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Founded in 1985, the Washington Wetskins is the longest continuously operating Water Polo team in the U.S.to openly welcome individuals who identied as as gay, straight or bisexual. The team welcomes both men and women. Our common thread is learning, improving and excelling in the sport of water polo with no specific political agenda, other than tolerance and inclusion.
The Wetskins has proudly represented the Washington Metro Area in number of national and international competitions. Our journeys have included local competitons in the Washington Metro Area as well tournaments in Paris, Amsterdam and Sydney, Australia. The Wetskins also enjoy full membership in the US Water Polo association as well as IGLA, the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics organization.
In 2004, the Wetskins will compete against other member teams of US Water Polo in Pennsylvania, California and Georgia. Our greatest and most exciting competition will take place this October in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where we will compete against teams from around the world in the annual IGLA tournament.
The Wetskins are an entirely self supporting team. We currently have no corporate sponsorship and count on our fund raising activities to remain viable competitors. We welcome all support from the community at large
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Contact: Call Tom at (703) 465-8144 or click on the email link below.
The Wetskins welcomes newcomers whether or not they have played water polo before. We are also open to members of other swimming and water polo teams wishing to travel with us to the IGLA event, the weekend of October 8th, 2004.
To be included on our mailing list write to:
secretary@wetskins.org
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Frequently Asked Questions about Water Polo and the Wetskins
When and Where.
The Wetskins practice every Tuesday and Thursday at the Marie Reed Community Center Pool located in the Dupont/Adams Morgan areas of Northwest DC. The exact address is 2200 Champlain St. NW. The building housing the pool is just above a baseball/soccer playing field. If you walk past the field up Champlain St, the building entrance will be on your left, behind four concrete pillars. Practices are held 8:00pm to 9:30pm.
What is waterpolo?
It is the most exciting sport to ever hit the D.C. area. Waterpolo combines the best of all the top sports: a little bit of basketball, a pinch of soccer, a shake or two of football and a lot of swimming.
Who are the Wetskins?
Beside being some of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet, the Washington Wetskins are members of the world's first waterpolo team to actively recruit and promote gay and lesbian athletes. While the team competes in tournaments across the globe, it is a very social club (did anyone say brunch?).
Can I play?
You sure can. Most of the players on the team never saw a waterpolo ball before they came to their first Wetskins' practice. Waterpolo is easy to learn and fun to play. Every practice is also a challenging workout. The team welcomes first-time players.
Do I have to know anything before I play?
If you can swim a lap at a pool, you're ready to start practicing with the Washington Wetskins. Lack of swimming skills can be easily overcome by hard work and a willingness to learn. Members of the team start at all levels, from beginner to those who played in college. We're all dedicated to having fun and helping each other improve. If you want to play a new sport, we're here to help you.
It looks like there are mostly guys on the team. Can women play too?
We do have women playing on the team, ready to go and compete with the Wetskins. Women of all experience levels are encouraged to join.
I'm straight! Is it O.K. if I practice and compete with the Wetskins, even though they are a gay, lesbain and bisexual team?
Yes, it's OK to be straight and play on the Wetskins Water Polo team. The purpose of our organization is to provide a positive environment for members of the gay, lesbian and bisexual communities, but our members are of all orientations (yes, we have "straight" members too, including our coach!).
Where do I sign up?
You can just show up at any practice. Since we serve the D.C. area, we try to have our practices within the city limits. This requires us to be flexible because all the city pools tend to have "down" times for repairs. Please contact us directly or check the Washington Blade for practice locations.
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