New England Canoe Polo

Canoe polo originated in Great Britain, where the term "canoe" is used to describe all types of small watercraft, including both canoes and kayaks. The official name of the sport is canoe polo, but the game is played solely in kayaks.

Yes, it confuses us, too.

Many people, especially in the US, call the sport kayak polo because it's more descriptive of how the game is played.

If you combined kayaking, water polo, soccer, and basketball, you might end up with something like kayak polo.

There are two teams with 5 players each on a court ("pitch") at once. Games officially last for 20 minutes (with 10-minute halves), although we often play longer games during practice.

The idea of the game is to outscore your opponent as in soccer or basketball by shooting at a goal suspended over the water. We play with a standard water polo ball.

Paddlers move the ball by throwing it, dribbling it, passing it to a team member, or shooting it at the opposing team's goal. You don't generally use your paddle to advance the ball, but you can choose to block passes and shots with a paddle.

When a player is in possession of the ball, an opposing player may hand-tackle him or her with a hand push on the upper body, or kayak- tackle (ram) their boat to upset balance. The object is to force the player in possession to lose control of the ball.

Strategies such as zone defense, full court press, and fast break are typical in kayak polo. The result is a game that's fast-paced, exciting, and highly strategic. It's also great exercise!

Kayak polo has a very extensive and strict set of safety rules that we take very seriously. We use special padded boats and gear for added protection. You're more likely to be seriously injured driving your car than playing kayak polo.

That being said, polo is a contact sport. Capsizing other players and "tackling" (or ramming) their boats is all part of the fun. A spirit of friendly aggression is helpful. If you're new, though, we won't flip you over deliberately until you know how to roll and/or tell us you're comfortable with it.

Strained muscles, bruises, and wounded pride are the most common injuries you see on the pitch.

Kayak polo uses specialized boats, paddles, PFDs (life vests) and helmets, both for safety and performance reasons.

The club has boats and other gear available for new players to borrow. Please email us before you come to practice so we can arrange gear for you.

If you have your own paddle, sprayskirt, and/or PFD, please bring them with you just in case. You can make your whitewater or touring paddle more polo-friendly by covering the edges of the blade with duct tape.

Once you decide to play regularly, we ask that you invest in your own helmet, PFD, paddle, and sprayskirt (if you can) so that the club equipment continues to be available for new players.

Unfortunately, no. Many polo players paddle fiberglass or carbon-kevlar boats that could be damaged by boats without bumpers. Also, playing in a non-polo boat would put you at a disadvantage in polo, since polo boats are specifically designed for the sport.

We're happy to supply you with a club polo boat. Just email us!

None! Previous experience with whitewater, touring, or sprint kayaking makes the learning curve a little faster, but is not necessary. We're happy to teach you what you need to know.

If you're a new player, please let us know if you plan to come to practice so that we can have someone available to teach you (and can supply gear if necessary).

Capsizing (and occasionally swimming) are part of the sport, so it is helpful if you're relatively comfortable in the water. However, we generally play with a no-pushing rule for new players, and we'll help you out if you do flip by accident.

Rolling is the process of righting your capsized boat without exiting, generally with the aid of the paddle and/or hands. A roll is an "Eskimo roll" when done deliberately, and a "combat roll" if you do it after flipping by accident.

You don't need to know how to roll to start playing polo, but please let us know if you don't have a roll (we don't push over players who can't roll).

Although a roll is not necessary to play, being able to roll will improve your confidence and enjoyment of the game. We're happy to teach you!

Even if you already have a paddle roll, you will probably want to learn a hand roll, since it is inevitable that you'll eventually flip without your paddle. Many people actually find it easier to learn to hand roll than paddle roll.

Polo boats are relatively easy to roll compared to whitewater or sea kayaks, so polo is a great way to learn to roll. And polo is great combat rolling practice!

Definitely! Polo builds skills in boat handling, speed, balance, bracing, maneuvering, rolling, and general paddling technique that will help in any other type of paddling. And you'll have a lot of fun doing it!

Many of us also do other types of paddling: we have sprint kayakers, whitewater enthusiasts, dragon boaters, and sea kayakers, among others. We also have people who had never been in a kayak before their first polo practice, though!

Yearly dues for club members is $40. We ask new players to pay a fee of $15, which covers insurance for six months. If you decide to continue with the sport, you'll need to join the American Canoe Association (ACA), which supplies insurance for our club. A yearly individual membership is $55.

Otherwise there is no additional cost to play at the outdoor sessions (usually May-October). During the winter members pay a per-session fee to cover the cost of pool rental. For the 2007 - 2008 winter season pool fees were $15 per session.

NECP usually competes in 4-8 tournaments a year, including the US Nationals. Because polo is a relatively young sport in the US, polo is one of the few sports where you can begin competing at a high level right away. Everyone in our club has the opportunity to play in tournaments, new members as well as experienced players.

You don't have to play in tournaments if you don't want to, but tournaments are the best way to get to know the team and the fastest way to improve. Local tournaments are usually very relaxed and are a great way to get to know the other clubs and get comfortable with the game in a casual setting.

US Nationals are held once a year. We usually send men's division A and women's division teams, and often a club team that plays in the less competitive B division as well.

There are also US national men's and women's teams that compete in the Panamerican and World competitions, held every two years. These are open to anyone through a nationwide selection process. NECP has several current and past members of the national teams.

We play outdoors in the spring, summer and fall (usually roughly May – October). We play once a week in an indoor pool during the winter months.

See our Where We Play page for more information.

Absolutely! We'd love to have you.

See our Where We Play page for details on our practice schedule and location.

Please email us before you come so we confirm dates and times and arrange gear for you (if necessary).

You can start by dropping us an email. We're happy to answer any questions or concerns.

If you want to just see what the sport is like, drop by Spy Pond during any of our practices and watch. See Where We Play for information on our practice schedule.

You're also welcome to come to a practice and see if you like it. Just email us first so we can bring gear for you.

Like any other sport, polo has a bit of a learning curve. It's best to give yourself a few practices before you make any decisions.

The best way to join the club is to come to a practice. Please email us before coming so we can arrange for instruction and gear if necessary. We're also happy to answer any other questions you have.

Very funny. We've never heard that one before.

But, we already like you. Bring your polo pony and come to a practice!