This weekend at the Dwight H. Hunter Municipal Pool in northeast Gainesville, a national champion was crowned.
Eighteen teams from across the country came to Gainesville from July 25-27 to participate in the 2008 U.S. Underwater Hockey Nationals, hosted by the Gainesville Underwater Hockey Club and the UF Underwater Hockey Club. Gainesville also hosted the tournament in 2002 and 2006.
In the end, the Los Angeles team prevailed 6-0 in the finals over Minnesota to become the national underwater hockey champions.
The UF club team finished sixth in the tournament, falling 4-1 in their final game to Shady Acres (CP), a team from San Jose, Calif., on Sunday afternoon after an otherwise successful weekend of play.
"The first two days, we were running on all cylinders and playing an explosive game," said Mark Mullersman, the former club president and team captain, after the team's first unexpected loss of the day.
However, the UF team was left without one of its starters on Sunday due to a family illness and lost 5-3 to San Diego, whom they had already beaten twice in the previous two days. UF responded to the loss with a dominating 7-1 victory over West Palm Beach later that morning.
Greg Mullersman, Mark's father and the faculty adviser for the club, saw the tournament as a sign of improvement for the young team. The team finished in ninth place in last year's national tournament, which was held in Minnesota.
"Growth and development takes time, so it's all about improving as a team," Mullersman, a computer programmer at Shands, said. "We're getting better with every game we play."
The UF Underwater Hockey Club was founded in the spring of 2004 with the help of the Gainesville club. Since then, Mullersman said, it has grown to about 30 active members, with about 10 to 15 of them traveling and participating in tournaments.
Mullersman has been playing underwater hockey for nearly five years, but he previously played water polo and, like his son, swam competitively. He noted that those sports helped him develop the physical skills necessary for underwater hockey, but he prefers the team dynamic.
Mullersman and his son both encouraged interested students to consider getting involved, as the club encourages both recreational and competitive play and does not require previous experience to join. Several players, particularly Mullersman, noted the high level of enjoyable physical exercise the sport provides for them.
"Club sports are an incredible opportunity to get involved and stay in shape," Mullersman said. "For me, sports are like the fountain of youth."
Andrew Kisz, the new president of the club who has been playing for almost two years, noted that despite the fact that the sport is relatively unknown, it has been a great opportunity.
"The first question I usually get is, 'Underwater what?'" Kisz said. "But I loved it from the second I started."
During the summer, the team has been practicing for two hours three times a week at the Dwight H. Hunter Municipal Pool. Kisz said that they used to practice in the Florida Pool, which was closed for repairs during the first half of the summer.
Underwater hockey is played with 10 players on each team - six in the water, four as substitutes - who skim along the surface of the water, breathing through snorkels, before diving into the water to make a play on the puck. The players wear protective headgear and use 12-inch sticks to attempt to push the puck down the pool and into their respective goals on each side.
While skilled puck handling and breath control are important, Kisz said teamwork is the key to victory.
"No one can hold their breath forever," Kisz said. "It's all about teamwork."
