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MAC Masters Water Polo: A Century of Tradition Continues
— Water Polo Lures Winged M Athletes, Sunday Oregonian, Harry Eddar Oct. 26, 1919
Over 100 years ago, water polo held the attention of the Pacific Northwest and sparked an interest at Multnomah Amateur Athletic Club. Today, MAC Masters Water Polo team (MMWP) — a growing community of players encompassing a wide range of ages and backgrounds —continues a tradition deeply rooted at the club. The sport seems simple enough: two teams try to score by throwing a ball into a goal on the opposite end of the pool. Coaches Cameron Simmons, 36, Andrew Reynolds, 28, and Amanda Beckwith, 28, would argue there is considerably more involved.
With a surging number of players attending every week, the coaches make sure to outline fundamental techniques for newcomers while focusing on scrimmaging for the more experienced. Typical practices involve the coaches drawing strategies with X’s and O’s on a whiteboard. Players line up in formation and execute the plays as coaches yell out corrections. “I love being able to see things click for newer players and watch them progress,” says Beckwith, a MAC swim instructor who brings six years of coaching to MMWP. “And the number of people that have consistently showed up has gotten better since I started six months ago.”
Awareness of surroundings and body positioning are paramount to Reynolds. “If you’re aware and you know where everyone is, where the cage is, and where the ball is, then you will win the game every time,” says Reynolds, who is a swim school coordinator at the club. He has a passion for aquatics and brings 18 years of experience to the team. “I can let loose and not have to be as reserved as I am on land,” he laughs. “It’s [...] a fair and very physical game.”
Indeed, water polo can get physical. Below the surface of the water, a seemingly different sport occurs simultaneously. While avoiding the eyes of referees, many players will grapple, pull, and push off opponents in order to gain an advantage.
The amount of energy required to repeatedly swim entire pool lengths while fending off opponents might dissuade most, but it’s in this intensity that veteran Marine Marshall Fettig, 33, has found peace. Fettig grew up playing basketball and lacrosse, and also played football at Shasta college before enlisting in the U.S. Marines.
“I was born to compete,” the former machine gunner says. “I love being on a team sport again where my teammates push me to be the best athlete and person that I can be. The added layer of working in water makes it the hardest sport I’ve ever done. It provides the competition I’m looking for while being gentle on my body.”
In 2010, Fettig’s vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan, and he was medevacked out of combat after losing consciousness and sustaining shrapnel injuries. After returning home from service, Fettig suffered a L4 vertebrae compression fracture, a herniated disc, and a pinched nerve as a result of a motocross accident, causing his doctor to question whether he would walk again.
Despite these life-changing setbacks, Fettig maintains a positive outlook. “I take action in my life and make the effort to work on my physical/mental health, and as a result, my life is greatly improved,” he says.
Hearing players talk about past injuries poolside is not uncommon. Steve Watson, 54, decided to start playing after a friend suggested he try it out six months ago. Watson played competitive sports for most of his life until undergoing hip replacement surgery in 2019. “I’ve been a member for 46 years and always knew there was water polo at the MAC, but I never really thought about it,” says the Troutdale native. “After surgery, it took six months to have full mobility, but I can’t play basketball anymore because my body won’t handle it. I’ve always been a swimmer and surfer, so water polo is a nice option to stay in shape. You’re not banging your body up and down by jumping or running into things, so it’s super low impact.
“If someone’s looking for a challenging sport to stay in shape, I can’t think of something more challenging than water polo,” he says. “It’s super fun and everybody’s very welcoming. The most experienced players are very friendly and willing to help the new players.”
There may be close to a century of experience between the more advanced players on the team. Several players bring highlevel NCAA backgrounds — UC Davis, UC Irvine, Princeton, and Stanford are just a few of the alma maters represented in MMWP. Mitch Wise, 31, started playing at age 12 and ascended the college ranks to eventually playing professionally in Australia and Italy.
“I went to Southridge High School in Beaverton, graduated in 2009, and played water polo at UC Irvine,” says Wise. “I didn’t know much about the California teams, so I was kind of a fish out of water. I was super competitive, and I just loved proving myself — especially my freshman year. I fell in love with the program there because the model is hard work beats talent. After Irvine, I got connected to play professionally with the Victorian Seals in Melbourne, Australia, and then I played a year in Rome, Italy, with Rari Nantes Latina.” Wise’s demeanor is hard to ignore during practices. “I laugh or smile during every practice,” he says. “It’s kind of impossible not to.”
It’s 9 p.m. on a Thursday and Fettig is walking through the locker room with a bag of ice on his way to the steam room. He sees two PSU basketball players and jokes with them about recent college games, workouts, and life in general. One by one, MMWP players file into the steam room and discusses the evening’s shots, techniques, and upcoming scrimmages. Some 102 years after the original water polo article was published, it does seem as if the main subject of conversation is indeed water polo, and MMWP wouldn’t have it any other way.
— Roberto Villalobos
