By Rachel Sarnovsky

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One young team is dipping its toes into the waters of club sports. This semester marks the first time UK is offering water polo as a club sport.

Contrary to the belief of some students, water polo is not related to horses, said second year medical student Terren Trott, who is one of the creators of the team.

Trott grew up in California where he said water polo is more prevalent.

He is now the president of UK’s water polo club.

“Me and Scott Beckmeyer took a class together and I’ve always loved playing recreationally and he had never played before and between the two of us we got the club going, getting it to be an official organization,” Trott said.

Unlike Beckmeyer, Trott has been familiar with water polo since high school, despite the small growth he expected.

“It’s much more popular on the coast,” Trott said. “I went to undergraduate in California and I played in high school. So I think most people who play have played from the coast, which is why I wasn’t sure how many people would be interested in playing here at UK where it’s a lot less popular, but we found a lot of people.”

Water polo is played with a team of seven players. Six field players and one goalkeeper play at once. The players are in the deep end of the pool, which means the players must tread water the whole time.

“The main obstacle is the physical endurance. It’s pretty physically demanding and it can get really tiring,” Trott said.

Trott said water polo is played similar to basketball, but the players are in the water. Only the goalie is allowed to use two hands on the ball, so all the passing and shooting by the field players is done one handed.

At this point, the team is focused on increasing its numbers and drawing in additional players before the team is able to make the impact it hopes for.

“For now we just want to be co-ed recreational and just encourage everyone to play,” Trott said. “We want anyone who’s at all interested, regardless of their skill level, to feel comfortable trying out the sport and hopefully falling in love with it.”

Trott said the team would likely play scrimmages with teams in the local area. He said they are planning the scrimmages for the spring but might also play in December.

“There’s actually a club team similar to this club team being put together in Louisville with the same level of experience and there’s plenty of teams in the Ohio and Illinois region,” Trott said.

About 25 people have attended practices and Trott said experience is not necessary for the club sport.

“The best way for you to learn is just to get in it and everyone’s been super supportive,” Trott said. “People who know how to play are helping out people who don’t know how to play. It’s definitely a sport best learned just by diving into it.”