Corporate area Water Polo tourney set for next month

Lance Rochester, Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaican (ASAJ) vice-president in charge of water polo is confident that launching the inaugural Inter Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) High School water polo league will enable the island to field more competitive teams globally.

The competition is expected to get underway in November

?We are seventh overall in the PANAM region and 20th worldwide,? he observed of the Jamaica?s junior rankings. The vice-president is urging Jamaicans to get on board and support the growth of another non-traditional sport. ?We are on a mission to re-launch a sport which has been around from the early 1940?s. There is a lot of talent so we just have to equip them to compete with the rest of the world and win titles,? Rochester added.

Jamaica?s junior water polo teams have been performing satisfactorily in the region. They have excelled in winning the CARIFTA under 15 boys? title last year, while claiming a second place finish in the aged 19 and under competition. The also won bronze in under 17 competition from the CCCAN games in San José, Costa Rica earlier this year. Richards concludes now is the time to grow the sport from the youth level to seniors.

?We want to get as many new schools in the competition as possible. The more schools, the greater the possibility of identifying talents to be incorporated in the national programme,? he noted.

lose momentum

Rochester underscored that the major obstacle water polo faces is lack of swimming pools in, at and near to schools. He added that lack of funding could hamper the thrust forward and the programme could lose momentum.

Plans are afoot to have corporate area schools such as Jamaica College (JC), Kingston College (KC) and St George?s compete in next month?s competition. Meanwhile, Campion College, Wolmer?s Boys and Girls, Hillel Academy, St Andrew High School for Girls and Immaculate Conception have confirmed participation.

Following the competition, Jamaica will be looking to field a strong team to the junior Pan Am games and junior world championships scheduled for 2015.