Click to enlarge photos.

There’s a new sport making waves on the high school sports scene — water polo.

The sport, which has been in existence for more than 100 years, drew local attention when Wheeler High School founded a club team during the 2007-2008 school year.

One of just three high school teams in Georgia last year, Wheeler competed against club and college teams before the sport exploded. There are now a total of 10 varsity team in the state—just two shy of the number required to make it a varsity sport.

In fact, there are now more water polo teams in the state than there are slow-pitch softball teams. Pope, Harrison, Pace Academy, Collins Hill, Wesleyan, St. Pius X, West Forsyth, Riverside and Grady currently field water polo teams.

Wheeler water polo and swimming coach Richard Tavernaro plan to petition the Georgia High School Association to make water polo a varsity sport next year.

As the president of the Georgia Swim Coaches Association, Tavernaro is bringing more schools into the makeshift league and plans to continue to spread sports.

“That is how we were able to get from the three teams we had last year all the way up to the 10 teams we have now,” he said. “I plan to petition for next year. I have another seven schools that say they will come on board when it is a varsity sport.

“I could very easily have 20 or 25 teams next year if they made it a varsity sport.”

Tavernaro, the former swim coach at North Cobb High School, wanted to start a water polo team for 10 years. However, it wasn’t until the students at Wheeler recruited him to coach that he was able to fulfill his dream.

What makes water polo stand out from other high school sports in Georgia? Teams are coed. However, as the sport grows, Tavernaro thinks that will change.

“It will be kind of like swimming where there is a girls team and a boys team,” he said. “For now they all play together.”

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, there are more than 35,000 prep water polo participants at more than 700 schools nationwide. California has by far the most programs followed by Illinois, Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Compared to lacrosse in the water, the sport is expected to receive another boost in participation, thanks to a pair of silver medals won by the U.S. men’s and women’s water polo teams at the Olympics in Beijing.

“Right now U.S. water polo is in California,” said Tavernaro. “Everybody on the U.S. team was from California, but it is starting to pick up as a varsity sport nationwide.”

Testifying to the popularity of water polo, Prep Sports Plus, a program produced by Georgia Public Broadcasting, will cover a match between Wheeler and St. Pius on Sept. 17 to be broadcast at a later date. There are also tentative plans to televise the state championship game in October.

Much like varsity sports, the public is welcome to attend the club water polo matches, which are held at area aquatic clubs.

Wheeler will host a series of matches beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday at Cobb Aquatic Center.

Comment on this Story

Type your comment here...comments are reviewed before they are posted, and therefore they do not post immediately.

Please enter the validation words. If you cannot read them, you may obtain a fresh set of words by hitting the button.