Sports has its share of clichés. There is no ‘I’ in team. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game.

And while they may sound a little trite when a professional athlete uses them, the meaning certainly hits home when kids not only use them, but better yet display them.

As the result of a rule change, London Eclipse under 16 water polo team entered the provincial championships held this past weekend in London, knowing they were not going to win a single game. They had already defaulted all of them.

A new regulation stating female players must decide between playing on an all-girls team or playing with a mixed square had just been released. That put London Eclipse in a very difficult position.

At issue was a Toronto area team, known for pulling stronger female players from other teams and sitting its own weaker male players when it headed into competition. So the governing body, Ontario Water polo, stepped in and made the change.

And while this change fixed one problem, it created another very big one for Ray Lumsden, head coach of the London Eclipse.

“We had to forfeit," said a disappointed Ray. “The new rule says girls can’t play on boys’ teams. We’ve had girls on our team since the start. They are strong enough to play."

The three female members of the Eclipse have been training with and competing on the boys’ team since September, simply because there are not enough female water polo players in the city to form a team of their own in this age group and level. In addition two of the girls have qualified to compete in the Summer Games being held in Ottawa.

What happened next made Coach Lumsden “extremely happy." Team captain Nick Kirmse came forward and told the coach the team held a vote and they wanted the girls to play, and that he should submit the forfeiture.

It was “no contest” says Nick of the vote. “I have played enough to know that it is friends first. It is more important for (the girls) to play than for us to win without them playing."

Says Lara Middleton, one of the girls heading to the Summer Games: “It meant a lot to us that they wanted us to play. We’ve been training three times a week since September, we have only had one girls’ tournament. There are just not enough girls to play."

Water polo is different from many other sports where a high skill and fitness level is required in order to compete. Ross Macdonald, technical director for Ontario Water polo, identifies this as one of the challenges for his sport.

“It's a tough sport, just can't come off the street and play," Ross says.

 

There are more than 1,000 athletes at more than 400 locations across Ontario who are regularly playing water polo, yet few know much about it.

Organizers of an event that took place this past weekend at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre are hoping to change that.

The London Water Polo Club hosted the 2007 Ontario water polo cadet girl's provincial championships, a round-robin tournament, which ended Sunday, March 25.

"Nine teams, with 13 to 15 girls on each team," says Charlene Stocking, past president and coordinator of the weekend tournament. "The teams are divided into tier one and tier two," he says. "Our team is in tier two, because we have a smaller club right now, although we hope to change that."

She explains how the Ontario Water Polo Association made some changes to their tournament set-up this year.

"The two-tier system is great for smaller clubs, or clubs that are still establishing themselves like we are, because it gives us a chance to do well. Previously all of the teams played against each other, and it could be very discouraging if the teams were miss-matched.

"Also, the Ontario Water Polo Association is trying to alternate the championships between clubs that have previously hosted tournaments. We hosted the cadet boy's championship last year, so we are hosting the girl's this year. We're lucky that the Canada Games Aquatic Centre is such an awesome facility."

Currently, there are about 25 competitive players between the ages of 10 and 18 who are involved with the London club. Organizers are hoping increased knowledge of the club and sport will increase membership.

There are three practices a week that take place on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. The season usually starts in September and runs until April.

"Our season can be a problem. Most kids are already committed to a sport by that point of the year," says Charlene. "As kids get older, they get jobs and, unfortunately, don't have the time to commit to the sport. If we can start kids young, around nine or 10, then there's a larger chance they'll stick with it as they grow older."

Dayna Ashame, 15, became involved with the sport after her friend suggested it.

"A friend wanted me to join a sport with her. We both enjoyed swimming, so she suggested water polo," she says. "We joined up with the "I Love Water Polo" rec. program, and I loved it. The recreational program is pretty much the same as the competitive program, except they teach us the basics of the game, and it's only one practice a week. They teach how to tread water, and the skills you need to know - pretty much how to play the game."

Water polo is a sport those who play it say is relatively easy for newcomers to pick up.

"You don't need to have been playing for years, like hockey or baseball," Charlene says. "I've watched new players through out the years, and usually within a few weeks they are able to keep up with the more experienced players."

Rene enjoys the active nature of the game. "It's a really great game. The players are active; they're pretty much moving for the entire game. I think many people think that water polo is rougher than it really is, though. It is physically demanding, I've been told that the average game can burn around 600 calories."

Dayna says people often have the wrong idea when they hear the words, water polo.

"There are a lot of misconceptions about the sport. A lot of people think that it's just volleyball in water, while in reality it's so much more than that," says Dayna. "They think it's easy, or that it boring or doesn't take a lot of effort."

Charlene agrees, adding that once people try water polo, they have a much better understanding of how challenging it can be. "We'll have 'family nights', where the players' families are able to play. After those games, I think more people understand how demanding the game can actually be."

Each game consists of four, eight-minute periods. Fouls can be called for anything from touching the bottom of the pool, to intentionally splashing an opponent, or causing harm to another player.

"You don't need a lot of equipment to play water polo. A bathing suit, preferably one designed for water polo because they can be ripped, a swim cap, and goggles for practice," says Charlene. "We also suggest a mouth guard, because sometimes you can get hit by accident. You need something for your two nets, and a ball. Oh, and a pool. You can play the game pretty much anywhere."

The London Water Polo Club invites anyone interesting in the sport to get involved and try them out.

"We like to say "try us out", instead of making people try out for us. If they like the sport and want to join the competitive team, then they can."