SPORT can take you places.
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Like the United States for instance, well not all sports will get you there, but water polo can and five players from Tamworth can vouch for that.
The sport will take Farrer High School’s Lachlan Wheeler and Tamworth High School’s Lucy Hofman, Pat Hofman, Giaan White and Isaac Moxon to the US to play in the NSW Combined High School (CHS) under 17s sides on an 18-day tour of the US.
The five players were chosen after excelling at the CHS carnival and a second set of trials in Liverpool.
The NSW sides will take part in an invitational carnival where they will play representative and school teams. However, for a large chunk of the time, the travelling players will train and check out colleges which has the quintet excited and will hopefully give the players a glimpse of their future.
“You have to go overseas to make it. If you want to go play water polo [at a high level], go overseas,” Lachlan said.
“Their college system is insane,” Patrick chimed in.
“I’d like to get a scholarship to America for water polo,” Giaan added.
Tamworth Water Polo’s Gail Salter said the tour could be a stepping stone to higher honours.
“It’s a great opportunity for them to experience some live collegiate games,” Salter said.
“I know a number are keen to see that system, that’s a possible pathway they can pursue for not only education but water polo as well.”
It will be the first time all five will compete in a US tour like this and they are understandably unsure how they’ll fair in the matches.
“It’s a bit unknown, we don’t really know who we're versing,” Lachlan said.
It won’t be all work over in the states, though.
The players will get plenty of down time to experience the culture of the US.
Alcatraz, Universal Studios and Venice Beach are a sample of the locations the Tamworth juniors will visit.
Salter said the cultural experience was part and parcel for these types of tours.
“The tour is a combination of playing water polo as well as doing cultural things which is part of the CHS ethos when hey take touring teams away,” she said.
“In the past, it’s been an under 15s team taken to New Zealand for the Pan Pacs every second year.
“That’s usually for about 15 days and again is a mixture of water polo and the cultural aspect – that will be them in the states.”
The five students will head off on Friday for the 18-day tour.
PICTURED: Lachlan Wheeler, Lucy Hofman, Pat Hofman, Giaan White and Isaac Moxon.