Matt Meyer
Sports Reporter

With the opening of the multi-million dollar El Pomar Natatorium, many clubs and classes exist that otherwise wouldn’t. One club is water polo, coached by Ally Bottom. It is the only water polo team on the Western Slope. While the only criteria is that one can swim, it is a lot more involved.
To score, a player must throw the ball into the opposing team’s goal, similar to that of a soccer net. Movement of play is controlled by players passing and throwing the ball to teammates, all of this while players are swimming or treading water.
“It’s kind of like a mix of soccer, basketball, and hockey,” said Mesa State freshman Jeff Sederlin. “You have fouls and a penalty box like hockey, you have players and a goalie like in soccer, and you have the passing and hand-eye coordination skills of basketball.”
Water polo begins its first season as a Mesa State club sport next fall, but offseason training is happening this spring, the first practice occurred last Thursday.
Rules of water polo generally include that players cannot touch the bottom of the pool and that they may only touch the ball with one hand. “It’s physical, tiring, and a blast,” Mesa State student Patrick Stehler said after his first practice.
According to Sederlin, the team has just recently joined the College Water Polo Association and will begin scheduling opponents soon.
“We’re going to play teams like Colorado State, Utah, DU (Denver University), and New Mexico State,” Sederlin said.
Currently, the team is made up of a mix of varsity swimmers and curious first-timers. The coaches and pool staff also join scrimmages in practice.
“I was bored, and I found out I was good at it when I joined the class,” Stehler said, when asked why he joined the water polo team.
Classes like water polo and swimming are available for people who may feel they aren’t in good enough shape for the club sport. The El Pomar Natatorium is open from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. The club practices Thursday night at 7 p.m. and is open to players of all ability levels as long as he or she can swim.