Water Polo Kicks Off Tournament
The best thing this sport has going for it is the venue. The game drew a pretty decent crowd for a rainy Friday night (I counted upwards of 30), but the arena is basically a cave that amplifies every sound. Each shout, whistle, clap, and bounce of the ball was magnified. It was like watching real life in HD and surround sound.
The game itself? Well it could grow on me. The game play is fast paced which is always a plus. Whistles don’t slow the game down much at all. I’d say the contest took right around an hour to finish up.
The referees wear all white outfits, which I can’t imagine is a good decision for a sport based around a pool. I spent the entire night praying that no one would splash the officials and give us all a free (and unwanted) show.
Speaking of obscene material, the most disturbing subplot of the entire night was provided by a player on the Grove City team. This guy barely looked like an athlete let alone a swimmer. He had about as much business wearing a Speedo as the Bloomsburg Football offensive line does. That wasn’t the problem though. I know I am not much to look at in a bathing suit as well, but I generally try my clothes on to see if they fit before wearing them in public.
Anyway, to put it nicely, tonight was rainy and cloudy but we in attendance Friday were treated to a full moon.
Luckily, we were all treated to a great game as well. Bloomsburg fell 13-8, but the game remained close until late in the 4th quarter.
The team was noticeably exhausted after the contest. I couldn’t blame them. Trending water for 48 minutes seems more like marine training than a sporting event.
It won’t get much easier for the team as tomorrow they have a double header scheduled. The first game (and the one that many expect to be the most completive of the weekend) begins tomorrow at 10:20 am with BU taking on the University of Pittsburgh.
The team will finish the day with an afternoon game against Penn State.
