Feb. 27, 2013
By Greg Mescall
Since its official launch in the spring of 2010, Splashball has been steadily growing across the United States. In a little more than 18 months, the youth initiative—designed to introduce water polo to children 5-9 years old in a safe, fun manner—has sprouted up in polo hotbeds from California all the way to the northeast and in various places in between.
One area continuing a water polo surge has been Florida. From masters clubs to age groups, more and more athletes are representing the Sunshine State in national championships and high-level collegiate programs. But it was largely south Florida carrying the flag—until Orlando Water Polo and the Central Florida YMCA decided to get involved. Thanks to a dedicated group of aquatics-minded people who've placed water polo and Splashball on the front burner, the game has a real chance to thrive.
Orlando's Splashball Roots
Orlando Water Polo became a go-to place around 1987 for former men's players at the high school and college level who wanted to continue to compete. Thanks to the efforts of guys such as Barry Creighton and Dan Hastings, the club was launched and became an outlet for water polo in Central Florida. Like any sport, getting younger players involved is a key to development, and water polo hit the school systems in the Orlando area thanks to the diligent work of Barry Creighton, Dan Hayes, and Jack Horton.
From there water polo progressed with both Masters (or open division) and high school involvement, but growth to younger levels seems to have started with Randy Walters. After joining the Y on a near fluke—since it was the only pool open late enough for him to use after work—Walters became head of the club for a time. Walters then moved to helping the high school group with Leo Ramirez, a former area high school player who had returned to Orlando post college.
"It was in 2005 where the high school younger brothers and sisters starting coming out," said Walters. "In the winter of 2006, the middle school kids said, 'No we don't want to stop coming out,' so the question was asked, 'Randy why don't you just keep coaching the little kids, two nights a week?'" And that was the beginning of the Gladiators.
The Gladiators are a middle school-age squad that Walters has been developing year in and year out since 2007. The development paid off. This year the group qualified for its first-ever TURBO Champions Cup, and last year kids who started with the Gladiators were part of the same high school team that advanced all the way to the state tournament—a competition usually dominated by southern Florida schools.
When Walters first started the Gladiators he had one kid to work with—Paige Rhodes. He'd drive 40 minutes each way in the summer to work with her and lay the foundation. "Paige, if you're here, I'll be here," Walters said then—and that gives him confidence when he works to motivate and inspire water polo advocates everywhere. "Hey, this program is committed. I know it's not going to cancel; we've been blessed with a strong program, and I'm sure that will carry over into Splashball."
The Gladiators, as it turns out, laid the groundwork for Splashball in Orlando.
While Walters was honing that next level of athletes as they prepared for high school, there was a chance to teach water polo to the younger group—7 and 8 year olds who wanted to be in the pool. Thanks to the efforts of Walters, Orlando Water Polo, and the Central Florida YMCA, Splashball officially arrived in Orlando earlier this year.
"What's really cool about Splashball is it's bringing kids out who would never come to my program," said Walters. "Parents feel their children are too small to be in my group. I was taking kids who were 8 years old, so tiny we couldn't find suits to fit them in. With Splashball, we have a place for those kids to get involved, throwing a ball in the water."
The YMCA, which hosts Orlando Water Polo (the club soon will be renamed YCF Water Polo), has been supportive of Splashball from the start. It added Splashball to its membership offerings and let a staff lifeguard and club water polo player, Joe Orchard, run the program. Orchard is a wise choice and keeps things in the Orlando water polo family, as he played at Doctor Phillips High School for Ramirez.
"They were behind it, the Y wants to grow water polo," said Walters. "They kind of took that bull by the horns more than any other program."
Orchard started with two kids on the first day of Splashball and has seen his number increase to 15; the club also recently scrimmaged another burgeoning Splashball team in the neighboring town of Oviedo.
"You could tell they were playing some water polo," said Orchard. "They know catching with one hand, dry passes, wet passes. They kind of get the idea of setting up. Over just four months there has been a big improvement; I don't have to go over the very simple basics anymore."
