Kelowna Water Polo Club gets visit from national team members

The Kelowna Water Polo Club (KWPC) wrapped up their indoor pool practices last weekend, and they were surprised by a visit from guest coaches of Team Canada and Team Australia.

Australian national team member Samatha Mitchell was on hand, along with Vernon's Lyle Brooks, who is a member of the Canadian national team.

The KWPC is an all ages aquatic club that has players from all across Canada and the UK, Hungary, Australia and the US.

Mitchell has been playing water polo for her hometown Cronulla Sharks since she was seven. The 26-year old has represented her city team, state team and the Australian national team. She currently plays in the Australian Water Polo league for Cronulla and will be in the lake with the KWPC this summer to share her skills and knowledge.

Meanwhile, Brooks, who was born in Ottawa, now resides in Vernon. He has played for various clubs around the country, and was a member of Team Ontario and the Canadian National Team. The 29-year old is a FINA (International Swimming Foundation) referee and recently played in an alumni game to welcome new inductees in the Water Polo Canada Hall of Fame.

Brooks and Mitchell joined the KWPC regular coaches Kristin Smart, Riley Bennet, Adam Frank, Ani Yusova and Ceci Salazaar to run drills and share tips with members.

The youth members, aged 6-8, got to experience their first taste of playing a real water polo game in the H2O deep tank, with Brooks and Mitchell assisting the young ones.

"Lyle and Samantha did a great job being in the water with the kids and the game was a great success," said coach Gyula Biharay. "We had a lot of parents cheering on too! It was great for our Splashball (6-8 year old) kids to finally get a taste of real water polo, and they enjoyed it a a lot."

Brooks was ecstatic to help out during the practice, first with the kids, then in a competitive match with the adult members.

"I had an absolute blast. Water polo is such a fantastic sport and the young community that is growing here in Kelowna has so much potential," said Brooks. "It was fun to get in the water with the kids, and then to play with the adults."

"The regular coaches at Kelowna Water Polo Club are great and the parents were very welcoming."

The club will now shift their training to Okanagan Lake, for play at Tugboat Beach in July and August. Practices happen on Tuesday and Sunday evenings, and new members are always welcome.

For more information on the club, please click this link.