The Idaho Central Aquatic Center opened two years ago, bringing several new opportunities to the Treasure Valley. This weekend USA Water Polo hosted the Mountain Madness Tournament.
The tournament features 14 teams from California, Utah, and the Treasure Valley. Water Polo is a really hard sport that takes a ton of experience and of course— you have to be a strong swimmer.
"Usually, the best teams are the best sprinters, the best swimmers and the best people that can get after the ball," said Hunter Rissell, the goalie for Treasure Valley. "It's a lot of fun, it is very aggressive and competitive."
USA Water Polo linked up with Visit Boise at a sports event conference in the fall of 2023. In August of the following year, Emma Griffith made the trip to Boise to check out the Idaho Central Aquatic Center.
"I was excited, I came into the pool, saw it, and realized how beautiful a facility this was," said Griffith. "I was immediately in and said let’s host a tournament."
USA Water Polo is trying to grow the sport following the summer Olympics of last year. Although this is the first sanctioned USA Water Polo tournament in Idaho, it won't be the last in Boise.
"This is going to be a new regional water polo signature event," said Griffith. "We have already signed a contract to come back for 2026."
The Treasure Valley U-18 boys had a difficult time with a team from Salt Lake City, losing 20-3. However, this is still a relatively new sport in the Treasure Valley, and they recently added a U-14 team to help develop local aquatic athletes.
"It has grown a lot in Boise, it started out with a few teams and now we have our own little JV, middle school team," said Rissell. "A lot of kids are showing interest in how fun the sport is, so it is really exciting."
I talked with a parent whose daughter plays on the U-14 team because it's a mixed team. Right now, there are not enough girls to make their own team, so in the meantime, they are hosting mixed matches for kids under the age of 14.
It will be interesting to see where water polo goes from here with these USA Water Polo tournaments and the new facility that makes it easier to practice, host events, and the kids like it because they don't have to travel to play.
"It’s so nice being in your own bed and hosting your own tournament," said Kaleb Tuckett, another player on the Treasure Valley U-18 team. "It’s super exciting to see where this sport goes in the future because it is just growing so much."
The Idaho Aquatic Center has also helped the Treasure Valley draw in big-time swim meets, and I know from previous stories that the kids are loving the new aquatic space. The aquatic center also gives people here a place to swim laps, and I've even been in there to practice rolling my kayak.
