Waterpolo

While Chiles does not have a water polo team, there are a few students that still play over at the aquatic center. In water polo, there are seven people in the pool for each team at a time, including one goalie, left and right wing, left right flat, hole set, and point. Water polo isn’t a simple sport, and there are many different rules. Water polo is played in a deep pool with a minimum of 1.8 meters and an average of 20-30 meters long by 20 meters wide. The pool must be deep enough for players to tread the water for all four, seven minute quarters. This game is played with a ball that looks similar to a volleyball, but it is completely different! The goal looks similar to a soccer goal, but is held up by foam and bungee cords attached to the pool’s edge. After gaining possession of the ball the team must shoot within 30 seconds, this is called the shot clock rule. Another important rule is players can only touch the ball with one hand. Xavier D’souza says, “Water polo is really fun,” which just goes to show that even though it may seem difficult, water polo sure is worth it!