In the swim

Chris Fetterman of Hoffman Estates says he was being "selfish" when he formed his water polo league, the Beached Whales.

After playing the sport in high school and later becoming the coach at Hoffman Estates High School, the 26-year-old wanted to get back in the game.

"I just wanted to play, and most of the people who joined were other players who just wanted something to do," Fetterman says. "From there it grew into something pretty big."

Just seven months later, the Beached Whales boast 38 members and play competitively against area teams. And while some members are water polo vets, others are newcomers who had never even seen a game before they joined.

What unites them all, however, is the lust to win and the adrenaline that flows after a tough game.

"They are really enthused about the exercise and how physically tough the game gets," Fetterman says. "Once you get out of the water, you get really tired (because) it has a lot of swimming involved."

Much like soccer or football, water polo players aim for two goals at the end of a pool, where they swim in deep water. Unlike football, however, players switch from offense to defense as soon as the ball changes hands.

Blake Lucas of Oswego, president of the Naperville-based Armada Water Polo Club, said all that chasing demands tons of swimming.

While the American Heart Association does not offer figures on how many calories are burned in a water polo game, it does say that a 150-pound person can burn 500 calories per hour swimming 50 yards per minute -- and that doesn't include throwing balls or blocking opponents.

Lucas, who has been playing water polo for 22 years, also loves the thrill of the game and its physical demands. But there's another advantage to water polo that he likes as well.

"It's semi-low impact doesn't kill your knees," he says.

Although both the Beached Whales and the Armada Water Polo Club play competitively against leagues in Lincolnshire, Oak Park and Chicago, they both welcome new members regardless of experience.

For details on either club, visit armadawaterpolo.com or beachedwhales.net. Or to learn about other clubs, visit illinoiswaterpolo.net, click "About IWP," then select "links."