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Category: Team GB

Penguin 100 Stories: My water polo career by Karine Meadley

5 October 2021
Penguin 100 Centenary, Penguin members, PenguINspiration, Team GB, Water Polo

Prior to moving to London to study physiotherapy in 1994, my sporting focus had always been basketball and a bit of swimming to mix things up. Well, except for summer holidays when I was lucky enough to find a holiday resort with ‘water polo’ or ‘water basketball’ on offer – I felt like I was in my element.

The University of London Union was where I tried water polo proper for the first time. I remember it well, especially the horrified facial expression of coach Jerome Read when, having no idea of the rules, I grabbed the ball with two hands and curled myself around it. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before I had the knack of eggbeater leg kick, a better understanding of the rules, and I was invited to join the Penguin Club.

I played with Penguin for just over ten years. It was a time that helped me grow as a person, learn life skills (and lessons), and make some incredible friendships with people from all over the world, many of whom I consider close friends even now, 16 years later. Most importantly I learnt my capacity (or lack of) to consume alcoholic beverages.

Charlie Parkinson, Karine Hales Meadley, Lis Holmes
Karine (centre) with Penguin teammates Charlie Parkinson (left) and Lis Holmes (right)

 

I was baffled when I was elected to be captain of the Penguin women’s water polo team in 1998 but figured if someone else thought I could do it, then I would give it a go. For four years I rallied the troops for games, led discussions on who was to be the next coach, delegated a lot, and introduced George I  – the inflatable penguin and women’s team mascot. I was proud to be part of a team of strong women who were committed to not only having fun whilst keeping fit, but also to becoming integral to running the Club, particularly with the likes of Helen Nicholson, Manda Hackett, Sally Woolhouse-Read and Charlie Parkinson.

From 2001 I joined the Great Britain Water Polo Squad. The extra water polo commitments, Penguins and my physio career juggle eventually became too much, and I was happy to hand over the captaincy to Fiona Greer, who has gone on to do so much more for the Club than just lead a team of women.

Karine Meadley playing water polo for team GB
Karine playing water polo for team GB

 

In late 2004 , after having had the opportunity to play at various European and World Championships, I decided I should probably try getting my life back and focusing on my physio career.

In January 2005 I played my last game for Penguin and enjoyed a legendary send off party (did I ever say thank you for that Charlie and team?) and set off to make the most of sleeping on ex-Penguin players’ couches in New Zealand and Australia, before settling in Brisbane to do some post-grad study in sports physio.

My contact with water polo became less, but there was always a Penguin linked to it, and being physio for the British team at the Commonwealth Games in Perth, with Jerome Read as part of the coaching team once again, felt like an appropriate ending to my career in water polo.

16 years on and living in South Australia, I still have close friends some of whom live just down the road, who are ex-Penguins, or know someone who was a Penguin. Lets face it, Penguins are awesome, and awesome people know awesome people…

 

This article is part of our Penguin 100 Stories, a series from Penguins past and present, recording what being a member of our Club means to them as we celebrate the Club’s centenary.

Frankie Snell – Penguin and the London 2012 Olympics

23 July 202122 September 2021
Frankie's Blog, Olympics, Penguin 100 Centenary, Penguin members, PenguINspiration, Team GB, Water Polo

As the belated 2020 Olympics get underway in Toyko, one of Penguin’s Olympians, Frankie Snell, looks back at her time with the Club and with the Team GB women’s water polo squad at London 2012.

I can remember my very first Penguin water polo training session. Tt was a cold autumnal evening in 2007 and I was lost in the maize of tunnels you had to conquer before finding the pool in the basement of the Shell Centre. I was just 20 years old and had recently arrived  in London from New Zealand.

It was an easy decision to join the Penguin club,. A few older NZ players were already members so I was looking forward to seeing familiar faces when I nervously turned up to that first session. I had nothing to be concerned about though. Right from the start with Shakey and the girls, I felt the strong sense of family and community within the Club.

Frankie Snell playing water polo
Playing in the London 20212 Olympics

 

That feeling carried with me over the following six years playing not just for Penguin, but professionally for clubs in France and Spain, and at the London 2012 Olympic Games with Team GB. I was born and grew up in NZ with a kiwi dad and English mother, hence having eligibility to compete for both nations.

I was the youngest in the Penguin team when I joined. I had a lot to learn from the older more experienced players and not just in the pool! They instantly took me under their wing and looked out for me throughout my time playing in Europe. This is my greatest memory and appreciation of being part of the Penguin Club, the lifelong friends I’ve made. We’re from all over the world, a lot of us now living back in our birth countries, but we’re still close and keep in touch from afar.

