Monday, April 26, 2004 :::
 
A busy weekend for A Mind That Suits. He finally forced himself to take time off and actually take time off, so he rented a car and drove over to Annapolis--the prettiest little jewel on the East Coast--and catch a water polo tournament. The level of play was medium. Water polo is a West Coast sport. The most excitement came in the Army-Air Force grudge matches, though the service that needs people with good inner ears got swamped by the service that needs guys with gills. The New York Athletic Club, which fields a team featuring several former national players, showed up with only 8 eligible players (you need seven to start the game) and they commandeered the pool against any lesser opponent. (Air Force was able to stimie them with youth in the first half, only to get shut down in the second and almost lose.)

Gills, by the way, are what most water polo players seem to want. A Mind That Suits was privileged to watch the legendary American water polo coach--Dante Dettamanti of Stanford--prepare his last college squad for a championship, and those boys clearly wanted to be in the water, all the time. His friend Mike Schofield at Navy, who bids fair to be a legend himself, finally has a pack of kids who seem just happy to be wet.

Almost all serious water polo players make a show of diving into the water. They try every different way there is. One of Navy's stars has a dangerous habit of doing a high jump over the goal, which you can just mark up to adolescent male bravado, but the funny ones are the guys who twist their bodies in every conceivable way and land loudly in the tank.

In any case, if you are on the West Coast (or near Annapolis in the fall), it is a wonderful spectator sport and worth checking out.

And checking out is what A Mind That Suits must now do, as his work day is about to begin.


::: posted by A Mind That Suits at 12:31 PM


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What doesn't kill me, makes me laugh... usually.