By Cayden Lim (Vice-Captain)
If you think water polo is one of the toughest sports to play, you’re not wrong. With the constant swimming up and down the pool, and the endless wrestling that we have to endure throughout the match, you need godlike endurance to last the entire game. However, if you’re up for a challenge and eager to learn new skills, this is definitely the CCA for you!
Playing water polo not only boosts your fitness, it also broadens your social circle and imparts essential life skills such as teamwork, strategic decision-making, and resilience. Our experienced coaches will guide you through the fundamentals, ensuring that you build strong swimming techniques, ball-handling skills, and tactical awareness, all to prepare us for the National School Games.
By joining our CCA, you will drastically improve your fitness levels. Every game is a full-body workout lasting over an hour, so our training prepares us for the demands of the entire match. We work out every part of our body, with a strong focus on our arms, legs and core strength. And of course, no training session would be complete without swimming – the most integral part of water polo!
As our seniors often say, “You only need to play water polo for a year and you’ll have a six-pack.” This may sound impossible, but it often turns out to be true! (So if you’re looking to get more toned and shredded, come join us!)
You don’t have to worry about getting to know your teammates – we regularly have pre- and post-training meals, where we bond and build team camaraderie. With more training sessions than most CCAs, we meet up with our CCA mates frequently, allowing us to forge closer bonds.
Training sessions are held at RI’s very own Hong Leong Swimming Complex. Both boys and girls train on Monday (6:00-8:30 p.m.) and Wednesday (1:30-4:00 p.m.), with a third session on Saturday (9:00 am–12:00 pm) for the boys and on Thursday (3:30–6:00 pm) for the girls.
As mentioned earlier, the training might be tough, but as the saying goes, “no pain, no gain.” The long swim sets and gruelling sessions are all for our own benefit, helping us perform our best in the National School Games.
In the 2024 National School Games, the boys’ team successfully defended the A Division Boys’ Water Polo title, clinching the championship once again, while the girls’ team proudly secured a second-place finish!
Moments like these make those gruelling sessions worth it, as all the effort you put into CCA pays off, and everyone is rewarded handsomely. However, the joy of winning titles is just one of the many memorable experiences you’ll have.
From rowdy bus rides to tournament venues, exhilarating post-match celebrations after winning a hard-fought game, to the occasional water polo-themed party, every moment contributes to a rich and rewarding journey.
We also have non-training related highlights, such as the Gryphon Recall 2024, where we invite former RI water polo seniors to return to the pool and spar with us. This provides us with a much-needed opportunity to reconnect with our beloved seniors, including some national team players, helping us further enhance our skill set.
If you are looking to try something new, enhance your physique and fitness, and meet new people, we highly recommend joining RI Water Polo! Rest assured, during your two years in water polo, you’ll gain countless rewarding experiences and create fond memories that will stay with you for life.
We welcome anyone who can swim, and we hope to see you at our CCA trials!