Frankie Snell playing water polo
In action

 

I must admit the friendships were bonded not just in the pool, but also in the pub. Our weekends away for national league games were always work hard, play hard. We would battle it out in the pool during the day and then enjoy the local night life until the wee hours before being back in the pool first thing the next morning.

I have very fond memories of playing for Penguins at the LEN Trophy tournaments round Europe. We weren’t quite up to the standard of the fully professional club teams we were playing against, but we always fought hard, had the biggest smiles on our faces and definitely had the most fun!

Penguin women's wtare polo team on the poolside before a match
At a LEN Championships match with the Penguin women’s team

 

I played for Penguins for a couple of years before a season for ASPTT Nancy in France. From France I moved up to Manchester in 2009 to join  the Team GB squad in preparation for London 2012, on moving up there I made sure my home club stayed as Penguins.

Competing at the Olympic Games was obviously a dream come true for me, a truly unforgettable, totally amazing experience, but it was also the hardest, most disappointing time in my life.

We went into the Olympics as massive underdogs, we weren’t expected to medal but within our team we had full belief that we could, and would!

London 2012 Women's water polo team photo in the changing room
Team photo

 

In the weeks leading up to the Olympics we’d drawn with top countries Russia and Spain (the eventual silver medalists) so we knew within our squad that we could do it. That’s why when the final whistle blew on our quarter final match and we’d lost against Spain by one goal in the last minute of the match, it was so utterly disappointing and heart breaking. To have your dream of medaling at an Olympics –  everything you’ve worked towards for years –  squashed in an instant by one blow on a whistle.

Spectators with a banner supporting Frankie Snell
Penguin team mates supporting from the poolside

 

We went to hell and back throughout our training in Manchester, pushed to our absolute limit physically and mentally so words can’t describe how broken we all felt. I still struggle now actually, almost 10 years later, when I think about how different everything would have been if we’d won that one match, if I’d made that one block or scored that one shot. All our games are up on Youtube but I haven’t yet been able to watch them back.

The whole Olympic experience was an extreme rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. We lost four out of our six games by one goal… one goal…

It was so hard to deal with but on the flip side, I had the most incredible experience. Being part of the home nation Team GB with all of the support behind us was the best feeling. The athlete village was amazing, I could’ve lived there forever (all the rumours you’ve heard about the village are true!).

 

London 2012 Team GB women's water polo team in the Olympic Village
Moving into our accommodation in the Olympic Village

 

The opening and closing ceremonies were so much fun and real ‘dream come true’ moments.

Frankie and team mates at the London 2012 closing ceremonyy
Me, Chloe Wilcox and Rosie Morris (my team mates and house mates for three years in Manchester) at the London 2012 closing ceremony

 

We went to Buckingham Palace and met the Queen. The countless parties after the event and the athlete parade through the streets of London were all some of the best times of my life.

It was a true honour for me to represent the Penguin Club at the Olympic Games. The support I felt by the whole Penguin family not only during the actual tournament but in the years before during the grueling preparation was immense. Being a part of the Penguin family is a very special part of my water polo journey.

Spectators with a banner supporting Frankie Snell
Penguin teammates arriving at one
of our matches

 

I’m now very happily living back in NZ with my partner Rich Chambers, also a fellow proud NZ-Penguin water polo player, and our 1 year-old daughter Cleo.

We would absolutely love to be at the Penguin 100 Anniversary Dinner next year but this is unfortunately looking unlikely. I can remember dancing the night away at the 90th Anniversary Dinner ten years ago so I hope this next celebration is just as spectacular!

Use the tag at the top of this post to read the brilliant blog that Frankie wrote in 2012 documenting her journey to the London Olympics. 

 

 

This article is part of our Penguin 100 Stories, a series of stories from Penguins past and present, recording what being a member of our Club means to them as we celebrate the Club’s centenary.

Penguin100 Stories: Elliot McHugh

22 May 202121 July 2021
Penguin 100 Centenary, Penguin members, PenguINspiration, Team GB, Water Polo

To celebrate the Club’s centenary we are publishing a series of stories from Penguins past and present, recoding what being a member of our Club means to them.

This post comes from our men’s first team and GB U19 water polo goalie Elliot McHugh.

 

I joined West London Penguin back in 2018 as a young junior, having progressed from Ealing SC – the club had undergone some staffing changes and there was good pool time on offer at Penguin, which was only 20 minutes away. At the time, there was also the opportunity to compete in the senior national league which had, and still has, some great players.

As a young goalie, I was thrown into the deep end (literally) and I gained experience playing with seniors at an early point in my career. This was something that really helped my development and something I really like about the Club, because it’s so critical to have that exposure to a higher standard when you’re in the early stages of development.

