Water polo may seem like a relatively new sport on the world stage but the game itself was invented in the late 19th century in England and Scotland, where water sports were a feature of county fairs and festivals. Men’s water polo was among the first team sports to be introduced at the modern Olympics in 1900.

The rules of water polo were originally developed in the late nineteenth century by William Wilson, who originally intended for it to be called “water rugby.” The game started off as a show of brute strength, with wrestling and holding opposing players underwater being allowed. The rules were slowly shifted to allow for a more aggressive but faster style of play. There would be no more holding underwater, or wrestling involved in water polo, but rather such moves as the “dry pass” would take hold, allowing for higher scoring, more exciting matches.

The main country involved in the introduction of the newest, most innovative techniques in water polo was Hungary. Indeed, Hungary’s national water polo team even played a match against the Soviet Union, just as the Soviet Union was crushing a revolt against the Communist regime ruling Hungary at the time. The game between the two countries is considered to be one of the most violent in history, with some eye-witnesses even claiming that the pool turned red because of blood in the water.

Freshman Quentin Louis, who had heard about the match said, “It just seems to prove that water polo is a really intense sport, regardless of what some people may think.”

In the United States, however, water polo has become most popular in the West Coast, especially in places like California, with the University of Southern California long considered to be the best college team in the history of water polo in the US. At Seminole High School too, the sport has become surprisingly popular, especially with swimmers, who see it as a fun way to train and stay fit during the offseason.

Sophomore Paul Foltz, who plays water polo recreationally, said, “Water polo requires really different muscles than swimming, you have to be able to tread water really easily in order to free up your hands. But it’s still a really good form of exercise.”

The school has done reasonably well in the sport during the past few years. Junior and team member Prakash Sundar said, “We almost made it to districts last year except for a technicality in the rules.” This technicality was the fact that the team had, by a close margin, not won enough away games to be considered for a spot in the regional tournament. The team holds practices everyday for two hours, from 2:45 to 4:45 and matches are usually at night, just like professional water polo matches. While matches have not started yet, it will be a treat to see the water polo team in action. As they say, in water polo most of the action takes place under the surface.