Water polo is not a sport that is usually associated with the Capital District, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any options to play.
The Adirondack Water Polo Club consists of a small but dedicated group of 30 to 40 swimmers ranging from high school athletes to people in their 40s.
It’s fun, it’s great exercise and I always get to meet new faces, said John Reagan, a 45-year-old Slingerlands resident who’s played water polo since college.
`I swim (in high school) right now, and I’ve been swimming competitively for about 11 years,` said Clifton Park resident Katie Jesaitis, who is entering her junior year at Shenendehowa High School. `I like [water polo] more because it’s more of a team atmosphere.`
Membership grows and shrinks with the time of the year, said head coach Chris Walsh.
`We have 13 to 14 active players during the season, but we often get more when school is out,` said Walsh.
The club travels to competitions around the Northeast and Great Lakes states during the season, which stretches from the spring to the fall.
`The closest [city] we travel to is Rochester,` said Walsh. `We go to Philadelphia and out to Ohio. Some of us have played in Las Vegas, and I’ve played in Europe.`
The club has to fit its practice schedule around pool availability. During the summer months, the club uses Siena College’s Marcelle Athletic Complex pool on Tuesday evenings. The rest of the time, it has to fit practices around RPI’s Robison Pool schedule, which often means practicing late in the evening.
`When I was in high school at Troy [in the 1980s], we used to get in the water by 8 or 8:30 in the evening at RPI,` said Walsh. `But now, you can’t do that because you have U.S. swim club teams and other events going on.`
What keeps club members coming back is the fun they have playing the sport, which is an aquatic combination of soccer, basketball and hockey with its seven-on-seven format, penalties and free throws.
`It’s physically more demanding [than soccer or basketball] but it’s less stressful on your knees and legs,` said Reagan, who swam at Bethlehem Central High School in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
`The main difference between this and regular swimming is that there’s a lot more sprinting back and forth going on because the ball is constantly switching sides,` said Jesaitis.
Walsh keeps the practices as fun as possible. After a short warm-up period, players practice their passing and shooting skills before breaking into a scrimmage. Walsh said he doesn’t do a lot of hands-on teaching because many of the club members have played the sport for years, and the newcomers learn from the veterans.
`When we go to tournaments, it’s definitely serious, but for the most part, it’s fun,` said Walsh.
`Everyone here is really experienced,` said Jesaitis, who is returning to water polo after trying the sport several years ago in Philadephia. `There are some guys here who have been playing 20 to 30 years.`
Ultimately, said Reagan, the club would like to help water polo flourish in the Capital District.
`I just wish we had more opportunities in this area to introduce young people to this sport,` he said.
`We ran out of younger kids this year because the Empire State Games aren’t happening,` said Walsh.
In the meantime, the Adirondack Water Polo Club will continue to serve as an outlet for those who either want to learn the sport or who want to keep playing it.
`It’s still fun. I can’t give it up,` said Reagan.“