An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir February 2015 www.dfmagazine.ie 30 | by PTE STEPHEN HAPPE PHoToS DARREN CLARKE I n July 2013 the Defence Forces Kayak Club set up a canoe polo team and the appointed coaches, myself (Pte Stephen Happe, 3 Inf bn) and Capt Mark brogan (1 Mech Coy) organised the team's first training session in the Curragh swim- ming pool. Canoe polo, also known as kayak polo, is one of the competitive disciplines of canoeing. It combines canoeing and ball- handling skills into an exciting team game, where tactics and positional play are as important as the speed and fitness of the individual athletes. The game requires excellent teamwork and promotes general canoeing skills and a range of other techniques unique to the sport. In a match each team has five players on the pitch and up to three substitutes. The aim is to score by getting the ball into their opponent's goal, which is suspended two metres above the water. The ball can be thrown by hand, or flicked with the paddle to pass between players and shoot at the goal. Pitches can be set up in swim- ming pools or any stretch of flat water. Canoes specifically designed for polo are faster and lighter than typical kayaks, which gives them fantastic manoeuvrability. Paddles are very lightweight and de- signed with both pulling power and ball control in mind. Nose and tail boat bum- pers, body protection, helmets and face-guards are all compulsory. The fledgling DF team, comprising six players from all over the DF, entered their first competition in August 2013 finishing in 12th place. Training hard for the next few months they came second in the next competition they entered, losing out by just one goal in an action-packed final. The team has gone from strength to strength in the intervening period, gaining respect from teams all over the country and winning the club championships in Longford. In the short time they have been competing the team has been promoted twice and now play in the top flight in Division One, something that takes most teams years to reach. It's a massive achievement by the team and shows the com- mitment and hard work they have put in. They are currently placed fourth with six matches left in the current season. The DF Kayak Club believes the development of canoe polo within the DF can ben- efit all who take part and not just on the water. In canoe polo you must control your aggression. Any cheating will be immediately punished by one of the two referees (one on either side of the pitch), which teaches self discipline. If you have the ball you have five seconds to use it or lose it, which makes it a quick-thinking action game and very much a team sport. If you are within three meters of the ball the opposition will try to ram you or capsize you, so you must think under pressure, be situationally aware, be decisive, operate as a team, have excellent personal skills and be extremely fit. The contact element of the sport, such as being rammed at full speed, certainly takes its toll so you also need to be physically and mentally fit. These skills are useful for all Defence Forces operations as much as they are on the water to win games. This is why we believe development of canoe polo in the Defence Forces would be of great benefit to all of its members. The DF Kayak Club are actively recruiting new people for the sport, so if you would like to try it out you can contact Pte Happe on ext 5675 or stephen.happe@defenceforces.ie or Capt Brogan on mark.brogan@defenceforces.ie. "On the water I feel I have developed my personal skills, improved my paddling fitness and have a better understanding of the game and the tactics needed to win." in the Defence Forces Pte Stephen Happe collecting the second place, Division 2, trophy in Galway. Winning team and medal at the club championships in Longford Capt Mark Brogan (white boat) fighting for the ball

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