Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.05.2011, Page 36

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36
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 6 — 2011
Sports | Barely
Here’s a fun activity: Go to your nearest
pool and start swimming. Swim around
until your arms get tired, your legs go
numb, your lungs burn, and your heart
feels like it’s going to burst. Then, swim
some more. This is essentially the ex-
perience for most people the first time
they play water polo. However, for any-
one out there who loves competition,
wants to get in shape, or thinks they
just look amazing in a Speedo, you
could give water polo a try.
I met up with a local water polo
team at Laugardalslaug at a Monday
night practice to get a feel for the game.
There were eight men and women of
various ages and skill levels practicing
that night. We started out with some
warm-up drills. One drill involved the
team lining up and treading water while
they passed a plastic chair to each oth-
er above their heads. The team spent
the rest of the practice doing passing
and shooting demonstrations. I spent
the rest of the practice trying to catch
my breath and re-evaluating my diet
and lifestyle. Despite my physical limi-
tations, the team was always very en-
couraging.
At the team’s next practice, another
water polo team showed up to scrim-
mage. From the instant the game be-
gan, the players never stopped. Each
player charged though the water on
a mission: swim, pass, shoot, score.
Whenever possession of the ball turned
over to the other team, everyone raced
down to the other end of the pool.
Watching them all surge toward the
goal looked like a school of sharks
moving in for the kill. The match was
hard-fought on both sides, but always
friendly.
A WORK IN PROGRESS
The Reykjavík water polo league is
relatively new. Founded only five years
ago, it is admittedly still in a develop-
ing phase. There are only two official
teams, and games are tentatively held
once every two or three weeks. Glenn
Moyle, a friendly Kiwi in his mid-thirties
with long blonde dreadlocks, played
water polo for years in Reykjavík before
becoming head coach of one of the
teams. I spoke with him after practice
to learn more about the sport and how
it’s developing in Iceland.
Glenn tells me he played many dif-
ferent sports growing up in his native
New Zealand, and was an especially
avid swimmer. He got bored, however,
simply swimming back and forth, so be-
ing able to toss a ball around in the pool
made water polo a natural fit. “What I
love about sports is the competitive
side, the physical side, the mental side.
And water polo combines everything
that every sport has into one,” says
Glenn. He goes on to tell me he began
playing at age twelve, and soon it be-
came a major part of his life.
After ten years of playing he put
water polo on hold in order to travel
the world. His travels brought him to
Iceland, where on one visit to Laugar-
dalslaug four years ago, he found a
water polo team practicing. He asked
the coach if he could join in, and after
years away from any official leagues,
water polo was suddenly back in his
life. He continued to play in Reykjavík
for the next few years, as well as work
to progress the league. His work to de-
velop the sport in Iceland led to the first
official league championship game last
year, which Glenn’s team won 4–3.
RIPE FOR THE PICKING
Although it’s a small start, it is a start
nonetheless. But Glenn thinks Iceland
is ripe for a sport like water polo. He
cites the high quality of Reykjavík’s
pools and the success of handball in
Iceland (since water polo is “just an
aquatic handball” as he puts it) as rea-
sons the game could be very popular.
“The best facilities in the world com-
bined with one of the best handball
teams in the world, it should be one
of the better water polo teams in the
world.”
Glenn’s involvement with the team
reached a new level when he became
head coach at the start of this sea-
son. Though he pushes his players to
be their best, Glenn’s coaching style
is supportive, and very involved. He
spends most of the practices in the wa-
ter with the players.
He encourages anyone interested in
taking up the sport, or just looking for
a great way to get whipped into shape,
to come give it a shot. “We have had
people come play who can’t even swim.
But there’s no arrogance in the water.
It’s not just about the competitive side.
It’s also about the enjoyment, the social
aspect. It’s about getting a workout. It’s
about a lot of things.”
Glenn still cites some of his best
friends today as the people with whom
he grew up playing water polo. The
game’s social aspect can be seen in
the camaraderie among the team he
coaches.
For an exciting and fun way to com-
pete, get in shape, and make some new
friends, head down to the pool and dive
on in.
If you’re interested in playing water
polo, you can find the team at Laugar-
dalslaug on Mondays and Wednesdays,
20:00–22:00, or check out their web-
site, www.waterpolo.is
Don’t Forget Your Speedo!
Having fun and getting in shape with Reykjavík’s water polo league
Words
Steve Ganey
Photography
Hörður Sveinsson
So have you signed up at www.waterpolo.is yet?
This sounds fun, right?