California Dreamin' in Colorado Springs

Here's another reason to hate California.

Water polo players in that sunny state get a diving head start on the rest of the country.

From the time they're old enough to swim, little beach bums are taught to turn their eyes away from the crashing surf of the Pacific, and to concentrate instead on a different kind of water--the chlorinated kind.

That's not to say that everyone plays polo. But opportunities for instruction and competition that exist on the West Coast are only gradually beginning to filter across the rest of the country.

Which is why three guys from Texas, Missouri and Massachusetts--all members of the Harvard water polo squad--were at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs for 10 days this summer.

The three, sophomores Wade Stokes, Fred Scherrer and Don Benson, joined a select group of 80 other 18-and-under water polo enthusiasts at the annual National Junior Development Camp to benefit from some California-style, top-level coaching and facilities.

A summer's vacation in a water wonderland? Hardly.

"You live and breathe water polo," Stokes said. "They're trying to teach water polo outside of California, make it a nationwide sport."

And with a coach named Dante Dettamanti, and a schedule consisting of six hours of workouts and two-and-a-half hours of lecture per day, you would think the program might be close to pure hell.

At the same time, the camp officials were choosing players--based on individual competition and tryouts--for the National Junior Development Team bound for later competition with squads from Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada.

"Fred probably would have made it if I hadn't given him three stitches in the head," Stokes noted.

"On the third day there, we were working a defensive drill where I was playing defense and drivers were trying to get open on me to score," Scherrer explained. "When Wade and I were teamed up, we sort of got tangled up."

"Fred's head was under my elbow," Stokes added.

"He gave me stitches," retorted Scherrer.

"But I did score," crowed Stokes.

So in addition to eight-and-a-half hours of work each day, camp participants got to spend a lot of time in the training room.

"There were a lot of stitches in the face and head, a lot of shoulder and knee injuries from extensive training and water polo drills," Scherrer said. "But they also have extensive sports medicine--they keep you going."

And on top of everything, there isn't any oxygen in Colorado.

"It's 7060 feet," Stokes explained. "They have that on a big sign there."

"After doing a normal swim set, once where normally you wouldn't feel tired, you're so winded that all you can think about is air," Scherrer said.

This all might not be your idea of an ideal summer vacation, but these three guys aren't complaining.

"It was a lot of fun," Benson says.

"We got to play with players equal and better than us, some of the top water polo players in the country."

And according to Harvard Tri-Captain Rob Strauss--who attended the camp two years ago--the results are quite noticeable.

"Donnie's play has improved so much, probably as a result of going to this camp," he says. "Now he's one of the stud goalies on the east coast."

In fact, in the 100-meter time trials conducted at the camp, Benson clocked in as the fastest goalie--and Scherrer as the second-fastest field player.

And with Benson excelling in goal and Scherrer and Stokes anchoring the offense, this year's Crimson squad has compiled an impressive 12-5 record and looks to challenge Brown at this weekend's Ivy Championship Tourney.

So much for the California advantage.