Southampton is renowned for successful sailing, rowing and windsurfing clubs as far as sporting competition is concerned. If you pass by the Jubilee pool late night on Mondays and Fridays however, you will notice a less familiar and downright bizarre water sport being played. Canoe Polo is definitely one of the most understated and lesser known sporting clubs within the AU.

The club has been growing from strength to strength in recent years, culminating in successive wins for both men and women’s teams at several tournaments last year, and an impressive 3rd, 4th and 5th position for Ladies and Men’s B and A team at BUSA 2008. The club’s progress in terms of achievement is also reflected by the growing number of members and additional pool training time. This year has witnessed a large turnout of keen freshers joining the teams, and so far the newest members have been crucial, providing a great sense of drive and force within the club. For this reason we have asked one of our most enthusiastic and aspiring fresher males, James Ault, in a brief interview to tell us a little bit about what it’s like to be part of a rather unusual sport club.

Why did you choose to join Canoe Polo James?

While walking through the sports hall during the bun fight back in October, I was looking through the water sports area for something that would interest me and hopefully provide an opportunity to keep fit. I had played canoe polo for a while at home so when I saw the stand it seemed like an ideal club to join as I remembered how fun and active a game it could be.

As a sport that may be relatively unknown to many within the university, how popular is the sport itself, and how frequent are competitions occurring between universities?

You’d be surprised how often tournaments occur, I was pleased to discover that soon after joining, a fresher’s tournament was being held up in London. I gladly signed up and we set out at 6:30am on a Saturday morning with a Men’s, Women’s and a Fresher Team. Playing in the Fresher Team was a great experience as we quickly worked out how to play as a group. We ended the first day with one loss and three wins. The second day was equally successful and we finished in 2nd place, not bad for a group of people that had only been playing for a few weeks.

Recently though we have been taking it all a little more seriously and training very hard. It’s paid off as we came out with a 2nd place for the men’s A team last Sunday at Warwick. The final was incredibly close however, the old boys of Warwick managed to steal in at the end with a cracking goal.

We train three times a week in the pool, including Monday and Friday evenings at 9pm and Saturday at 5pm. As a team we also attend circuit training and occasionally some flat water practice on the Itchen. I found that after the initial taster paddle sessions, training proceeded with increased pace, with more focus on team tactics and game play. Training is always good fun as there is encouragement for all team members and everyone gets a chance to join in.

To be part of the team sounds like quite a commitment, is there anytime for social antics in-between?

Canoe Polo isn’t just about the training; the group enjoys plenty of socials throughout the year with varied themes to liven things up. So far we have had socials based on rubix cubes, a formal dinner, christmas fancy dress and a recent bin bag social. These have all proved entertaining, with one member or another creating a topic of discussion at the next training session. Everyone always enjoys themselves on the socials and ends up having a good laugh.

If you could advise future members as to why they should join Canoe Polo, what would your words of wisdom be?

Overall Canoe Polo is a great sport for freshers to join as it’s a fun group with a good atmosphere. The polo only has to go as far as you want. If you just want a casual chance to play around, that’s fine, and for keener players the tournament teams offer a chance for intense activity. There are always good times with casual drinks after most sessions and the occasional social. If you’d like to join a competitive and rather unusual sport with plenty of fun opportunities, Canoe Polo is the club for you.