EVENT # 16 KAYAK POLO (July 19)

So I decided to combine two of my favorite activities into one.  Kayak Polo is basically kayaking and basketball combined on the water.  Sounds easy?  This was by far one of the most physically draining and challenging sports so far.  And I was sitting the whole time!  The club's name is the Carolina Kayak Polo Club and they play at McDowell Nature Preserve.  Find them at:  http://www.carolinakayakpolo.org/.  I was invited by Adam, who is a parent at my school.  He has been playing for years now and took the time to introduce me to this incredible sport.  I started out just learning how to put on the equipment (helment, life jacket, and a skirt??)  You just have to experience it if you want to know what a skirt is.  Once I got locked into place, the paddling came naturally to me, until it was game time!  Then, just like in lacrosse, I was thrown into a real game and there were not enough people to sub in.  So I played four games at about 20 minutes each.  Beside the little bit of pain in my lower back and hamstrings, I was getting a heck of an upper body workout.  So basically, in a nutshell, Kayak Polo is kayaking back and forth from goal to goal trying to THROW a ball into your goal while being defended by the other team.  So you can imagine that things can get ugly and FUN!!  I describe it as intense bumper boats....at least that is what I did a lot of.  There is dribbling which is basically throwing the ball ahead of you and paddling up to it.  You can carry the ball under your arm while paddling and you can pass the ball in the air or give a lead pass to your teammates as you break for the goal.  Because I got totally immersed into this sport so quickly, I WAS able to attempt several shots, actually about 5 or so.  I did make 2 shots for my team.  The guys were going easy on me though but it was a blast!  Oh and by the way, I only flipped over twice which made for a nice refreshing dip in the water on a 95 degree night on the lake!  The guys came to my rescue and I was able to pull myself out quickly with only a little embarrassment.  THANK YOU POLO GUYS and thank you Adam for you time.  I will definitely try this one again!
http://www.carolinakayakpolo.org/