Finding love on the deck of the pool

By: Mike J., Ohio

I met my eventual wife and best friend through the sport of water polo, but what was ironic is that I was wearing all white as an official and Bethany was coaching Mason High School.

water polo familyIt was the middle of the 2007 season when I first met her. Since the sport of water polo is small in the state of Ohio, I officiated a lot of Mason's games so I got to know the coaching staff much more. After the season ended, I got up the guts to ask her on a date and since then we have been a happy couple as well as me never allowed to officiate any of Mason's games again :).

Water polo brought us together, but that certainly isn't the reason that keeps us together. I still actively play for a Cincinnati masters team, the Ohio Squirrels (still playing during pandemic, just zero contact) and she comes to watch our games with our 3 beautiful children. All of our children are becoming good swimmers and anytime I see them in the water it reminds me of how our family was started - around the pool and surrounded by the love of the sport, water polo.

What is even more ironic is that my twin brother, Greg, also married someone very involved with water polo. He too is an official and his wife, Jaclyn, was a coach for Princeton High School. Our entire family is very entrenched in the swimming and water polo community and so our dinner conversations tend to go toward the pool.
It is such a great sport not only because of how the game is played but the people you meet every single day through it. It is even more neat that this sport has a major international presence and the storytelling of games and experiences is very special to share and listen to.

 

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