Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-01-21

hcisHt. Teams all over the couii-
l. try are hard at work preparing for
the national championship games which
will be held this year during the sports
mems exhibition at Boston. Water
polo is one of the fastest and most eN-
citing sports ever played. 1t is pruc-
tically football in the water, with this
differerce-the ball is passed from
player to player by means of the hands
alone. Tho feet cannot he used except
for swimming purposes Water polo
may be played in any ordinary SWIM
ming tank or natatoriun. Teams con-
sist OF not more than seven players, but
usually OF five or six.
AT the beginning of the game the con-
testants. clad in the conventional swim
ming costume OF jersey and short
trunks with skullcapS to denote their
team. line up at either end Of the tank.
each team near the goal which il is To
defend. The referee takes the bail.
losses it as nearly as possible into the
middle of the tank and blows his whis
tie. The players then dive in hurry.
and all except one on each side race for
the bali. The exceptions are the goal
keepers. who remain ut the ends and
guard the little four-foot boards nailed
up Just above the level of the water
which are the goals. IThen the struggle
begins.
| AS the men come together in the mid
die the player who Is quick enough to
secure the ball ut once passes it back
to one of his own side and then. with
the rest of his team. swims along so as
to Interfere" for the one who has the
ball or else gets into such Il nosition
that the ball may he advantaseously
passed TO him. While all this is going
l n SlIrI, u N 81, ~ DIR,
ing. scrambling and lively work goes on
that the spectators are always kept
In Il roar of laughter and applause.
The idea Is to get the ball 10 the OPP
posing teams goal and touch the board
| with II while held in the hand Once
this is done, the referee blows his Wills
tie. and the teams again line up for the
plunge and start all over again
In match games ten minute halves arc
played. TO the uninitiatcd this does
not seem n long time but. as fact, it
takes trained athlete. with plenty Of
stamina and gameness. to stand the
strain of being butfetcd about for that
length of time With nothing to stand on
The game OF water polo was introduc-
ed into this country from England
where 1t has been extremely popular
for many years. John Robinson first
taught II in 1855 to the members of the
! Boston Athletic assocint ion where he
was then swimming instructor. The
fine points and possibilities OF the game
were quickly recognized. until now
there arc teams I'm most large cities. II
| is especially popular among the large
athletic and boat clubs and the V NJ
c. a.
Last winter the championship was
! won by the Knickerbocker y. c. of New
York after an exciting session with the
y. y. y. G. experts in q specially pre-
pared tank built I'm the Madison Square
| Garden during the sportsmcns show
] The Mercury Footers" are training
hard to regain the trophy from the
Cherry Diamonds" In this game per-
haps more than in any other. is the old
rivalry between these two crack New
York clubs kept up. The Chicago Ath-
lctic association has a very strong team
again this year and has great hopes of
winning the championship at the forth
coming games.
There seems to be Il very general feel
| ing on all sides that the present wear
Will witness a very material boom In
almost every line of athletic sport. In
anticipation of this expected increase
of interest clubs and managers all ever
he country are getting together their
teams and in other ways putting things
in good shape 10 catch the tide of pros
perity OF the food.
Rowing. tennis, golf. cricket. horse
racing and other circles are already
showing signs of activity that promise
wealth of sport during the coming
spring and summer. The cyclists just
now are of course looking forward unx-
iously to the opening of the Paris cy-
position. where the professionals hope
to reap much gold and the amateurs
great glory.
The fact that over 90 American cham
pions at various distances and styles OF