Things have started to expand so fast that Orchard was asked to kickstart another Splashball squad at the Doctor Phillips YMCA. But for now he's content to stay with his highly competitive Orlando group. "My splashball kids are always wondering where the next game is," he added.
While the Splashball group continues to grow, all those involved with the Orlando Water Polo see the program as a great addition. Club president Daniel Fontana, himself a Masters player, knows the benefits of water polo, especially for young kids.
"I don't know if there's a better workout than playing water polo for a couple of hours," he said. "You're not only swimming and getting the cardio, you're also pushing, shoving, treading, using your legs, your core—it's the best workout you can get. It's low impact, you're not lifting weights and getting hurt, but there's resistance with the water—it's great for kids that age. Be hard to get hurt playing water polo."
"I think [Splashball is] great," added Brian Martin, former club president. "My friends and I all wish we had the opportunity to play at a young age; we didn't have those opportunities growing up—you didn't get to play until you were in high school."
The Future Is Now
While most everyone is pleased with the presence of Splashball, there's more work ahead in order for the program to reach its full potential—and also, hopefully, spread to other area pools.
"One thing we started to do, all the clubs here in Florida, has been scheduling games," said Walters. "Each game day we have a Splashball competition with all the kids from all the 12U teams. [In our] US leagues, we all just sponsor a game day so the kids can come—no entry fee, no pool fee—and play each other. All the high schools play at our facilities, we canvass their parents, and that's how I've grown my middle school program. Get the younger kids involved."
Orlando Splashball is getting strong support from USA Water Polo, too. USAWP Sport Growth Specialist Nick Gaffey is based in central Florida and has been working overtime to grow the game at all levels, Splashball included.
"I've been going door to door to facilities around Florida, speaking with aquatic directors about the benefits of Splashball and water polo," he said. "The YMCA of Central Florida has been especially receptive with regard to growing the sport within its facilities. The support of Aquatics Director Mitzi Tighe and YMCA Aquatic Center Board Chairman, Doc Lucky Meisenheimer, has been instrumental to the sustained success of this fledgling effort in central Florida."
Members of the community also have pitched in. Meisenheimer—Masters swimming legend and creator of the now-famous Lucky's Lake Swim—has been involved with the YMCA for many years on a philanthropic level. He has recently pledged to donate Splashball equipment to every new club in the area that signs up; in his estimation, he's already purchased a "heck of a lot of splashballs."
"Whoever came up with the idea of Splashball, everybody needs to give that person a high five, a pat on the back, and two attaboys," said Meisenheimer. "That's what the sports needs—California maybe not—but everywhere else you've got to introduce it early, or it's just not going to fly."
Meisenheimer, who played water polo in his younger days at Eastern Kenutcky, now focuses on swimming and underwater hockey but still has high hopes for water polo and the growth of the game. "At least here at the aquatic center we're embracing the fact, I think, that water polo and swimming can coexist and are synergistic. If the hardcore water polo coaches and swimming coaches would get together and realize the two would be good for everyone, it would be a wonderful thing."
Doc Lucky believes in YMCAs; he's on a short list of people who've resuscitated aquatic facilities after they've closed (e.g., the Orlando YMCA in 1992). He believes Splashball could be a key to growth not just in Florida, but nationwide.
"I would love central Florida to be the test area for showing how this could work," he said. "I've told YMCAs they need to focus on what they have different from all these places, [and it] is typically a swimming pool and an aquatics program. If you are an aquatic center, you need to promote the aquatics aspect of it. Swimming lessons are great, but what do you do after the lessons? Traditionally you push kids into swimming, but for a lot of kids, it just isn't their thing. But we find that a lot of kids stay involved in swimming if they have something like Splashball to go into—that's the new formula for success."
Whether or not Splashball becomes a model program for YMCAs across the country remains to be seen, but the program and the sport of water polo have a strong foothold in the Orlando. With the help of Walters, Orchard, Meisenheimer, and others, the potential for growth is, thankfully, unlimited.
This article appeared in the Winter 2011 issue of SkipShot Magazine
