Every Wednesday and Sunday, a group of six to 20 people gather at Marine Park for kayak polo. This game originated in Great Britain in the late 19th century and was introduced to Bellingham by Gary Southstone, the founder of Kayak Polo Bellingham. Southstone first played the sport with a group in Seattle during the late ‘90s, where they played with some creative twists.
“Our fifty yard markers were intertubes with ice chests with beer in them,” Southstone said. “We started at Lake Padden, we played up there for a number of years.”
The sport is a combination of basketball, soccer and whitewater sports. The games can get quite aggressive, but Southstone has found ways to make sure things run smoothly.
“I’ve cooled the game down,” Southstone said. “I designed these guards for all the paddle blades so we’re not breaking bones anymore. I also started requiring helmets with face masks. You would not believe the resistance I had on each one of them.”
Kayak polo is a strategic game with a lot of movement. The game is fast and can get tiring.
“ It’s so much like soccer and basketball, and when a guy gets the ball, you make a fast break, and other people try and block you before you can do the fast break,” Southstone said.
There has been a core group of people since the starting out in Lake Padden in 1998. Some know each other from groups like paddling or touring. The kayak polo scene hasn’t grown too much in Bellingham since it started.
“The average age is higher, so it’s gotten a little less brutal, kinder, gentler, but not too kind or gentle,” said Glenn Biernacki, a Kayak Polo Bellingham player, who learned the sport in Europe in the 1980s. “Once someone is committed, it seems like they’ll be here for decades.”
The group is made up of friends who bond throughout the year outside of kayak polo. The group has mixed experience in whitewater and extreme outdoor sports.
“We do whitewater trips, rafting trips, and we go surfing out on the coast annually,” Southstone said. “All these guys are multi-recreational. [I] race outriggers and surf skis.”
The sport is niche, and Belllingham is one of a few spots in the Pacific Northwest where it’s played. There are groups in Deep Cove, Vancouver, B.C., Portland and the University of Washington in Seattle, which the Bellingham group played once.
“We did play them once 20 years ago down in Anacortes during a festival, and some of those guys were crying,” Southstone said. “We were a little rough on them. The women playing were rough on these guys.”
Although the group is small, Southstone believes there is a future for kayak polo in Bellingham. Southstone is close to retiring from the sport as new people are showing up.
“We’ve got a new crop that’s starting to show up. I’m almost 70, so I’m about done,” Southstone said. “I think it will sustain itself. The problem is, where do you keep the gear? As this place gets developed, we don’t have the cheap storage and hauling gear.”
Marine Park is a place where people can relax on the beach, and for some, kayak polo can be a form of entertainment.
“It's fun. It’s exciting to watch,” said Bellingham resident Vicki Day. “It’s fun to come down to watch them.”
Brady Rufner (he/him) is a sports and recreation reporter for The Front. He is in his first year at Western and is majoring in visual journalism. When he isn’t covering stories or taking photos, he is usually running, skiing, or playing soccer. You can reach him at bradyrufner.thefront@gmail.com.