 

Water polo player shooting at goal with Elliot McHugh as goalie

 

For young juniors, there is always an opportunity to progress your game and, while it’s tough at first, there is often support from the older guys who can steer you in the right direction. I remember my first national league in in division 2 in Sheffield and all of the team where very supportive if I ever made a mistake during a game – after matches they would check to see I was in a good place psychologically, which of course is crucial for goalies. In my opinion, if a player is committed and really wants to improve, there is an opportunity for most juniors to play comfortably at national or international level when training at Penguin. Our team experiences outside of the water during national league weekends were also great fun, with memories probably not suitable for this blog!

After lots of hours training, in 2019 I was selected to be part of the Great Britain U19 squad. This involved many training weekends around the country, usually in Manchester, and a number of trips abroad, including training camps in Croatia and Barcelona. I also travelled out to Serbia with a friend from the Club (Andre) and trained under some of the best players and coaches in the world – later our GB team visited the same place and were coached by Dejan Savić, who led Serbia to Olympic gold in 2016. These trips were a great opportunity to develop as a player, and were experiences I won’t forget.

 

Water polo player shooting at goal with Elliot McHugh as goalie

 

In early 2020, I was selected to be part of the GB U19 team and to compete at the European Qualifiers in April 2020, which had been my goal since I started playing polo. It all seems quite surreal looking back now – I had never been a swimmer or football goalie, and started from scratch at around 16 years old. I think my successes are down to a combination of great coaching, a motivating environment, hard work and persistence. It’s great to see some of those qualities coming through in the younger players at Penguin.

What makes West London Penguin special? I think for me, it’s the sense of community and the people that make Penguin a great club. Water polo isn’t just about the skill or the fitness – it’s also about the experiences and memories you share with teammates over the years, and the games (good and bad). What’s interesting about Penguin is that it attracts such a wide range of cultures, and you meet so many different people, from special unit commanders operating in Bulgaria to Italian chiropractors in London!

 

Penguin mens water polo team holding trophy
Penguin: British Water Polo League Men’s Championship 2 winners 2019-20
Giampaolo de Rosa, Lorenzo Cacciola, Alex Waller, Matteo Baldelli, Filippo Varetta. Elliot McHugh, Taka Ota, Toby Robers, James Salt, Joe Ortiz, Bence Kadar, Dragos Ungureanu, Grimbo.
© Trevor Hyde

 

I think the future is bright for water polo – it will be interesting to see how the recent £375,000 funding injection from UK Sport will influence the direction of the sport, and how the water polo development strategy will change in the coming years. On a personal level, whilst COVID-19 disrupted my opportunity to play at Europeans, I still remain positive and will endeavour to represent GB and Penguin at the World University Games in China next year, as well as the Commonwealth Games tournament. I also hope to pass on some of my knowledge and experience to younger goalies, and continue to support Penguin growing its talented pool of players.

GB Men’s Under 19 team at the H20 Polo Cup

22 August 201922 August 2019
Team GB, Water Polo

Two Penguins, Elliot McHugh and Toby Roberts, travelled to Rijeka in Croatia last week with the GB Men’s U19 team to compete in the H20 Polo Cup, bringing home a bronze medal.

The national squad of 16 players, coached by Chelmsford’s Dean Walker and assistant coach Kevin Swainson, is building towards the European Qualifiers in May 2020.

Elliot and Toby with their bronze medals and trophy
Elliot and Toby with their bronze medals and trophy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alongside a busy schedule of training and matches, Elliot found time to send us this report…

After an early 4am wake up and flight from London Stanstead, we headed straight for the pool, spending two hours in the evening with local club VK Primorje, who were our hosts.

Floodlit training session
Floodlit training session

 

As the week progressed we were in the water twice a day for two hours; once in the morning, and once in the evening, focusing on swimming, leg strength and technical work.

Land training
Land training

 

By Friday, it was competition time. We endured a tough start to the tournament, with a 17-7 defeat to Szentes from Hungary, who were looking well-drilled since arriving, although Toby did manage to find the back of the net early in Quarter 1.

Friday night saw another defeat against hosts VK Primorje, but we remained positive, waking up on Saturday with the objective of winning at any cost against Belgium.

Pool with a view
Pool with a view

 

Although GB and Belgium were at an 8-8 draw by the end of quarter 3, we gave a final push for the win, and I saved a penalty. Final score: 14 goals against the Belgians’ 10.

Team in the pool
Team spirit

 

This trip not only allowed each of us to gain invaluable experience and learn new skills in the pool while competing against top sides, but it was also a great opportunity for the team to gel, bringing together players from clubs across England, Scotland and Wales and strengthening the water polo community.

It was a great confidence boost to return home with a victory. Go Penguin and go GB!

GB U19s Team
GB Team
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