It’s no secret that those working in pool management services need to keep up with trends. As such, pool managers and directors should be aware of a small, but growing, pool sport known as underwater hockey.
The concept is self-explanatory and is simple to feature at your indoor facility. According USA Underwater Hockey, participants use 12-inch sticks to push the puck around, snorkeling gear to see and to quickly catch their breath, protective gloves, headgear and fins for enhanced maneuverability. Games are played at a depth of 6 to 8 feet.
Recreation Management magazine stated that the sport is popular in Europe and former English colonies. As such, there are specific rules regarding gameplay and equipment. If you’re thinking about offering this program at your indoor facility, consider investing in some of the essential gear, such as the sticks, the goals and the puck. This will better allow curious swimmers to explore the sport without having to commit themselves to the equipment costs. The Australian Underwater Hockey Commission stated that there are six players on each team, so it’s a relatively small number of participants to accommodate.
Prepare for fun with underwater hockey
Before you acquire the materials, you may want to speak to pool maintenance professionals from a full-service pool company about preparing the right water treatments for underwater hockey. Additionally, construction services can ensure that your pool surface is in good shape and can accommodate the puck, which is coated in plastic to protect the bottom of the pool.
Once you’ve worked out the details with maintenance professionals, purchase the equipment and advertise the sport in the surrounding neighborhoods. Establish a certain age group to ensure fairness, then wait for enough participants to debut the game. It’s a recreational activity that’s garnering more attention, so there’s a good chance that your facility will be hosting spectators as well, so be sure to prepare the lounge areas for increased attendance as well.
If the activity is a big hit, you can expand the sport to other age groups and even offer classes and free-play on top of competitive gatherings. Should participants exhibit enough interest and commitment, they can become members of the USA Underwater Hockey group. At that point, your pool may very well become their formal training facility!
Bringing a winter sport into your pool could be the ideal way to appeal to swimmers.