Water sport not drawing much interest for intramurals

4/24/08

By Andrew R. Koch
Sports Editor

Water polo is considered by many to be a niche sport, played and followed by a select few individuals. The sport is played as part of intramural director Sue Henry’s swim conditioning class, but those students have not appeared to show any interest in playing outside of the class.

“I was hoping we’d get some teams out of that (her swim conditioning class), but it just hasn’t happened,” Henry said.

According to Henry, who has been the intramural director here for 20 years, water polo has been offered as an intramural sport for the last 18 years. It appears however that this is a down year for water polo.

“Most activities go in cycles. The interest grows, and then it dies out. The key is trying to get it going, then spread it through word of mouth,” Henry said. She also mentioned that if people did see that it was going on, then they might be interested in playing. She thinks that instant messaging and more night classes are among the major reasons for the lack of interest.

While Henry does not see a rebound in interest happening before the end of this semester, she does believe that she should become more proactive in encouraging her students to get involved with playing water polo.

“Maybe I could make it (playing intramurals) an extra credit for the class,” Henry said.
While it may be too late to sign up for water polo this semester, there’s always next year, because the sport is offered as an intramural activity. To get involved, you can either get a group of your friends together and sign up, or simply join as a free agent on the sheets posted on Henry’s office door.