Records tumble in Aachen

The 37th Internationales Wasserballturnier Aachener SV 06 is arguably the most important event in IC Water Polo’s 2016 calendar. After meeting early in the morning on the 4th of November, the team travelled in convoy through France, Belgium (unintentionally), the Netherlands, and finally Germany. After arriving at a university campus where the only signs of life were an unsuspecting man in a kitchen and a karate class, the team were nonetheless confused. None more so than TJ Leo Pashov, who insisted we were still in Belgium. The men had drawn strong opponents in the group stages, namely Essen and the home favourites Aachen. The women also had Aachen, with DJK SV Poseidon Duisburg for company but with their squad totalling only three players, they were going to have a tough time playing a seven-a-side sport. Once the Germans finally showed up, a team bonding session alleviated concerns.

Having borrowed players, the women made a nervous start, with club President Tina Trigle tackling teammate Ozzie, stealing the ball and passing it to the opposition. The guys were also having problems, with a ‘moving goal’ blamed for the dip in shooting form. No success on day one, but with some members of the squad having not played competitively before, it was not all doom and gloom. There were some positives. David Moores and Tobias Dawson completed the club’s first successful ‘Protokol’ in two years, making an impression on the locals with their interpretation and button pressing skills. More positive, hopefully lasting, impressions included personal achievements for Andrew Duckworth and Ronan Tanguy, who were complimented on their water polo assets (cheeky) by an interested local. An after party followed; a great chance for International Relations officer Sam to find out that local teens thought quite highly of British students.

With the words of the great Mickie Krause still ringing in their ears, the guys lined up on the Sunday morning full of optimism. Despite Sam’s best efforts to deflect tame opposition shots into his own net, one Imperial goal (scored by Ramon, dedicated to Jenny Lea) led to another and before we knew it, Imperial won by a favourable margin. Next game also saw success, everything capped off with a debut international goal from Jon Arizti. Finishing with a 50-50 win ratio, the highest ever from an Imperial team in the tournament, the guys could go home happy. The girls unfortunately come away without a win, despite Laura’s best dabbing efforts. Overall, a successful trip. Huge thanks to Social Sec Massive Tobias Dawson for organising everything. Can’t wait for next year. Or fines night.