The history of water polo is based in England around the mid 1800's. Stories say the Englishmen used to play the sport in pools, lakes and rivers throughout the countryside. The sport was something of a brutal version of water rugby. It spread through villages at town fairs in England and Scotland as it was an added attraction to the swimming events of these times. The sport took an abundance of strength and swimming prowess to compete in during these times.
Water Polo initially kept score by having the first player to cross over to the other teams side and place the ball at the end of there pool. Yet, what made that difficult was the goalie was standing on shore and would come running after the ball carrier then a fight would ensue.
At this time in water polo history they did not play in clean chlorinated pools. They played wherever they could which included lakes and rivers throughout Europe. Often times they competed in dark murky water filled with trees and debris that made the game rather difficult and it wasn't until the late 1800's that they determined they should move the game indoors.
The games shifted from lakefront fistfights to a much more eloquent display of athleticism. The adoption of a goal and the evolution of swimming shifted the focus to a much more pleasant game. Speed and teamwork became much more important than rage. The ball changed as well going from a much smaller ball to something very similar in shape to a soccer ball that was waterproof.
The US began to adopt water polo around 1888 and it was very much the old brutal rugby format. Despite its rough exterior the sport continued to grow throughout the US and was actually one of the first team sports to be incorporated in the first Olympics.
Shortly after the 1904 Olympics, FINA the international body for water sports adopted the Scottish rules for international competitions. However, the US continued to insist upon playing in these brutal conditions where athletes were continuously hurt. It wasn't until 1914 that the AAU imposed upon all US water polo competitions the much safer international standards thus significantly changing water polo history.
Water polo has continued to see positive growth throughout the US, Europe and Australia. The sport is highlighted every four years at the summer Olympics and is generally dominated by European countries. The sport can be found at the amateur level through high schools and colleges across the US and is always played in some form throughout backyards during summer…So goes the history of water polo.
Water Polo initially kept score by having the first player to cross over to the other teams side and place the ball at the end of there pool. Yet, what made that difficult was the goalie was standing on shore and would come running after the ball carrier then a fight would ensue.
At this time in water polo history they did not play in clean chlorinated pools. They played wherever they could which included lakes and rivers throughout Europe. Often times they competed in dark murky water filled with trees and debris that made the game rather difficult and it wasn't until the late 1800's that they determined they should move the game indoors.
The games shifted from lakefront fistfights to a much more eloquent display of athleticism. The adoption of a goal and the evolution of swimming shifted the focus to a much more pleasant game. Speed and teamwork became much more important than rage. The ball changed as well going from a much smaller ball to something very similar in shape to a soccer ball that was waterproof.
The US began to adopt water polo around 1888 and it was very much the old brutal rugby format. Despite its rough exterior the sport continued to grow throughout the US and was actually one of the first team sports to be incorporated in the first Olympics.
Shortly after the 1904 Olympics, FINA the international body for water sports adopted the Scottish rules for international competitions. However, the US continued to insist upon playing in these brutal conditions where athletes were continuously hurt. It wasn't until 1914 that the AAU imposed upon all US water polo competitions the much safer international standards thus significantly changing water polo history.
Water polo has continued to see positive growth throughout the US, Europe and Australia. The sport is highlighted every four years at the summer Olympics and is generally dominated by European countries. The sport can be found at the amateur level through high schools and colleges across the US and is always played in some form throughout backyards during summer…So goes the history of water polo.
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