Interview by Jeremy Kinser
Photography by John Skalicky
www.skalickyphoto.com

Torey Carrick, Mike Crosby, and Ash Martin are members of the West Hollywood Water Polo team who will be competing at the Gay Games in Chicago July 15-22. Ash discusses his favorite sport in our interview. To purchase the team’s splashy fund-raising calendar, visit www.wehopolo.com. For more information on the team, visit www.myspace.com/wehopolo. For more information on the Gay Games, visit www.gaygameschicago.org.

Ash, this might surprise you but I’m not a jock. Please explain water polo to me. How is it played and what’s the incentive?

It’s similar to soccer. There are two goals at either end of the pool. There’s no bottom so you have to tread water the entire time. Basically, you have a ball the size of a volley ball you toss around to each other and swim with and try to shoot it into a goal.

How many members are on the West Hollywood team?

We currently have 28 going to the games. We vary between 25-35 over the year who will show up at practice. Not everyone is going to the Games.

Does everyone going to Chicago get to compete?

We have two teams attending. One with 13 members and the other with 15 and everyone is competing.

How many teams do you compete against?

I believe there are 15 total teams this year from a total of 10 cities. So we compete against 13 teams from nine cities from all over the world.

Are you guys one big happy family on the team?

It’s very familial. We just participated in a drag show at Micky’s the other night as a fund-raiser. It’s been awesome to see how this team has grown and evolved and how well everyone gets along. Sometimes we’ll fight in the water and out of the water about different things but at the end of the day we’re just a big family.

Is everyone on the team gay?

I’m actually straight and married, so, yes, we let everybody play. The team is mostly gay. I think there are three or four active members who are straight.

Why did you decide to play on the gay team?

When I left college I decided I wasn’t going to play polo for a while, especially when I moved here. I met a guy who played and it had been about two years since I played and this was the first team I found. I don’t want to play with any other team. These people are my family. I want to go to battle with these people.

What’s the age range of the members on the team?

Nineteen to 55. The team is mostly made up of guys in their 20s and early 30s.

Are there any fun stories from the road you can share?

There are definitely members of the team that have hooked up with other members of the team. There are even members of the team who have hooked up with multiple members of the team. I am not one of them. (Laughs) We tend to take over bars when we go out of town. When you have 15-20 pretty goodlooking guys going out to a bar and dancing with our shirts off, we tend to make a scene—not a bad scene, a good scene—wherever we go.

What particular skills are necessary for this sport?

Swimming is the most important one. In a typical game you can swim close to two miles if you’re in there the majority of the time and you’re not really resting. Plus you have to deal with people wrestling you. A good cardiovascular system and the ability to swim is number one. You have to have intelligence to play because you have to know where the ball should be and where you should be.

When do you compete in Chicago?

Water polo starts Monday, July 17, and the gold medal game is on Thursday, July 20.

I’m sure all of your readers join me in wishing you guys the very best of luck.

Thanks.