Australian Canoeing E-News Thursday 13 September 2007

Canoe Polo - a weird game or a valuable development tool?

Recently, Lauren Ljiljak responded to my question about sports that provided more or less equal competition between competitors of very different ages. Lauren wrote:

Dear Editor

You wonder what other sports allow you to compete in such a wide age group? Look no further than Canoe Polo. I am now a 20 year old female and have been playing since I was 14 against people of all ages. From early teens to over 50's. I continue to play at a high level against a huge variety of people. It remains very competitive and enjoyable!

Regards,

Lauren Ljiljak

Not knowing very much about canoe polo, I asked  Duncan Cochrane, the current Chairman of the AC Canoe Polo Technical Committee, if he would prepare an article for Australian Canoeing’s E-News.  Here is Duncan’s article:

Fact: According to the International Canoe Federation, Canoe Polo is the fastest growing canoeing discipline world wide.

Fact: Canoe Polo is now played in over 50 countries on all continents around the world and has the highest numbers of participation of the competitive disciplines in many countries.

Fact: Many governments around the world are now directing more funding towards increasing sports participation in the community and less towards elite athlete programs.

Fact: The ICF is now promoting Canoe Polo as the most logical and economical discipline for increasing the number of people taking part in canoeing. The ICF expects talented canoe polo players to then move into the various Olympic kayaking sports.

So what is Canoe Polo?

To the uninitiated, polo may seem like a weird and wonderful sport combining the skills of slalom and freestyle kayaking with the skills and tactics of water polo and basketball. Played by 2 teams of 5 players, in a pool of dimensions 35 metres by 23 metres, the action is fast, furious and usually very physical.

At the highest level, the kayak skills of the players rival the best slalom and freestyle paddlers (in fact many polo players compete at a high level in the other disciplines).

Games last 20 minutes, plus extra time if needed, and all the major rules are based on safety.

Tactics can range from a tight zone defence to more open 1 on 1 play, making a huge range of scores and tactical battles possible.

Polo in Australia

Canoe Polo is played world-wide. In Australia, canoe polo is played in all capital cities and many regional centres.

There are also a large number of social competitions around the country catering for all levels of player from beginner to elite. At a national level, The Australian Canoeing Canoe Polo Technical Committee organises the Australian Championships each Easter and also a Summer Series each year.

Australia has one of the best international histories of polo playing countries – our men are still the only team to have won 3 consecutive World Championships, in 94, 96 and 98, and our women also won in 94 and 98, and silver and bronze in 96 and 2002 respectively. Both teams are still ranked in the top 6 and have very good chances of winning a medal next year in Canada.

How to Take Part in Canoe Polo:

Contact any of the State Associations (you will find links on the Australian Canoeing website) and your Association will let you know of nearby competitions.

How to Start Up a Competition:

You may wish to start a competition in your area. If so, please contact Duncan at duncancochrane@kayaksplus.com.au

About Duncan:

Duncan Cochrane is the current Chair of the AC Canoe Polo Technical Committee, having been on the committee since 1992. He has been playing polo for over 20 years, and was a member of the Australian Men’s Team from 1989-2002 and captain of the team in 96 and 98. Along with Brett Houghton (NSW) and Keith McChlery (QLD) he was one of only 3 players to play in all three World Championships winning teams in 94,96 and 98. He has also coached the Australian Women in 94 and 2000 and the men in 2003-2005. He has a degree in Sports Science from UNSW and is a fulltime Fire-fighter in Adelaide.

Duncan was a member of the ICF Athletes Commission from 1998-2007 and was recently appointed to the ICF Canoe Polo Committee, where his role now includes the training and accreditation of all ICF Canoe Polo Referees.