Nothing stops Mia Verster when she is on the water
The local canoe polo player recently took part in the Canoe Polo Junior International Championships.
Watching a video of two canoe polo players ramming each other to get possession of the ball can leave some astounded.
Unless you are Mia Verster, then it has you inspired to give the sport a try. This inspiration leads the 16-year-old, all the way to Belfast, Ireland recently where she took part in the Canoe Polo Junior International Championships held from July 27 to 30.
Mia took part in the championships as part of the Canoe Polo SA U/18 girls A team along with seven other teammates. Teams from all over the world competed against each other at Let’s Go Hydro, a first-of-its-kind water park resort in Northern Ireland.
The championships take place every second year where as many as 80 teams from all over the world compete against each other.
The Hoërskool Linden learner has been passionate about the sport since the first time she cross paths with it January 2022 after her current coach, Niel Burger, shared a promotional video about an event set to take place at Dabulamanzi Canoe Club (Dabs). She pulled out all the stops when it came to convincing her parents the sport is not too rough which was a held sell as she had never paddled before.
It paid off though, she convinced and has not looked back since. After the Dabs event she joined the club and signed up with Adrenaline Coaching. Now, there is little time for much else than canoe polo. Mia has training sessions four times a week regardless of the icy waters of the winter months. For her, however, this sport is not a chore, she just simply cannot get enough of it so much so that she aspires to one day become a canoe polo coach.
How does canoe polo work? The sport is a ball game between two teams of five players. The pitch is rectangular (23 meter x 35 meter) and has two goals 2 meters above the water on either side. To play, players use a paddle, canoe a water polo ball, a helmet with a grid and a life jacket.
A game is kicked off when the referee throughs the ball in the middle of the pitch and a player from each team attempts to get to the ball first by paddling to it with full force. The game is described as having a very fast pace and is very unpredictable, which is what makes it exciting to watch. The sport has elements of sports such as water polo, canoeing, netball and football.
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