mormon Church and doing community service.

"Ever since I was little, I saved up to go on a mission," Griffin says. In Germany, Griffin went to different towns in the Frankfurt area talking with people interested in the Mormon Church and also trying to help people sort out family problems.

"I worked harder on my mission than ever before or since," Griffin says. "You get less sleep than when you are in school."

Griffin adds that his two years in Germany gave him "a tremendous personal growth--spiritually, emotionally and socially."

Unfortunately, the experience did not help his water polo. For religious reasons, Griffin did not swim in those two years. "It was not so bad because you are always walking or biking around," he recalls. "And it always seemed like your contact is living on the top floor."

In the Slow Lane

Griffin's time in the 100-meter freestyle had become 10 seconds slower when he came back to Harvard in the fall of last year. But teammate Eric Bentley recalls that Griffin quickly improved by "simply working hard. You can always count on him. The fact that he is always working hard is a dependable factor in the team."

"John was elected as a captain after being back for only a year," says Hafferty, agreeing with Bentley. "This shows that he is obviously recognized for his leadership. And John leads by example--by working hard."

Fellow Tri-Captain Nick Branca says that "you can always count on the right side of the pool to work hard" because of Griffin. "He seems like he can never really go slow. We obviously miss him on Sundays, [when Griffin is unable to play for religious reasons]," Branca adds.

Griffin had to adjust outside the pool as well after returning from Germany. "You suddenly have your private concerns," he says. He noted that he had to adjust to thinking and writing critically in English again, and not to put the verbs at the end of sentences.

Rethinking Career Goals

Griffin has adjusted his career plans also. He was a pre-med before he left for Germany, but he is not so sure that he wants to become a physician anymore. He has changed his concentration from physics to history and science and his future plans include getting a public-sector job in Germany after graduating from Harvard.

"I don't have specific long-term plans anymore. I'm exploring," Griffin says.

It's nice to know that four years after he came to Harvard, Griffin hasn't lost the adventuresome spirit which brought him here from Carmichael in the first place. New England Championships

Saturday

9:00 Brown (A) vs. Yale (A)

10:30 UMass (B) vs. MIT (B)

1:30 B.C. (A) vs. Yale

3:00 HARVARD (B) vs. MIT

6:00 Brown vs. B.C.

7:30 UMass vs. HARVARD

Sunday

10:30 1st Place (A) vs. 2nd Place (B)

12:30 2nd Place (A) vs. 1st Place (B)

1:30 5th Place Game--3rd Place (A) vs. 3rd Place (B)

4:30 3rd Place Game--Losers of Semifinals

6:00 Championship Game--Winners of Semifinals