Kayak Polo
...my kayaking vice...
On occasion, I blaspheme from my focus in rivers, and switch to the more competitive aspect that is Kayak Polo. Essentially 5-a-side football in kayaks, this dominates much of the winter months, as there is little water, and few people willing to face the freeze. Our A-team consist of:
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Paul Walker I'm the goalie of our team, and simultaneously our strongest and weakest player - depending on whether I'm in goals or not! Actually at Div 2, this is no longer the case, and the additional outfield practice will be beneficial to our teams chances at SUS. I've recently achieved my Grade 3 Referees Qualification, which is honestly more trouble than its worth. Oh, and I've the longest paddles ever! |
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John MacArthur John is our wildcard. Good up-front, mid-field, in defence, and even in goals. John's flexibility is one of the main reasons our team is as successful as it is - we may have lost him to Stirling's Div 1 team for the league, but he's still around for SUS. |
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Chris Bell GUCC's polo team's main strength is in its defence, and Chris is one of our defenders - need I say it, he's pretty good at it (though he's definitely more river inclined). Another potential leaver, we all hope that Chris will still be here next year - even if it's just to see another capsized goal shot! |
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Colin McMorrin At this years Division 2 competitions, Colin has already demonstrated an amazing ability to get the ball and score. Holder of a Blue's Award from the University of Glasgow for contributions to kayaking, he certainly shows what he's made of on the polo pitch! |
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Ezra Watts Though new to the squad, Ezra's experience of English Kayak Polo is proving to be a useful asset as they play to a much higher standard than Scotland generally do. Additionally, his tactics, while different from the ones we generally use, are solid, and will likely be incorporated in some of our games this year. He also now holds his Grade 4 referee so that I don't need to ref all our matches. |
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Ross Barnie Yes, I've been training Ross at the competetive side of kayaking too, and he's been making just as dramatic improvements here as in river boating. He has advanced significantly since his Division 3 debut last year, and was genuinely competing with the Division 2 players at our last tournament - and much to everyones surprise, he was incorperated as part of the SUS A-Team! |
As can be seen from the descriptions above, there's the potential for a massive upheaval of the team, particularly next year where a decent number of our squad graduate.
We have a couple of "new recruits" so to speak.
Catriona Mcbride
Stephan Moss
Euan Richardson
George Elderfield
All of these have now played at Division 1 level and know the standard to which they need to play. The big question I suppose is, which of them will stay on and keep playing over the next few years?
