How Do They Keep Those Horses Afloat, Anyway?

Team huddle in pool

Water polo is a fast-paced, challenging game. Matches involve a lot of yelling, splashing, and whistle-blowing. In order to make it a little less confusing for newcomers, we have outlined a few of the basic principles.

  1. There aren’t any horses. Each team has six field players and one goalie in the pool at any time. You’re not allowed to touch the bottom or the sides, and the only piece of protective equipment you can wear is a cap with little funny things on the sides.
  2. There is a ball. It is yellow and rubber. People pass it to each other. If you throw it through a goal (see number 3) your team gets a point.
  3. There are goals, of both the intangible and tangible variety. The intangible goal is to win. The tangible goals are made of metal. They are placed at either end of a 25-yard pool and are 3 meters by 1 meter, unless there’s a shallow end, in which case the top of the shallow-end goal is 8′ above the ground. Please don’t ask me why they didn’t stick to one system of measurement.
  4. There are lots of other rules. If you’re curious about what they are, you have two options (One of these options involves a lot of boring reading and bad illustrations. The other one involves meeting friendly new people and having a great time!):

Practices are 6–8 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 2–4 pm on Sundays. All you need to bring is a suit. Can’t wait to see you there!