Anyone who has ever been in the vicinity of a Hilo High water polo match the past seven years has no doubt seen, or heard, how devoted Malia Tallett is to the sport.
It’s a passion she plans on spreading through a new endeavor.
While various other sports have myriad athletic associations for youngsters to choose from, Tallett’s Hilo Water Polo Club is the only one of its kind in East Hawaii, and it expands beyond the confines of the Vikings.
“I’ll teach anybody, I just want to see the sport grow and give players exposure,” said Tallett, who owns Ke Ola Kino Physical Therapy.
It pains her when someone in her school administration asks her why she doesn’t do more to recruit players to come out for the team, but low roster numbers aren’t just a Hilo High problem, especially among BIIF public schools.
“The numbers of kids (playing) have decreased,” she said, “especially this last season.”
For starters, Tallett is offering “Splashball” for three different age groups (18-under girls and coed for 12U and 10U) on weekdays from July 8 to Aug. 1 at Hilo High’s pool, and registration will be held from 8 a.m.-noon Saturday at the pool.
“We encourage all 10-and-under participants to use an inflatable vest so that they can enjoy the game,” said Tallett, a Kamehameha-Kapalama alum who played at the University of the Pacific. “I am hoping that if this does well, I would like to see the sport grow to (a) year-round option. We’ll have to see how our turnout is.”
To end the summer festivities, the club will host an open water tournament with four different divisions at Carlsmith Beach Park on Aug. 3.
In a perfect world, the sport could grow to the point where BIIF teams could start to approach the roster size of that found at Kamehameha, which listed more than 30 players last season.
But this is not an us vs. them issue, Tallett said, she just wants to teach the sport and lend her voice.
“When you get exposure to different coaches with different backgrounds and philosophies, it can be invaluable,” she said.
For more information, email Tallett at malia@keolakinopt.com.