Imagine a combination of soccer, basketball and hockey. Then imagine playing a combination of all of these sports while also treading water in a deep pool. Water polo is a team sport that brings aspects of all of these sports together.

Oakland University is home to a co-ed water polo club that meets for practices in the Recreation Center pool Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-10 p.m.

 

How it’s played

Water polo consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. Each game lasts about 45 minutes with four 7-minute quarters. There is a two-minute rest between each quarter.

Each goal is worth one point. No player except the goalie can touch the ball with more than one hand.

 

Getting involved

Sophomore criminal justice major Brittany Lang is the president of the water polo club. While a student at Walled Lake Northern High School, her friends encouraged her to get involved with the sport.

“My friends played water polo in high school their sophomore year and convinced me to play my junior year,” Lang said. “Ever since then, I’ve played water polo, and I’m glad I’ve stuck with it. I’ve made so many new friends.”

For junior management information systems major and club treasurer Josh Super, he decided to join the water polo club in his first year at Oakland. He played it a few times in high school and said he figured he’d give it a shot.

“During the first semester of my freshman year, I saw some flyers in Vandenberg where I lived and thought it would be fun to try,” Super said. “Turned out to be a lot different from what I played (in high school), but I stuck with it because of the people and because it gets you into such good shape.”

 

Growing interest

The club, formed in 2010, is still relatively new and Oakland is continuing to adjust to the competition.

“Lately our team attendance has spiked as we have started winning games, namely against Central (Michigan),” Super said. “Water polo is extremely competitive and is actually quite brutal, especially with some of the things you can get away with under the water.”

Lang said while there are currently no tryouts for the team, anyone is welcome to join.

“As of now, there are no tryouts. But if the team becomes too big, we will be needing them,” Lang said. “We accept any experience. Even if you can’t swim, we will teach you.”

Super said that while there is no specific criteria to play, the club looks for players that have certain abilities.

“You have to be ready to swim a lot, and work hard,” Super said. “Stamina is very important in the sport.”

Echoing what Lang said, Super said that it is possible that tryouts will be held in the future due to the growing interest in the club.

 

Boys and girls allowed

Water polo is an aggressive sport for both males and females. For the coed club at Oakland, Lang sees advantages and disadvantages to having a mixed team.

“An advantage to coed is having good support from both sides, like teaching different techniques,” Lang said. “A downside would be the men are typically stronger and for the not-as-experienced players, it’s more difficult.”

Super said he sees swimming as a neutral sport as far as gender advantage is concerned.

“I like coed and I think it’s pretty cool when guys and girls can play together,” Super said. “Most athletes play at the same level, regardless of gender.”

“The only disadvantage is that some guys feel they have to take it easy on the girls, which definitely shouldn’t happen.”

Lang said that the team has bonding nights, even if it’s just hanging out at the cafe in Vandenberg Hall.

“We are very friendly and energetic,” Lang said. “There is absolutely no team drama and if there’s a problem we’re all open to talk to (each other).”

The water polo club will head to Ohio for the 2nd Annual Lake Erie Classic at Cleveland State University April 12-14.

 

Contact Sports Editor Lindsay Beaver via email at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @lindsaybeavs