In a 麻豆传媒映画first, athletes walked past the outdoor Kits pool and stepped into the ocean, swam roughly 25 metres to a three-metre depth and challenged each other in a water polo tournament.
In a game typically played in a swimming pool free of currents and tidal ebbs, referee Roger Williams stayed dry on the prow of a boat as teams competed in the latest addition to KitsFest, a summer sports and lifestyle festival now in its seventh year.
Robert Barton, a former swimming and water polo head coach at Simon Fraser University, helped organize the two-day competition.
The seven-a-side sport looks like little more than a lot splashing as a ball is batted around, but these strong swimmers are also kicking, grappling and sculling hard for position to elevate above the surface and fire a shot on net. Natural elements like wind, ocean spray and tides 鈥� and the potential to see seals play near Kitsilano Point 鈥� introduced an added challenge for competitors more accustomed to chlorine than kelp.
The event drew players from the West Coast Master Water Polo, a competitive adult club with former varsity and national players. Formed in 2010, the club typically plays in pools, including the West End aquatic centre, but also hosts open-water competition at Ruby Lake on the Sunshine Coast.
