Sports & Activities
Gay Games VII: Water polo roundup
Photo Credit: Nicolas Smith
You might not know it from looking at her, but Christi Bardecki, coach of the Toronto Triggerfish LGBT water polo team, could probably dunk you with one arm tied behind her back and cement blocks tied to her legs. The sweet and funny coach certainly knows her game; she’s been playing water polo for 12 years and competed on the world stage for Canada’s national team.
Bardecki’s team adores her. We spoke with more than one player who said she’s the best coach they’ve ever had. We spoke with Bardecki after the Triggerfish got beat by the Tsunami and were impressed by her upbeat attitude.
What leagues do the Triggerfish normally play in?
There aren’t too many leagues near us. We host a tournament in Toronto every year, so we have a lot of American and Canadian teams that come up for that. We got to as many of the IGLA-sponsored game tournaments as we can. And we also go to local tournaments in our province—we join regular senior masters tournaments and play in those. Anything we can get our hands us, pretty much [laughs]. We get as much competition as we can.
How have you done so far in the Games?
We have two losses and a win so far. We’re the newest team here, and we’ve only been around for four years, so this is a major achievement. Last year was the first year that we ever won an international game at the IGLA games, so this is building on that. We already have a win, and we’re anticipating building on that [and winning] a few more.
Are you the only Toronto water polo team at Gay Games VII?
We’re the only Canadian team. We’re actually one of three international teams here out of 15 water polo teams. The majority of the water polo teams here are American.
Who do you play tomorrow?
We’ll play Washington, and depending on whether we win or lose that will decide our next game. Everyone continues to play until you have your final ranking. Right now we’re relegated into the 8-15 category. So if we win we’ll go into the 8-12 category, and if we win again then we’ll move up again.
Have you been having fun at the Games?
Well, [the Triggerfish are] notorious for being the most fun and friendly team, and having the greatest time anywhere we go. If you ask most teams I think they’ll say that about us. We have a great time anytime we travel, we go out to the bars and go out to the sites and scenes of the city, and meet all of the different teams. We definitely have a good time here.
Do you see the other Toronto teams while you’re here, for the different sports?
Because [the Games are] so spread out, we’ve had a hard time getting out to see other sports. All we’ve seen is basketball [located in the same building as water polo]. So we cheer on our other water polo team here [the Triggerfish B team—most water polo teams bring an A and a B team].
Do the A teams and the B teams compete separately?
No, it’s everyone against each other. So you have people who are incredible [water polo players] who have been competing for 20 years, and then you have others, like one of our new players, who have been playing for four weeks. We’re doing an amazing job, considering that for some of these people this is their first international competition ever.
This must be exciting for some of the newer players.
Oh yeah, it’s really exciting for them to see this level of international competition. It’s really inspiring for them.
What do you like most about the Gay Games?
Just about everything really. We’re competing against every team, but after it’s done, you can be best friends with them and go out with them and develop lifelong friendships. We have people on other teams who are dating now—they competed against them, fought against them, and now they’re dating them [laughs].
The competition is great, and it’s a really high level, so I think a lot of people come here for that, but also for the camaraderie and getting to meet people from all over the country and all over the world.
Have you played team WeHo yet? We’ve heard they’re killer.
We most certainly have [like everyone else facing WeHo so far, they lost]. Just about all of their players played competitively on either NCAA university teams; they’ve [almost all] been playing for 10 to 15 years. So they are at a very high level. They train hard, they play hard, and they have a large group that’s been playing for a very long time. They take it very seriously.
How long have you been playing water polo personally?
For 12 years. I played for the Canadian National team for a few years. But I find this almost better than the World Championships, because [at the World Championships] you are there to do a job, and you really don’t get to enjoy the exotic places you’re going and enjoy the people you meet, and here you get to do both. So I actually enjoy this better.
Bardecki’s team adores her. We spoke with more than one player who said she’s the best coach they’ve ever had. We spoke with Bardecki after the Triggerfish got beat by the Tsunami and were impressed by her upbeat attitude.
What leagues do the Triggerfish normally play in?
There aren’t too many leagues near us. We host a tournament in Toronto every year, so we have a lot of American and Canadian teams that come up for that. We got to as many of the IGLA-sponsored game tournaments as we can. And we also go to local tournaments in our province—we join regular senior masters tournaments and play in those. Anything we can get our hands us, pretty much [laughs]. We get as much competition as we can.
How have you done so far in the Games?
We have two losses and a win so far. We’re the newest team here, and we’ve only been around for four years, so this is a major achievement. Last year was the first year that we ever won an international game at the IGLA games, so this is building on that. We already have a win, and we’re anticipating building on that [and winning] a few more.
Are you the only Toronto water polo team at Gay Games VII?
We’re the only Canadian team. We’re actually one of three international teams here out of 15 water polo teams. The majority of the water polo teams here are American.
Who do you play tomorrow?
We’ll play Washington, and depending on whether we win or lose that will decide our next game. Everyone continues to play until you have your final ranking. Right now we’re relegated into the 8-15 category. So if we win we’ll go into the 8-12 category, and if we win again then we’ll move up again.
Have you been having fun at the Games?
Well, [the Triggerfish are] notorious for being the most fun and friendly team, and having the greatest time anywhere we go. If you ask most teams I think they’ll say that about us. We have a great time anytime we travel, we go out to the bars and go out to the sites and scenes of the city, and meet all of the different teams. We definitely have a good time here.
Do you see the other Toronto teams while you’re here, for the different sports?
Because [the Games are] so spread out, we’ve had a hard time getting out to see other sports. All we’ve seen is basketball [located in the same building as water polo]. So we cheer on our other water polo team here [the Triggerfish B team—most water polo teams bring an A and a B team].
Do the A teams and the B teams compete separately?
No, it’s everyone against each other. So you have people who are incredible [water polo players] who have been competing for 20 years, and then you have others, like one of our new players, who have been playing for four weeks. We’re doing an amazing job, considering that for some of these people this is their first international competition ever.
This must be exciting for some of the newer players.
Oh yeah, it’s really exciting for them to see this level of international competition. It’s really inspiring for them.
What do you like most about the Gay Games?
Just about everything really. We’re competing against every team, but after it’s done, you can be best friends with them and go out with them and develop lifelong friendships. We have people on other teams who are dating now—they competed against them, fought against them, and now they’re dating them [laughs].
The competition is great, and it’s a really high level, so I think a lot of people come here for that, but also for the camaraderie and getting to meet people from all over the country and all over the world.
Have you played team WeHo yet? We’ve heard they’re killer.
We most certainly have [like everyone else facing WeHo so far, they lost]. Just about all of their players played competitively on either NCAA university teams; they’ve [almost all] been playing for 10 to 15 years. So they are at a very high level. They train hard, they play hard, and they have a large group that’s been playing for a very long time. They take it very seriously.
How long have you been playing water polo personally?
For 12 years. I played for the Canadian National team for a few years. But I find this almost better than the World Championships, because [at the World Championships] you are there to do a job, and you really don’t get to enjoy the exotic places you’re going and enjoy the people you meet, and here you get to do both. So I actually enjoy this better.
wannaplay08 wrote:
how can someone join a team like yours -mike
Dec 18 7:10 AM