Tuesday, September 23, 2008

the little mermaid in me

It was a long walk from the Ultra gate to the pool area. It was pouring rain; there’s a tropical convergence zonamajig brewing to a full force storm. If it weren’t for an invitation to try out a water sport activity, I wouldn’t be riding the jeep and walking the long and dingy road while I soak my brown-beaten tsinelas across the one kilo drip of rain pounding my ole red umbrella.



But of course, the usual me—always trying some new stuff… to fancy or just to plain try…. And try I did, the undertaking was strenuous but uber fun at the same time; I had several gulps of the chlorine filled water and in a weird way I must say that I liked it ;p. You deeply inhale, holding your breath lunging down to the bottom of the five/six feet pool trying to get to that big round orange looking hopia they call the puck and you shove it with a 12 inch stick towards the end of the wall where the goal was. Then hooray! the goal was yours for the taking.

It’s not that easy—hence the “strenuous” from the last paragraph. Again, for emphasis, it’s not easy!!! I can’t say that it’s for everyone although Connie told me that Tintin, the moray eel in the group who were swerving and scoring goals left and right was a non-swimmer when she started underwater hockey. I guess she really liked the sheer thrill of the sport aside from the super cardio that it offers or maybe she likes the big bruises you get from all the body mugging and the accidental fin-slapping in the heat of the melee while struggling to get a piece of that hopia action, hehehe.

I am a water person and I know that for a fact. You can put me on court with 3 minutes of basketball or running and you'll have me asking for an oxygen tank in no time but ask me to swim Kayangan Lake in Coron from end to end and I’ll do that without a pant until my final stretch (I did actually—yabaaang!). But man! This sport will literally leave you breathless. Underwater hockey is the shizeeeniiit na mainit!!!


pic from dallasunderwaterhockey.com