The Collegian

Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Liz Essley Kickboards served as impromptu goals for the water polo club's first meeting this semester.

Media Credit: Liz Essley

"Where are you going? The fun's just starting!" Senior Jessica Bastian called to two girls leaving the pool.

A wetsuit-clad Bastian grinned in anticipation of the water polo game that was about to start, the first game of the semester. She has been playing water polo since freshman year and is now president of the club.

The club was founded in the 2007 school year by Kevin Kimball and then-freshman Zach Howard.

Howard, now a junior, said he and Bastian, also a junior, will revitalize the club with more advertising and change their approach to getting the word out about games. They've also decided to play just once a month, hoping to attract more players with the smaller time commitment.

Six players showed up to the first game of the semester; Bastian said a good turnout is when they can play a full game, seven on seven, but three on three is still decent.

The water polo club set up their game, using an improvised goal of kickboards stacked like a teepee, and tossedd a ball into the water.

Within a minute one team scored and one of the boys retrieved the ball, re-stacking the makeshift goal. He dropped the ball into the water, plunged in after it, and the game resumed.

The game is played much like hockey or soccer, except in the water. The point is to score a goal by getting the ball into the net, so when there are three players to a team, the goalie plays forward as well. This makes the games more intense for each player, but Howard said a full team allows for more strategy, so he enjoys playing no matter how many people show up.

Howard was on a U.S. swim team in high school and his team would play water polo for fun. That's what the game is about here, too: having fun with the game, no matter how many people come. Though competitive, the players are surprisingly laid back with the members of the other team during games, cheering at each goal scored and laughing the whole time.

"The thing about water polo is you can have fun whether you're playing officially or not," he said.

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