It’s tough to quantify the “toughest” sport to play. Football’s an easy answer. Ice hockey seems incredibly difficult. Baseball has so many different parts that every player must be adept at. Gymnastics? How can anyone flip and fly like that?
After watching water polo, I have newfound respect for anyone who could compete in this demanding sport.
The easiest way to describe it is as a combination of hockey and swim and dive. Athletes swim up and down the pool, trying to score a goal within the 35-second shot clock.
That’s the main difference between water polo and soccer — well, other than the fact that one is spent wading in a pool and the other has players running on grass. The 35-second shot clock makes water polo an extremely fast-paced game that provides scoring opportunities on every drive. ASU scored 24 goals in a game less than two weeks ago.
They also won 5-3 on Sunday.
The sport is a little less physical and more controlled by the referees than I expected. That’s probably a good thing — I expected somewhat of a free-for-all. But there was no drowning, dying or injuries in the games I attended. When the teams race up the pool and get close to the five-meter line, players aren’t allowed to apply much physical contact or a ref will blow the whistle. Once the ball goes inside the two-meter line, it's more physical as the teams fight for possession, but the refs occasionally blow a whistle.
The majority of infractions aren’t harsh penalties — the penalized player must back off the ball handler and the player who was fouled may shoot or pass it.
Some penalties are more harsh, and players are sent to the penalty box. These power plays are similar to hockey, and the penalized team has fewer players in the water than the other team for the next few drives.
Overall, it’s a fun sport to attend. It’s action packed, players have the uncanny ability of wading in seven to 7-and-a-half foot water for four eight-minute quarters, and water polo is nice because when it says the game will only take an hour, it actually will only take an hour.
Plus, the ASU water polo team is good. It has two losses to No. 1 USC, but has beaten strong schools, including No. 5 Michigan. This team has serious potential, and now that the women’s basketball team is out of the NCAA tournament, it may be time to turn your attention here while we watch if softball and baseball can continue their strong pre-conference seasons.
Reach the sports editor at logan.newman@asu.edu or follow @Logan_Newsman on Twitter.
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