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The NCAA News - News and FeaturesThe NCAA News -- November 9, 1998
BY STEPHEN R. HAGWELL
Women's water polo emerging? At one time maybe, but not now. Women's water polo has arrived. In the last five years, the sport has increased its sponsorship numbers by 650 percent, growing from a mere five varsity programs to 38 in 1998-99. If that isn't enough to shed the emerging label, announcements by Gannon University (1999-2000) and Hartwick College (2000-01) to add the sport, thereby bringing to 40 the number of sponsoring schools, are enough to begin peeling it away. "This is a sport that's been around a long time. It's not just something that came about overnight. There have been organized club teams for 20 to 30 years," said Kaia Hedlund, assistant director of athletics at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, and chair of the NCAA Men's Water Polo Committee and the Women's Collegiate Water Polo Rules Committee. "The sport has been around, but people are just now coming to realize how exciting it is." That women's water polo has attained such explosive growth is impressive, but reaching the 40 plateau in terms of sponsorship numbers holds the greatest significance. That's because by attaining 40 sponsoring institutions, women's water polo can now begin the process of officially discarding the emerging label and join the NCAA championship family. According to Bylaw 18.2.4.1, "a National Collegiate Championship or a division championship may be established during the 1994-95 through 2003-04 academic years in a women's sport in which the Association does not already conduct a championship if at least 40 institutions sponsor the sport." Ice hockey, another emerging sport for women, is in a similar position, having attained 40 sponsoring institutions. Ice hockey comprised 39 varsity programs at the beginning of the 1998-99 academic year and has since gained an additional commitment. Currently, women's water polo conducts two annual collegiate championships, a 16-team Divisions I and II event and an eight-team Division III championship. While the championships do receive some funding from U.S. Water Polo, Inc., the majority of expenses are incurred by the participating institutions. "I thought we would have growth, but I did not think it would happen this quickly," said Dan Sharadin, director of collegiate and senior programs for United States Water Polo, Inc. "Originally, I thought we would be looking at the year 2000 before being able to reach 40. In fact, I told that to my national governing body. "And now, we've hit 40 by 1998, which is truly amazing." Amazing, but only the first step in the process. Legislative requirements While 40 sponsoring institutions is a requirement to establish an NCAA championship, it's not the only requirement. Bylaw 18.2.4.2.1 says that in order for a championship to be established in an emerging sport, the applicable minimum sponsorship number must exist for two consecutive academic years. Legislation to establish the championship may be proposed during the second year in which the minimum sponsorship number exists, and varsity sports sponsored before August 1, 1994, shall count toward the two-consecutive-year sponsorship requirement. In other words, if the current legislation (Bylaw 18.2.4.2.1), and sponsorship numbers remain constant, women's water polo could propose establishment of a championship during the 2001-02 academic year, the second year that the sport comprised 40 institutions (Hartwick's first year of varsity competition will be 2000-01), with the first championship to be held in 2002-03. Sharadin doesn't plan on waiting that long. Confident that another institution will commit to adding a varsity program beginning in 1999-2000, Sharadin hopes that the sport will have 40 institutions competing next year. If that happens, he believes legislation could be proposed to establish a championship beginning in 2000-01. Even if another institution were not to step forward, Sharadin is taking steps to request that the two-year probationary period, currently required under Bylaw 18.2.4.2.1, be waived, allowing for the establishment of an NCAA championship no later than the spring of 2001. A request to waive the two-year requirement could be moot. At its September 16-17 meeting, the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet requested that the Committee on Women's Athletics consider whether legislation regarding the number of sponsoring institutions required for the establishment of a championship in a new women's sport was appropriate, and to review the sponsorship of emerging sports of ice hockey and water polo in this regard. "I still think we can get to 40 (next year) to meet the requirement," said Sharadin. "The only question is how the cabinet will view a request to waive the probationary period. I suspect