INNISFAIL – Water polo season has begun.
The Innisfail Hurricanes hosted the first Alberta Water Polo Association tournament of the season at the Innisfail Aquatic Centre on Oct. 19 and 20.
“We’ve got four girls playing with the Calgary Mako in this tournament, and three boys,” said Ray Bergeron, president of the Hurricanes.
The local girls included Ainsley Bergen, Sophie Bergeron, Aleigha Seguin and Hannah Weldon. Hurricane boys that participated in the tournament included Giulio Giampaoletti, Sean Reynolds and Asher Zaidi.
Several teams, including those from Calgary, Lethbridge, Edmonton, Okotoks and Innisfail, participated in the two-day water polo tournament.
“It’s the first Alberta Water Polo tournament of the season and they start with a 12U invitational,” said Bergeron. “They start their regular fall tournament season in November in Edmonton. They’ll have one tournament a month through to the end of March.”
The Hurricanes' season runs from September to March with provincials in April, he added, noting there are 34 water polo players registered in the local club.
“A very good sign is that we have about four or five athletes that are coming here from Red Deer,” said Bergeron. “It’s another sign that word is getting out and we’re seeing some growth in the area.”
He said Water Polo Alberta is targeting Central Alberta as an area for potential growth in the sport.
"We’re really the only water polo program between Edmonton and Calgary, so we’d love to see some more growth in this area and grow the sport of water polo, whether it’s in Innisfail or the surrounding communities,” said Bergeron, noting that is the focus for the club this year.
“Our biggest goal is to continue to be the Central Alberta representative for water polo in the area and support growth in surrounding communities around Innisfail.”
The Hurricanes practise twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays, he noted, adding they hold intramural games every second Wednesday during the season as well.
“People are welcome to come out and watch a game,” said Bergeron. "We offer opportunities to play competitive water polo by affiliating with a city team. In this case it’s the Calgary Mako.
“We’ve got good coaches in place that are making sure we’re working on our skill development, but we’re also making it fun,” Bergeron concluded.
Anyone interested in water polo or who wants to learn more about the Innisfail Hurricanes, can visit their website at www.hurricaneswaterpolo.ca
