Fresh from contributing to Army’s win in the ADF Water Polo National Carnival, Lieutenant Jennifer Johnston will soon represent ADF at the Australian Country Championships on the Gold Coast.
Army narrowly beat Air Force 12-10 in the final at Randwick Barracks in December.
The catering officer at 10 Force Support Battalion, RAAF Base Amberley, said they were lucky to “get on top of Air Force and make it through”.
Lieutenant Johnston grew up swimming and played water polo during her teens. She started training with a civilian club in October to have social connections and a hobby outside Defence.
This and her swimming fitness was sufficient preparation for the ADF sport’s training intensity, but the level of competitiveness, tactics and strategy was new.
Nearly 60 personnel attended the carnival, which also included development training and a day of beach water polo at Watson Bay Baths.
At the baths, waves and jellyfish rolled in as ferries and a Navy ships cruised past during the sunny day on Sydney Harbour.
Beach water polo differs to the traditional pool format in that it’s played with pontoons and nets defining the boundaries, with shorter time periods and less rules.
Differences with fast-fives games include playing on after a goal, with no need to bring the ball back to halfway. For a penalty, instead of sitting out for 30 seconds, a player only needs to touch the side before returning to play.
Leading Seaman Marine Technician Benjamin Woodley described it as a chilled out version of the sport, with a constant aftertaste of salt.
It was also a good opportunity to apply their training without the pressure of official rules, he said.
For Aircraftman Isaac Malley, the week was full-on and the finals tense.
It was his first time playing water polo. Learning the new sport was a challenge but very rewarding, Aircraftsman Malley said.
The 20-year-old comes from a national-level competitive swimming background and still competes when he can.
As a beginner, he used his biggest strength – freestyle, and speed.
“That’s what my team got me to do all game on the wing – tire out the person who was playing against me,” Aircraftsman Malley said.
“Although this was very different swimming, such as no walls to push off, and the underwater wrestling.
“I learnt a lot throughout the week but I still got muscled around a fair bit. No matter who I was against, they could just easily get around me.”
Aircraftsman Malley said more people should consider the sport because it was a lot of fun.
In January, he completed his ADF gap year at 75 Squadron and began studies at ADFA.
He said ADFWP’s welcoming arms would keep him returning – if interservice carnivals happened during the semester breaks.
