Underwater hockey

DIVING AFTER THE PUCK

FRESHMAN THE VIDEO begins in silence as swimmers, equipped with PLAYS snorkeling gear and fins, swarm around the puck at the bottom of the pool. With pusher sticks in hand, UNDERWATER they hurry to gain control of the puck until one successful player escapes from the HOCKEY crowd and passes to their teammate. Evan Mazurov, a Palo Alto High School freshman, is one of few students at Paly who play underwater hockey — the lesser-known cousin of field or ice hockey.

How it all started Mazurov was introduced to the sport by his friends and has been playing for a little less than a year now. “They just called me about a poster they saw at Burgess Center inviting people to join … so we signed up,” Mazurov said. Looking back on his first game, Mazurov recounts how perplexing underwater hockey was at first.

“I felt very confused, I didn’t really do much and since I didn’t swim for a long time it was kind of difficult for me to keep up with everyone,” Mazurov said.

During his time playing, Mazurov has improved in swimming and competed against other teams. While underwater hockey may be difficult at times, Mazurov enjoys the collaborative team aspect of the sport.

Story behind the sport

Underwater hockey — also known as octopush — is a water sport that originated in the early 1950s in Great Britain as a way for scuba divers to stay in shape and stay entertained indoors during the cold winters.

To play, two teams of six compete against each other to move a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into the opposing team’s goal.

Players wear fins and a snorkel mask, and they carry a small 11-inch pusher stick

HISTORY OF UNDERWATER HOCKEY

with a thick glove to Prior to COVID-19, Mazurov pracpush the puck at 6 to ticed at the Menlo Swim and Sport Burgess 13 feet below the sur- location, one of few local teams that offer face of the water. underwater hockey training.

Each team starts at one end of the Mazurov regularly had underwater pool touching the wall with one hand, hockey practices, which usually consisted while the puck starts in the middle. Both of swimming and breathing exercises to enteams race to get the puck when the buzzer sure that players could remain underwater goes to start the game. for extended amounts of time.

Like many other sports, there are Now, without a pool to practice in, tournaments and championships that Mazurov has not been able to train for unteams can compete in. Mazurov has yet derwater hockey, though he keeps in mind to participate in a tournament but hopes to in the future. “I want to go to a tournament but [my “They just called me about a poster they saw at Burgess Center the importance of regular exercise. Although Mazurov is looking team and I] weren’t able to go because we didn’t inviting people to join forward to continuing playing get far enough,” Ma... so we signed up.” underwater hockey zurov said. once COVID-19

Unfortunately, Ma- — EVAN MAZUROV, freshman restrictions are liftzurov has not been able ed, he sees it as just to play any underwater a hobby. For now, hockey games since the start of the pan- he waits for the pool to open so he can play demic. again. v

Source: British Octopush Association