ESTEVAN - The Estevan Sharks Water Polo program’s trial session on Aug. 30 at the Estevan Leisure Centre’s swimming pool drew experienced athletes and some new to the sport.
Approximately 30 children ages five to 10 years were in the pool from 7-8 p.m. Roughly half of them were new swimmers trying water polo for the first time.
Coaches Kristy Jones, Allan Smelt, Melissa Enns, Chad Knoll and Neal Linthicum taught the kids how to dribble, pass and hopefully score on their opponent in net.
The second hour of the trial brought the youths ages 10 and up into the pool. There were 14 youths who attended this session with six being brand new swimmers. With age and experience of previous sessions under most of the youths’ belts, the coaches were able to focus on a few more drills and wrapped up the session with a White versus Blue game.
“It was exciting to see the pool full at the beginning of the season for the trial session and the team hopes that many of the children will join the team for the 2022-23 season,” the Sharks said in a news release.
The Estevan Sharks water polo program is one of four in the province. The others are located in Weyburn, Regina and Saskatoon. Throughout the season, the teams practise to hone their skills to compete in tournaments in all four communities. The season starts Sept. 29 and runs until spring provincials at the end of March.
The Sharks will be at city-wide registration on Sept. 8 at the Estevan Leisure Centre. They are in the pool every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evening, and can be found on Facebook at Sharks Water Polo.
