Kayak Polo

Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as Kayak Polo. And no, I hadn't heard of it either until I clicked across this from the Springfield News Sun (subscription required):

"The sport, with roots in Europe, is growing in popularity all over the country. Places such as San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington, D.C., and San Diego have active clubs. Austin, it seems, is a natural for it because of its mild climate. Scrimmages unfold every Wednesday night under the MoPac Boulevard bridge. Addicted players hit the water year round, even in January.

"Donning helmets and face masks, they use kayaks modified with blunt noses and rubber bumpers, all the better to avoid cracked ribs if a player is T-boned by a kayak. Team members chase down the ball, which they pass to one another and heave into suspended goals. Think water polo on kayaks, with a 5-second time limit on players holding the ball with their hands. They also push the ball through the water with their paddles or flip it onto the bow of their kayaks...

"Depending on what you read, the game started in Scotland, Germany or England sometime around the late 1800s, when bored dockworkers rigged barrels with wooden horse heads, tails and saddles, grabbed paddles and batted around a ball for amusement...Today, the game is still most popular in Europe, where it's known as canoe polo, although players use what Americans call kayaks."

Wanna know more? Paddle on over to the United States Canoe Polo Committee