Underwater Hockey Team Joins Coast Guard Clubs

A new club sport requiring players to spend much of their time at the bottom of a swimming pool is gaining popularity at the Coast Guard Academy.

The underwater hockey team has 14 cadets on the roster, with a core group of about 10. In addition, the academy has teamed up with the University of Connecticut at Avery Point to bring even more players in. The team has received club status at the Coast Guard Academy, meaning it is not recognized by the school and eligible for funds.

“Which is probably the most important part, since pool time is very expensive,” said Collin Sykes, a second-year cadet and the team’s organizer.

Sykes said he grew up playing the sport, and was interested in continuing it when he went to the academy. Games are played over the length of a standard 25-yard or 25-meter pool. A lead puck is dropped to the bottom, and players use small wooden sticks to try to push it into the pool wall within an approximately eight foot by one foot goal space.

Players themselves wear a mask, snorkel, fins, and ear protection. Another important piece of gear is the pair of specialized gloves, coated with a silicon bath caulking and used to protect one’s hands from rubbing against the pool bottom. Sykes says he thinks players are usually submerged for five to 15 seconds before resurfacing, and are able to rest when they play defense.

“Time seems to slow down underwater,” he said.

The team is still in its early stages, and is off for the remainder of the school year since all of its members have taken smallpox inoculations and are not allowed to use the pool. They have not competed as a full team yet, though Sykes and fellow second-year cadet Vanessa Taylor have competed individually in tournaments.

“I like that challenge of trying something new,” said Taylor. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Harrison Carter and Christine Case, also second-year cadets, agreed. Case said the sport provides a respite from the schoolwork and other requirements of the academy.

“It sounded really cool and unique,” she said.

“It’s a good way to meet new people,” said Carter.

Sykes said the activity is also a good way to get people to feel comfortable underwater, a skill which he believes may come in handy in panic situations the cadets may face in their time with the Coast Guard. He said he thinks the team will return in the fall with more members.

“I’ve had a lot of people who have told me since this got popularized that they’re interested in joining, so hopefully next year our numbers will increase,” he said.