Water polo girls gear up for 2012

At the Aquatics Centre in Manchester, the Great Britain women's water polo team has stepped up training.

The team is gearing up for its next challenge, the 2009 LEN Women's European Nations Trophy (7-12 July).

But the girls know that, with 2012 not far off, they're also fighting for a place at the London Olympics.

Water polo is the longest continually running Olympic team sport, yet the women's team has only just received enough funding to go professional.

Gruelling

It's 7am and the country's best women water polo players are firing shots with ferocious power as part of a gruelling training session at the their UK training camp in Manchester.

Robyn Nicholls, 19, from Bolton, the team's second string goalkeeper, is on the receiving end.

"It's took a few years to get used to it," she said. "It's quite dangerous with your fingers. Because the ball's travelling at a high speed, you've got to make sure you hit it in the right position, really."

Robyn took up water polo at the age of 12 in Tyldesley after her brother started playing and has risen through the junior ranks to be part of the senior squad.

But her status as a 'professional' athlete is a long way from the relative riches earned by the top athletes in track athletics or cycling.

Robyn is paid only a small sum which helps to pay her way through full-time studies in Accounting & Finance at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Ducking

Water polo is a physically demanding sport.

The seven players in the team must swim or tread water for four quarters of eight minutes each trying to score while also preventing their opponents from doing the same.

WATER POLO - FACTS

• sport was first played in England
• Manchester's Osborne Swimming Club represented England in 1900
• has been contested at every Olympics since 1908
• Women's water polo made its Olympic debut during 2000 Games
• Ducking an opponent is permitted

Water polo is also the only sport in which ducking an opponent under the water is a legitimate defensive technique!

Ros Griffiths, 27, is the GB captain and also coaches youngsters in water polo at Manchester Grammar School.

On 7 July, she will skipper the side in Manchester as they compete at the 2009 Water Polo Championships against the best teams in Europe: Belarus, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Slovakia, Switzerland and Ukraine.

Ros said the tough training regime, which involved swimming in T-shirts and using weighted balls, was vital for building stamina.

"You can't touch the bottom," she explained. "And often you've got say, a big Russian, or it's going to be Belarus in a few weeks, pushing you down. So you have to stay above the water and keep playing."

'Focused'

So what are the team's chances at the Europeans?

"The preparation is going really, really well," said Ros. "The girls are really focused. And with the home crowd, I think we've got a chance to do well."

Joanna Wray, the team's Programmes Manager, said Manchester's Aquatics Centre was key to their Olympic preparations.

"The girls have been training really hard but it's absolutely essential to have a facility like this," she said.

"It's one of only two pools in this area that are deep enough and was the main reason for us coming to Manchester."

The LEN Women's European Nations Trophy is at Manchester Aquatics Centre, 7 - 12 July

Water Polo Championships 2009
Manchester Aquatics Centre
British Swimming: water polo