Innertube Water Polo Makes a Splash

On Sunday Sept. 30, Dudley House beat Kirkland House in the final round of innertube water polo to win the second annual Harvard IM tournament.

Most players at Harvard jumped in with little to no previous experience. Leo D. Guttmann '15, a member of the Quincy House team, admitted he knew nothing about the sport and that he participated mainly out of curiosity.

Invented in 1969 by Gary Colberg, intramural sport director at UC Davis, innertube water polo, or ITWP as it's referred to by ardent fans, has spread to more than a dozen universities as well as numerous recreational adult leagues.

"It'd be really cool if they made it a regular IM instead of just a tournament," said Wesley W. Mann '13, a member of the Eliot team, who also participated in the last semester's tournament.

Josh T. Fries '14, a referee for the event, echoed Mann's sentiments, saying he hoped for a second tournament in the spring or more regular matches. While this year's tournament was only open to upperclassmen Houses, some freshman expressed interest in participating.

"I think it sounds awesome," said Alexandra R. Forelli '16. "I like to try bizarre sports."