MSU Underwater Hockey Club

·33 min·3 clips

Grab your stick, snorkel, and weighted puck to witness the MSU Underwater Hockey Club at the I Am Circle pool.

The episode begins with host Anna Yarnall introducing the MSU Underwater Hockey Club, a student organization that combines swimming and hockey in an underwater setting. She is joined by three club members: Kevin Cook, a sophomore majoring in game design and Spanish who serves as president; Pasi, a senior chemistry major and treasurer; and Joaquin, a sophomore mechanical engineering student and social media chair. They describe underwater hockey as a sport played with flippers, masks, snorkels, and small sticks, where teams of six compete to score goals at the bottom of a pool. The club originated at MSU in 2003 as a spinoff from the Scuba Club and participates in tournaments in places like Illinois, Canada, and Milwaukee. Kevin recounts how the club almost died during COVID, with only two MSU students remaining, but has since grown to over 50 registered members, with about 20-25 attending regular practices. Practices are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-10 p.m. at the I Am Circle pool, involving warm-ups, drills like the flick shot, and scrimmages. The sport requires players to hold their breath and communicate silently underwater using stick taps and hand signals. Tournaments vary from team-based events to potluck-style competitions where players are mixed with others from different clubs, including veterans with decades of experience. The members discuss the club's expansion through participation events and social activities like glove-making gatherings, where they create protective gear with caulk and paint. They highlight the close-knit community, with members often becoming lifelong friends through car rides and post-tournament debriefs. The episode concludes with each member sharing a word to describe the club: 'up and coming,' 'memorable,' and 'unique,' emphasizing its niche appeal and growth potential.

As heard by us

A grounded look at the stamina, trust, and underwater coordination behind MSU's unusual hockey club.

Underwater hockey could sound like a campus oddity, but this review finds the sturdier story in the discipline it takes to play. Anna Yarnall follows MSU's club, which began in 2003 as a Scuba Club spinoff, and gives room to Kevin Cook, Pasi, and Joaquin as they break down…

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Why you'd press play

You get hockey, a swimming pool, and a weighted puck, with no ice required.

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