By Katy Peplinskie
It looks like a fish feeding frenzy – a blur of fins and limbs flailing in the water – but it’s actually a game of underwater hockey. The “fish” are Speedo-clad divers battling for a neon-coloured puck. Odd as it may sound, the sport’s popularity is quickly growing and it’s even fighting to become part of the Summer Olympic Games.
“A decade ago, people would have said, ‘underwater what?’” says Andrew Armstrong, organizer of Ottawa’s underwater hockey teams. “Now it’s a lot more widely recognized.”
Armstrong attributes its growing presence to a couple of factors. “Not only does it cost a lot less to play than other sports, but you can play it year round.”
“Plus, it’s tons of fun,” adds 13-year-old Kristofer Klinger, a recreational player at the Plant Recreation Centre on Somerset Street West.
In Ottawa, three underwater hockey sessions are held weekly. About 15 people, mostly men, attend each. Saturday’s session at the centre is generally the best session for novices, while Wednesday’s session at King Edward Avenue’s Champagne Bath is for the average-skilled player. More advanced players meet Mondays at Plant.
Sebastien Larose, whose father used to be a world competitor for Canada, is an advanced player. He trains five times a week, and frequently travels to Montreal, the base for Canada’s national training program. There, Larose works with a coach and partakes in high level training sessions.
“My ultimate goal is to go to the World Championships,” says Larose.
Sheffield, England plans to host these games in Aug. 2006. Teams from more than 20 different countries including Australia, New Zealand, Holland, South Africa, France, the United States, Sweden, Hungary and Japan expect to compete. The games are held every second year.
But while the Underwater Hockey World Championships reinforce the game’s growing popularity, players like Larose still hope underwater hockey’s bid to become an Olympic sport will be successful. The game is currently up against sports like golf and tug-of-war which are being considered for Olympic induction.
Commonly called “octopush,” underwater hockey is a fast moving game that builds swimming ability and general fitness. It was invented by the British navy in the 1950s to help divers improve their ability to perform tasks underwater. Norm Liebeck, an Australian scuba diving instructor, brought the game to Canada in 1962.
As with ice hockey, the purpose is to get the puck into the opponent’s net. The difference is players must be completely submerged, so the game requires unique equipment.
Players wear flippers, a mask, a snorkel and a glove to protect them from the puck. The puck is made from plastic-coated lead, and a good player can slap it over three metres. The stick resembles a ruler; it’s narrow and about 25 centimetres long.
The game consists of two 15-minute halves and a three-minute halftime. Each side has up to 12 players, 10 of whom can play in any one game. During the game, six players are in the pool with four substitutes on the side who can jump in at any time.
Underwater hockey has a major difference from most sports: the playing field is three-dimensional. This means players not only have to know what is happening beside them, but also above and below. A well-positioned player can drop from the surface at any time to steal the puck from an unsuspecting opponent.
“These kinds of things make the game a real challenge,” says Armstrong.