QUAC’s Water Polo Team Rises to the Top

Like a basketball game in a large bowl of soup, water polo consists of two teams working the ball towards the other team’s goal, until a team member sees a chance to throw it effectively past the other team’s goalie to score.

With a first place finish at the 2007 International Gay and Lesbian Association’s swim meet and tournament, held in Paris, and the silver medal finish at last year’s IGLA water polo tournament in Washington D.C., QUAC’s water polo team is a leading contender for championship play among amateur, gay and lesbian water polo teams, nationally and internationally. At their first away tournament of the season — the Otters Tournament in Seattle, Wash. — the QUAC co-ed team took first place, proving that Utah ’s water polo players sport are a diverse and skilled group of athletes, no matter what division they play in.

“These tournaments are always such a positive experience that it is well worth it,” said Trina Pendleton, an out lesbian swim coach who plays on QUAC’s co-ed and women’s water polo teams and serves on the organization’s board of directors, fundraising committee and the IGLA planning committee.

“I have been swimming since before I can remember,” she said. “I was invited to a QUAC polo practice four years ago and have been hooked every since.”

Coach Patrick Hayes helped start the QUAC Water Polo team five years ago. “We are always recruiting and are very accepting of new players and friends,” he said. Beginning as a sixth grader in a high school, summer league in Southern California, Hayes played through high school and college at the University of Utah, achieving All-American status. He still holds a swimming record for the U of U men’s team. These days, he coaches many local swimming and water polo teams including those at Granite, Sky Line, Taylorsville and Woods Cross High Schools. His assistant coach is Club Sound owner Tom Taylor, who also plays a mean goalie position.

Watching the QUAC water polo team play round robin matches with the visiting West Hollywood team this past weekend at the annual Ski N’ Swim tournament fundraiser, the different sizes and skill sets of the players brought home one of QUAC’s beliefs: anyone can learn and play the game.

“Actually, most of the Olympic water polo players are my size, but at least over six feet tall,” said player Scott Jackson, who says he weighs over 250 pounds and has wrestled and played football and rugby in the past.

Born in Salt Lake City and a former Highland High and BYU student, Jackson, a U of U nursing student, usually plays on QUAC’s B team.

“We have all types of skill levels, some just learning and some that have been playing all of their lives,” he explained. “The reason I play is because I like to compete, love to work together as a team and win games. It is also a great way to meet friends.”

Water polo is played in a deep pool, so a player’s feet never touch the ground. Players constantly guard the opponent’s team, as in basketball when playing defense. Also like basketball constant movement is required—in water polo’s case, swimming in short bursts and maneuvering to get in a better position to receive a passed ball while treading water. Also, players can touch the ball with only one hand.
 
“You fight for position,” explained Pendleton. “Pretty much any grabbing, holding or kicking is OK, unless you can find a way for the referee to be able to see it.” Penalties occur for reaching over a player’s back and for extreme, aggressive behavior. The ball passes to the other team when a player allows the ball to go out of bounds, or when it is wrestled or batted away, or passed badly to a fellow teammate and snatched by the other team.

“You will get punched, kicked, elbowed, scratched and hit in the head with the ball,” said Pendleton. “Men tend to muscle up more and most women rely on speed. Women also tend to grab at each other suits. I prefer playing men because they go more for your wrists and ankles. I really try not to be a cheap player, but if someone starts it, I will finish it.”

Games usually are divided into four periods. The referee starts each half by dropping the ball in the middle of the pool. Starting at their end of the pool each team must then aggressively swim for the ball. Usually, the fastest swimmers on each team are located in the lanes closest to the referee, so they can reach the ball first. Minor fouls and major fouls can be committed during play, and players are ejected from the game on their third major foul. Each team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper, with a maximum of six substitutes.

Of course, this game isn’t for people who are out of shape.

“There is no shortcut when it comes to getting in shape for water polo,” said Wes Heaps, a Utah transplant who came from New Mexico State University to attend BYU. “Pat, our coach, always encourages me to swim more. I usually do a workout that alternates between ‘rest laps’ — slower, easily paced laps — and ‘sprints’ — balls to the wall barreling down the pool. I’d never really considered myself an athlete. Getting involved with QUAC has changed that, though.”

Heaps played on the QUAC B team in Paris, which placed fifth in 2007. Recently, he participated in the co-ed team that took first place in the Seattle tournament.

“Because we don’t discriminate, we get all sorts of people with various skill levels and orientations,” said Heaps. “I think QUAC has been instrumental in building bridges of understanding both inside and outside the gay community, too.” The team accepts gay and straight players and picks up members from other Utah leagues and teams — including athletes from the Masters League, members from local college and high school water polo teams — when attending out-of-state tournaments.

“Typically, we have an A team, a B team and a women’s team,” said Troy Blanchard, who was part of QUAC’s original water polo team formed in 2004. “My partner had been swimming with QUAC for some time and I finally gave in and joined as well.”

Currently, about ten women regularly participate in practices and local tournaments. QUAC took a full women’s team to the 2008 IGLA tournament in Washington D.C., and there were only two other, all women teams. Although women’s balls are smaller and lighter, the game rules remain the same as men’s or co-ed play.

“Maintaining a women’s team has been a goal of both QUAC and the IGLA organizations over the past few years,” said Blanchard, who is also the water polo team’s captain and a member of QUAC’s board of directors.

Athletes have to get the time off work pay their own travel, hotel and entrance fees to attend the tournaments. QUAC raises money throughout the year through fundraisers and other events to help both swimmers and water polo team members offset these costs. Currently, QUAC is also building a ‘scholarship’ fund to help team members attend the July 2009 IGLA tournament in Copenhagen, Denmark and the Gay Games 2010 in Koln, Germany.

Besides the annual winter weekend, Ski N’ Swim fundraiser, QUAC throws summer swim parties at supporters’ pools and partners with other non-profits in creating social events during the year.

“We attend three to four tournaments a year besides the IGLA championships,” said Hayes. The team intends on competing in the ‘Tsunami de Mayo’ Tournament in San Francisco, which is held the weekend of May 2 – 3 and is annually hosted by the San Francisco Tsunami Water Polo team. Look for QUAC to participate with at least one team in the Kearn’s Master Summer League, running June through August every Wednesday night at Kearn’s Aquatic Center, an outdoor pool.

Water Polo is a fast and furious team sport that is fun to watch, not only for a team’s skill and strategy, but also for the appreciation of athletic bodies clad in QUAC’s standard uniforms: for men, a skimpy, skin-tight Speedo, and for women, a one-piece, formfitting suit. But, as any athlete will tell you, it is the time spent in training and perfecting skills that makes the game rewarding, along with the thrill of beating your opponent in a team atmosphere.

QUAC water polo currently holds two practices a week; one on Friday nights from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. and the other on Sundays from 12 – 2:00 p.m. The Utah Masters also hold a Wednesday night practice at Murray Rec Center from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. Water polo players are also encouraged to attend QUAC swimming practices on Tuesday and Thursday nights, from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m., and on Sundays, from 11:00 a.m. – noon. QUAC’s website, quacquac.org, lists all practices, locations and events.