Only a game?

If you think football it’s the only sport that the Spanish people can play very well, you’re wrong. There is another unknown sport that we are one of the best countries in the world, the ankswer is : Waterpolo.

The Waterpolo’s National Team has got a place in the London 2012 Olimpics Games. Apart from Spain, there are important teams like Hungary, EEUU or Italy that also have a lot of options to win the olimpic medal.

The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores the most goals, the players are passing the ball while they’re defended by opponents, and they score by throwing the ball into a net defended by a goalkeeper.

 

The game is divided into four periods; the length depends on the level of play, but in general, it consists in four periods of eight minutes, the game clock is stopped when the ball is not 'in play', as a result, the average quarter lasts around 12 minutes 'real time'.

There are a possesion time too!  A team may not have possession of the ball for longer than 30 seconds without shooting, after 30 seconds, possession passes to the other team, but there are exceptions like if a player shoots and regain the ball because he doesn’t score, him team has another 30 seconds of possesion.

In waterpolo not everything is beautiful; we can find many situations of underwater violence because there are specific players who have to win the position to receive a pass and try to score, normaly, these players are stronger and bigger ones.

This sport is a mix of the chess strategy, the endurance of a race, the violence of the rugby and the emotion of the football. 

Eduardo Espinosa Celdrán 3ºAX