Polo with a paddle: Kayak polo popular in Alaska
ANCHORAGE - Kayak polo is just what it sounds like: water polo played in kayaks. Teams of five-on-five zip around a pool chasing a water polo ball while trying not to flip in a tippy whitewater kayak.
The sport is popular in Fairbanks and many places around the world, but organized games had not gotten established in Anchorage until recently. The games in Anchorage are run by the Alaska Kayak Academy. Eight people showed up each of the last two game days.
In Anchorage, players use regular whitewater kayaks that are 6 to 8 feet long. They wear standard personal flotation devices and kayaking helmets with face masks for protection.
The fast-paced game looks like it would appeal only to expert kayakers, but academy owner Jim Gonski said even those who have never paddled before or can't swim well enjoy the sport.
Chris Heiserman, 16, said he had never kayaked before joining a game in late September. Heiserman said he quickly learned how to brace himself and steady the boat to prevent flipping.
Others in the pool that night rolled their kayaks regularly in midplay, just to practice. And to fetch errant balls that rolled out of the pool, some players bounced their boats vertically in the water to propel themselves up and out of the water, sort of like a seal hauling out on ice.
The best among them could do all that while remaining cocooned snug and dry inside the spray skirt that fits around the opening of the kayak.
Paul Schauer, 18, who had played kayak polo in Fairbanks, said pursuing the ball around the pool and trying to maneuver around other players hones paddling skills and provides a good workout. He said a two-hour game is as tiring as surf-playing in a river wave for the same amount of time.
The rules are simple. You can't barge the ball by storing it on top of your kayak, and you can't hoard the ball for more than five seconds without doing something with it. To move the ball around the pool, players may use their hands or paddles.
It is fair play to try to flip or ram the player with the ball, but you cannot harass players who don't have the ball. Players may use their paddles or hands to handle the ball.
According to the U.S. Kayak Polo Web site, the playing area is supposed to be from 25 to 40 meters long. At Bartlett, the 50-meter pool is split into two pools, each 25 meters long.
Brandon Gonski, Jim's son, said the sport is particularly popular in England and Australia, and is common on university campuses. In some places, people are so serious about the game that they play in special padded kayaks and follow strict rules set out by the International Canoe Federation.