it will be (viewed) very favorably simply because I think when the NCAA named emerging sports, I got the impression from the gender-equity committee that they wanted to see two or three sports become championship sports in the next two years. "Here we are past the four-year window and all that's been added is rowing. Now, we're in the fifth year and only water polo and ice hockey are approaching it." Growth factors Two factors are responsible for the sport being on the verge of becoming an established NCAA championship sport: gender equity and explosive growth at the youth level. While acknowledging that gender-equity concerns have provided an impetus to the sport's growth by forcing athletics directors to consider water polo as an option, Sharadin contends that even without gender equity, the sport still would enjoy growth, albeit not as rapidly. The numbers bear that out. In the last five years, membership within U.S. Water Polo, Inc., has grown from 10,000 to 22,000 members, with most of growth due to an increase in female participation. In that same period, women's club teams have increased from fewer than 60 teams to 73 teams. During that same span, men also have realized increases in participation, growing from 30-plus club teams in 1994 to about 200 today. Men's varsity programs currently total 45 teams. "If gender equity wasn't a problem on campuses, I'd like to say we'd have a lot of growth, but being realistic we probably would not have had the superb growth we've seen," said Sharadin. "Having said that, I don't believe that the only reason we've grown is because of gender-equity concerns. "Water polo isn't the only option in terms of adding sports. Institutions can add lacrosse or field hockey or soccer instead of water polo. Instead they've chosen water polo because it's a low-cost, high-participation sport that is an attractive option." Clarence Doninger, athletics director at Indiana University, Bloomington, concurs. Indiana added women's water polo a varsity sport in 1997-98. It is the only women's varsity program in the Midwest. "It's a sport that would be a great fit for a number of schools that already have swimming and diving programs," said Doninger. "It's a perfect fit, people just haven't realized it yet. "It's an exciting sport from a spectator point of view, and a lot more exciting than some other sports that people are considering. We've been very pleased. We hope that others will step forward and add the sport." Hedlund believes that it's only a matter of time before that happens. "We had a real big jump in 1993, and I think we're going to have another jump," she said. "I know of a lot of schools that are sitting around saying, 'This is going to be our next sport, but we're not quite ready.' I think (the jump) will be a gradual thing. I think once we get the championship, we'll go a lot further." When that happens, water polo will no longer be found on page 335 of the NCAA Division I Manual.
Chronology of Women's Water Polo SponsorshipDIVISION I School added -- Year Harvard University -- 1983-84 University of Massachusetts, Amherst -- 1993-94 University of California, Berkeley -- 1994-95 University of California, Los Angeles -- 1994-95 San Diego State University -- 1994-95 University of Southern California -- 1994-95 University of California, Santa Barbara -- 1995-96 Iona College -- 1995-96 University of the Pacific (California) -- 1995-96 Stanford University -- 1995-96 Princeton University -- 1996-97 St. Francis College (New York) -- 1996-97 San Jose State University -- 1996-97 University of Hawaii, Manoa -- 1997-98 Indiana University, Bloomington -- 1997-98 Long Beach State University -- 1997-98 Loyola Marymount University -- 1997-98 Villanova University -- 1997-98 Brown University -- 1998-99 Bucknell University -- 1998-99 George Washington University -- 1998-99 Santa Clara University -- 1998-99 Hartwick College -- 2000-01 DIVISION II School added -- Year Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania -- 1991-92 Queens College (New York) -- 1995-96 University of California, Davis -- 1996-97 California State University, Bakersfield -- 1997-98 California State University, Hayward -- 1997-98 Salem-Teikyo University -- 1997-98 California State University, San Bernardino -- 1998-99 Gannon University -- 1999-00 DIVISION III School added -- Year University of California, San Diego -- 1974-75 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges -- 1991-92 Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps Colleges -- 1993-94 Occidental College -- 1993-94 University of Redlands -- 1993-94 Whittier College -- 1993-94 University of California, Santa Cruz -- 1996-97 Chapman University -- 1997-98 University of La Verne -- 1998-99 |
On page 335 of the 1998-99 Division I Manual, water polo is listed among the team sports considered as emerging sports for women per NCAA Bylaw 20.02.5.