Glenwood waterpolo talent jets off to sports fest

AVID waterpolo player, Tristan Shallcross, clocked up extra mileage in the pool as he prepared for the largest water polo event in the southern hemisphere, the Pan Pacific Festival, which runs from 9 to 17 July.

His initial sport codes in primary school included soccer and athletics, both of which he excelled at. When he enrolled at Glenwood High School, his height and arm span won him an invitation to try out for the waterpolo squad.

“The coaches are really friendly and offer a lot of support. All of my friends were playing and it is a pretty vibey sport. The first day was tough,” admitted Tristan, “but then after that it became a passion.”

In his first year of the sport he was welcomed into the KZN team. Now, after two-and-a-half years of training, inter-school games and tournaments, he has been selected to compete in the prestigious international event in New Zealand. He will compete in two tournaments, the U16 pan pacific tournament and the pan pacific open tournament.

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Tristan said he was most looking forward to the experience as a whole and testing himself against international waterpolo players. “I like how it is very physical. The sport pushes you to your limits, you can set goals and work towards them. I always make sure that I aiming for something,” said the talented goalkeeper.

“I really enjoy the sport and the fact that I can do something that I love, and hopefully one day join a team and make money from it, that’s incredible,” he said. His next goal is to claim a waterpolo scholarship at a college overseas.

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