Big League Treatment: Co-ed Wednesday night water polo

On the surface, it all looks relatively calm.

A few whistles. Some splashing. Players treading water as they whip the ball around.

But beneath the chlorinated blue at Commonwealth Place, there’s a whole lot more going on.

And as it turns out, what happens underwater doesn’t always stay underwater.

“There’s a window,” says Ferenc Vindisch, head coach of the Saanich Water Polo School, pointing out a little-known vantage point into the action below the pool’s surface.

It’s the perfect place to watch the sport’s hidden side: a churning mass of arms, legs and underwater manoeuvres, all happening just out of sight of the unsuspecting spectator.

Water polo, after all, is a contact sport. And what you can’t see can make all the difference.

For the uninitiated, the easiest way to describe water polo is soccer. Only in water. And with your hands.

“I like to describe it as handball in the water,” says Nora Dietsch. “But a lot of people don’t know what handball is either,” she adds with a laugh.

The objective is simple though: score more goals than the other team. The action required to get there? Not so simple.

Water polo made its Olympic debut at the 1900 Paris Games, becoming the first team sport contested at the Olympics. More than a century later, it remains a demanding combination of swimming, strategy, strength and endurance.

For players, the equipment list is refreshingly short.

“A swimsuit and a can-do attitude,” is how local player Dave Heikkila sums it up.

A strong swimming ability doesn’t hurt, either.

Vindisch has been running the Saanich Water Polo School for 31 years, welcoming everyone from young athletes to doctors, lawyers and plumbers into the pool.

Wednesday nights bring the community together for co-ed recreational water polo, where the emphasis is on getting in the water, learning the game and having fun.

But Vindisch also likes to push his athletes.

One benchmark is swimming 100 metres in less than a minute, a feat that earns the successful swimmer a rather unusual reward.

Vindisch climbs to the top of the 10-metre diving tower and takes the plunge, dressed in his trademark white pants, Saanich Water Polo t-shirt, and sneakers.

It’s a tradition that recently came into play when 15-year-old Liam DeGoey broke the coveted one-minute barrier.

For DeGoey, the appeal of water polo goes beyond the challenge.

“I just like the high intensity and I love being in the water,” he says.

At 15, he’s already showing the kind of speed that gets the coach reaching for his ceremonial diving attire.

Water polo’s physical side is no secret to those who play it.

To an outsider, the constant whistles and occasional bursts of aggression can make the sport look a little bewildering. But ask the players about the action below the surface, and the stories start to emerge.

Nora Dietsch, who plays on Canada’s under-17 national team, says the women’s game can be particularly feisty.

“There’s a saying: what happens underwater stays underwater, and what the ref doesn’t see doesn’t happen,” she says.

Clarice Radke knows that can mean taking the occasional hit.

A recent game saw an opponent kick her in the face.

“Yes,” Radke says, “I think I kicked her in the ribs.”

It’s not exactly the sort of give-and-take you’d expect from a Wednesday-night swim.

Then there’s the issue of swimsuits.

Grabbing an opponent’s suit can be one way to gain leverage in the water, and players say wardrobe malfunctions aren’t unheard of at higher levels of competition.

DeGoey says some players even wear two swimsuits to avoid an embarrassing mid-game surprise.

He’s had his own experience with the tactic.

But while the competitive game can get physical, the mood at the recreational level is a little different.

For the young players in the pool, the priority isn’t always the scoreboard.

“It’s not about winning. It’s about having fun,” one group of players says between scrimmages.

Whether you’re a seasoned national-team athlete or a first-timer trying to figure out why everyone keeps blowing a whistle, water polo offers a little bit of everything: endurance, teamwork, competition and the occasional underwater scuffle.

And at Commonwealth Place, there’s room for just about everyone willing to get wet.

Just don’t expect to see everything that’s happening beneath the surface.