CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — A first glance into the pool at Cape Elizabeth High School might not suggest how serious things are about to get, but inner tube water polo with Casco Bay Sports gets very competitive.
"I literally came by myself the first night," says Carly Rickarby, who was one of just eight people coming to play. "Three to four years later we have four or five teams each season. Each team has about ten people on it."
It's safe to say those ten people work hard when they're in the pool. The goal is to stay afloat in your inner tube, while passing the ball to your teammates and attempting to score goals.
"You actually end up breaking a sweat when you're in the pool which is weird because you're in a pool, but you're working so hard," says Tim Jones. Jones learned a lot when he first started coming to the games last season, from rules of play to proper preparation. "I was very sore - my back especially - and I was very dehydrated."
You can sign up by yourself with Casco Bay Sports to be a free agent, or you can form your own team. Some of the players here came alone their first night and are now part of something bigger. Others are bonding with coworkers, forming teams with those they share a cubicle with.
"This is a nice way to do things outside of work," says Rickarby. "It's nice getting to know people. You really have to work together if you want to win." At the end of the day, don't let the smiles fool you, this is still a competition.
"It does get serious," says organizer Christian Rodriguez. "It seems like fun and games but the playoffs get just as serious as your basketball game, your soccer game, people do take this seriously which is a positive."
The next season gets underway in September. For more information, click here.