Sport of the Week: Underwater Football
Columbus State University | The Saber
Sports
Aug 14, 2013 |
9
With summer coming to a rapid close, now would be a good time to appreciate some traditional, well-worn water sports...like Underwater Football
Elaine Hoffmeister
Staff Writer
Photo: Wikimedia.org
With summer coming to a rapid close, now would be a good time to appreciate some traditional, well-worn water sports. But why waste time on kids’ games like diving and synchronized swimming when the high-energy, waterlogged world of underwater football exists? Sports fans everywhere will be delighted to learn that many of their favorite classic sports now have an equivalent that can be played with these fun additions: an environment lacking in oxygen, and highly attractive swim gear depending on the wearer in question. Played in a swimming pool with snorkeling equipment, underwater football is similar to other low-gravity sports such as underwater rugby, involving lots of buckets and a ball filled with saltwater, and underwater hockey, a fun game not to be confused with underwater ice hockey played upside-down beneath frozen lakes. The rules of underwater football are similar to those of regular landlubber football. By carrying and passing a negatively buoyant ball, players attempt to score by placing the ball into the gutter on either end of the pool. Players are completely submerged and rely on intense swimming to get from one end of the pool to the other, while avoiding the other team players who are not afraid to utilize some choice tackle maneuvers. Up to thirteen players can participate, but only five can be in the game at any time; the rest of the team act as substitutes when the players get tired or run out of breath. While tournament matches last only 23 minutes, as an extra difficulty the underwater football league prohibits a player from holding onto the football if any part of their body rises above the water, including going to the surface for a breath of air. Popular in Canadian provinces such as Alberta, Manitoba, and Newfoundland, underwater football was developed in the 1960s by a scuba instructor and has since become surprisingly popular, especially as a training technique for various military and sport organizations. While playing football far from grass stains and sweaty shirts may not float everyone’s boat, there are other bizarre underwater sports to leave you wondering how much free time and creativity athletes have. Similar sports claiming the benefits and challenge of battling buoyancy include underwater target shooting (using a speargun), underwater tennis, underwater walking, biking, dancing, wrestling and even underwater pumpkin carving. There seems to be no limit to the list, perhaps because having sports take place in such a restrictive environment adds fun, challenge and, dare I say it, depth to the sports we know and love on terra firma.