American Collegiate Water Polo League Championships at Wellmark YMCA April 14-15

The first water polo tournament at the new MidAmerican Energy Aquatic Center & Prairie Meadows Pool at the Wellmark YMCA, 501 Grand Ave., will bring college teams from seven Midwestern states to downtown Des Moines for two days of continuous water polo action April 14-15. Spectators are welcome and can enter the event through the Skywalk entrance on Grand Avenue.

The American Collegiate Water Polo League Championship Tournament will feature two simultaneous games scheduled continuously throughout the weekend in the 50-meter pool. Regional qualifying tournaments determined the seedings for Oklahoma State, Missouri, Iowa State, Iowa, Kansas, Western Illinois , Northern Illinois , Harper College, Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Chicago, and Minnesota – Duluth.

Des Moines Water Polo will host the tournament, returning to the YMCA after first practicing at the Riverfront YMCA 56-years ago. when Bob Helmick and Chuck Hines first brought water polo to Des Moines in the small four-lane, 25-yard basement pool at the former Riverfront YMCA. The Des Moines team now practices in the beautiful new Prairie Meadow Pool Tuesday and Thursday nights from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Water polo emphasizes swimming ability, conditioning, ball skills, and teamwork and is considered by many as the ultimate team endurance sport. Teams of one goalkeeper and six field players play in a water polo match. Players are not allowed to touch the bottom or side of the pool during a match and only the goalkeeper is permitted to touch the ball with two hands. Shooting the ball into the opponent’s goal scores a point. Each team has just 30 seconds to score before the possession goes to the opposition.

Des Moines Water Polo (DMWP) promotes and encourages participation in competitive water polo activities and events and provides instruction for beginning water polo players and in more advance water polo player. DMWP also promotes events such as tournaments and youth clinics to provide opportunities for amateur competition in competitive water polo on a local, regional and national level. DMWP promote the development of facilities in the community dedicated to providing opportunities for participation in water polo and carry out and promote the purposes of USA Water Polo and other nationally and internationally recognized governing bodies of competitive water polo to foster local, regional and national amateur sports competition.