By Jasmine O’Donnell
Kicking, punching, and scratching would be expected in a fight, but these are some of the aggressive tactics used in water polo games. Water polo is an intense contact sport, where if it happens underwater, it is basically legal.
“[Water polo] is probably the most aggressive sport out there, even more than football, and we don’t use any pads,” Girls’ Water Polo Coach, Corrie Ulmer said.
Accoring to www.athleticscholarships.net, Water Polo was first introduced to the U.S. in 1888, before it could be properly regulated. The brutality of the sport led to deaths of many players who were pushed underwater.
Today there are many rules to limit the aggression. Players are given kickout penalties for intentionally fouling, and must tread in the corner of the pool for one possesion. Each player may receive three in a game, before being completely ejected.
Players use different tactics to slow down their opponents, like pushing, pulling on suits, and even punching.
“Getting punched in the stomach is the worst thing that I’ve had happen…you are trying to swim and you can’t breathe,” Wyatt Sugrue, Div. 185, said.
Part of the reason why the players are so aggressive is because a lot of the illegal contact goes unseen. Two water polo referees regulate the game from the deck.
“Last year a kid on Lane’s team punched a kid…the kid stood up in the shallow end screaming in pain, the kid who got punched got a kickout for standing…since the ref didn’t see what happened, no penalty was called on our guy,” Matt Gullickson, Div. 365, said.
Lane’s Boys’ team pumps up the intensity against their rival Von Steuben.
“Our biggest rival last year was probably Von.. ‘cuz they play dirty,” Sam Gonzalez, Div. 250, said. “[Von] beat us last year when we should have won…we had better players and better swimmers, but we just never played well against them. The refs didn’t call anything on them. If they were a clean team we would have performed better,” Gullickson said.
Whitney Young is the Lane’s Girls’ team biggest rival.
“The game [vs. Whitney Young] does get pretty intense, but I don’t think dirty. Being our rival, we’ve had a lot of time getting familiar with each other,” said Megan De Guzman, Div. 362.
Girls’and Boys’ Water Polo are both intense games, but the angles the coaches take on the aggression is slightly different.
“[Water Polo] can be really hard at times,” said Jessica Tarnacki, Div. 369,“especially with some girls who like to cheat and hit underwater. It can get really aggravating. Our coaches tell us to play fair and keep our anger in.”
“On the guy’s team it’s kind of unspoken by the coaches,” Gullickson said. “They don’t promote [rough behavior], but they don’t say not to do it. If you were to get caught in a game for doing something dirty, they would get angry, but if you don’t get caught then you get a ‘way to be aggressive’ from the coach.”
The tough defense in the sport gives players great advantages, but there is a definite line between aggressive and dirty players.
“Aggressive is [when a player is] hard working, strong, and confident. Dirty is playing little tricks,” Coach Ulmer said.
Water polo has become known for its brutality, but the true sport is played at its best when the players play smart and use their clean aggressive edge to their advantage.
The Girls’ and Boys’ teams are conditioning for their upcoming season this Spring. The Girls hope for another City title. The Boys are looking forward to a good season, and are excited about their new head coach, Reid Strelner.
