The Innisfail Aquatic Centre was packed with parents, fans and water polo players from near and far for a weekend of riveting action as the Innisfail Hurricanes hosted a tournament Dec. 1-2.
Though the Hurricanes didn't manage a win over the course of the tournament, the competitive games were a fun learning experience, organizers said.
“This was the first time they got to play against kids their own age,” said Noble-Lee Valentine, Hurricanes president and tournament director. “You could see them working together as a team and really using the plays they'd been working on in practice. It was so much fun to see.”
The event was an amazing opportunity for the youth, because it gave players an opportunity that teams from the bigger cities have more often.
“It was kind of nice for the kids to get into a competitive environment,” she said. “Some of the Calgary teams play against each other every weekend.”
The bantam teams played intense water polo since the older kids are faster and stronger swimmers. They also have a shot clock to worry about, which gives them only 30 seconds to try to get a goal otherwise the ball is turned over to the other team.
But it was the atom players that really stood out in terms of displaying skill progression over last year's abilities, she said.
“They were out there calling one another's names,” she said. “They were setting up plays. They were throwing the ball. They got goals. Just seeing the grins on their faces was phenomenal.”
Gerard Staples is one of these second-year atom players who contributed to the Sunday games.
“It was really good to get back in the pool,” he said. “Once we had our first game, we had a pretty good one in the middle.”
The 10-year-old originally got into water polo at the suggestion of his mother and brother. Though he wasn't too keen at first, he's since fallen in love with the sport.
“The thing I found the best today was just playing again – anytime, anywhere,” he said. “It's actually really fun.”
