Victoria Smith will be departing from her Maple Ridge home next year and heading south of the border to continue her water polo career with San Jose State University.

She has been playing water polo with the Haney Neptunes Swim Club for seven years and has played for Canada's Youth National Team for the past several years.

Now she will be switching gears to play for a team that is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) while studying for a degree in journalism.

Smith does not know if she wants to pursue broadcast or print journalism, but she is going to try broadcast first. "The academics there are really good," said Smith, "and it's near Silicone Valley."

A big part of her new life will still be playing water polo and although she said it is tough to start over again she is really excited.

"I will miss being around people I have known for so long," said Smith, "people that can correct me without hesitating."

One of those people will be her long-time coach Justin Mitchell, the head coach for the Fraser Valley Water Polo Club and the National Women's Water Polo Club, who told the TIMES in an email that Smith, 17, sets the bar for all Fraser Valley girls to aspire to.

"She is one of our most dominant defensive and offensive players," said Mitchell, "She shuts down a lot of the other teams' best players and at the same time can create opportunities for herself to score as well as make a great play happen."

Smith said she will also miss Mitchell because "he's really understanding, he listens to you and he's really good at fixing problems," she said.

Mitchell believes Smith has the potential to go all the way to the Olympic podium and said "the Olympics is a dream for athletes such as Victoria, I'm positive she can turn that dream into reality."

Smith said she hopes to try out for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio after four years of training in San Jose and then one in Montreal with the senior Canadian team.

She is now on the verge of her adult Olympic journey and although she will be leaving home next year she is still able to play a sport she loves.

"I like how it can be a big mental game," said Smith, "and sometimes you have to push through the pain."