Green Bay Underwater Hockey Club recruits new players for winter season

Peter Covach, president of the Green Bay Underwater Hockey Club, is recruiting new participants at the Kroc Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The club welcomes athletes from small towns throughout the region who wish to join a sport played beneath the surface.

The game uses a weighted puck that rests on the pool floor. Players move the puck along the bottom of the pool, similar to how teams move a ball in soccer or a puck in ice hockey.

Molly Banks, 24, has played the sport her entire life. Her parents met while playing the game approximately 30 years ago. Banks will represent the United States on the elite women's national team in Turkey later this year.

Banks believes introducing the sport to young players is essential for its growth. She notes that the sport remains small and often requires explanation to outsiders. "Getting people into it young is really important to help the sport grow," Banks said. "As much as we can get the youth interested, it's awesome for the sport and it's awesome for the kids."

Adalind Meyer, a rising player with the Green Bay club, cites the physical challenge as a primary draw. "Underwater hockey's pretty fun and also I get to go underwater and hold my breath for a long time," Meyer said. She also enjoys the team dynamic and the ability to flick the puck across the pool.

Covach describes the sport as difficult to watch from the sidelines. "It's probably the worst spectator sport in the world," Covach said. "You need to have goggles on, be in the water looking at the play as it's happening."