After a short training camp in Johannesburg, a group of 27 St Andrew’s College boys departed on 17 August on a 2 week water polo tour to Hungary and Croatia. The aim of the tour was to develop skills and expose the boys to a far higher level of water polo than they are used to, and the tour group was made up of a mixture of all age groups from U14 to U19.
The tour group flew in to Budapest in Hungary, and then traveled by tour bus through Hungary and Croatia, visiting Eger, Budapest and Balaton in Hungary, and Zagreb, Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik in Croatia along the way. Water polo is among the main sports in these countries, much like rugby and soccer are in South Africa, and hence the level of water polo is far higher than it is here. The first sign of this was apparent on arrival in Budapest where, rather than rugby or soccer, the billboards in the arrivals area were Vodafone water polo advertisements!
The first stop on the tour was the town of Eger in the north-east of Hungary, a town that could be likened to a Hungarian version of Stellenbosch. The entire town revolved around water polo and as guests of the Water Polo Club of Eger for 3 days the College tourists were treated in high regard wherever they went. They played several training games against some very strong local sides in a quite unique outdoor pool fed by a thermal spring with large stones covering the floor of the pool. Although no score was kept in these games, it is safe to say that while they learnt a great deal, the tourists came second!
The next 3 days were spent in Budapest, where the boys were privileged to play training matches at the headquarters of Hungarian water polo on Margaret Island. They were also exposed to coaching sessions with a top Hungarian coach, learning some exciting new drills and techniques and getting important tips on where to improve on what they were doing already. There was also time to explore the diverse city of Budapest, with its medieval castles and beautifully reconstructed buildings on the hills of Buda, separated from the modern boulevards of Pest by the imposing River Danube.
From Budapest the tour group traveled by coach through Hungary and Croatia, spending one or two nights in each destination.
First up was Lake Balaton in southern Hungary, the most popular holiday destination in the country, where the boys played training matches against a local side in a very impressive indoor pool, and visited the massive thermal lake at nearby Heviz.
They then moved into Croatia, starting in the capital city, Zagreb. After a fascinating city tour which included the famous Stone Gate, the boys played training matches against the Dinamo Ghetaldus men’s side, who play professional water polo in the Croatian league. Coupled with a coaching session with some of their top coaches, it was an excellent and invaluable learning experience for the boys.
En route to the next stop on the tour, Zadar on the northern Dalmation Coast, the group stopped at the beautiful Plitvice National Park, which proved to be one of the highlights of the tour. The park is made up of 16 crystal clear turquoise lakes, linked together down a valley by a series of streams and waterfalls, and the boys took many photographs of the stunning scenery during their 3 hour long walking tour and electric boat ride through the park.
In Zadar the boys played their training matches against a local club side in a specially marked out pool in the sea, which was a unique and fascinating experience. They also got time to visit some of the many picturesque beaches along the coast, where there was plenty of activity as it was still the peak of the European holiday season, as well as many of the legendarily beautiful Eastern European girls!
The boys were also lucky to be able to attend some matches at the World Junior Championships in Sibenik, about an hour away from Zadar. Although due to a scheduling change they missed South Africa’s games, they still got to see some top class water polo matches, including Hungary vs Italy, Montenegro vs Greece, Australia vs Egypt and Hungary vs Spain. Seeing the game being played at such a high level was a real eye-opener for the boys, and gave them plenty of inspiration for the water polo seasons ahead!
The next few nights were spent in the quaint medieval town of Trogir, which is in fact on one of the many islands along the coast, and could only be reached via a single bridge. The training matches took place in nearby Split against a very strong local club side, in a pool in the harbour surrounded by huge and massively expensive yachts. The boys visited the main beach in Split and were shown around the amazing Diocletian Palace, a 3rd century Roman palace in which some 3000 people still live.
The final stop on the tour was Dubrovnik, at the southern end of the incredible Dalmation Coast. Here the boys played in the city’s new water polo stadium against another strong local club side, and visited the old city, still enclosed by its medieval city walls. It was poignant to see how much of this incredible monument had required restoration after the recent war in this part of the world. The following morning there was just time for some last minute souvenir shopping before packing up and heading to the airport for the long flight home.
So much stood out on the tour that it is impossible to summarise it adequately here, but the focus and passion of the Hungarians, the warmth and friendliness of the Croatians, the amazing scenery, particularly along the Dalmation Coast, and the co-operation, positive attitude and impeccable behaviour of the boys made this a truly memorable experience for everyone on the tour and a pleasure to be a part of.
G Creese
