She’s only been at it for a few months, but already Andrea Thomas is off to Europe for the world championships of canoe polo. 

Thomas, a 17-year-old kayaker, will be heading across the Atlantic Ocean at the beginning of August for a month-long tour of Europe with Canada’s U-21 canoe polo team, before finally ending in Milan, Italy for the international event. 

Canoe polo is a relatively new sport in Canada, but the intense, physical sport is quickly catching on. 

“It’s a newer sport in Canada, it’s really big over in Europe,” Anderson said.

Teams of five begin by racing head-on to the middle to fight for possession of a ball. Thomas describes it as part basketball, part water polo. The players then fight back and forth to score on each others’ nets – and tackling is allowed. In a tackle, Thomas said they wear long sleeve shirts so they can grab a player and pull them into the water. 

“You’re allowed to completely push them underwater,” Thomas said. “It’s a pretty aggressive game.”

Another technique is to get the tip of your canoe under your competitor’s, to steal their position. 

The boats used are actually kayaks, but like the name confusion between football and soccer, European kayaks go by a different name. 

“They call kayaks canoes, which I think is strange,” Thomas said. 

A spot was left open on the U-21 canoe polo team after one girl left, leaving the team without enough players to participate in the world championships. The Canadian canoe polo team then put out a call for new players. When Thomas signed up for Jasper’s kayak club, she was given a poster about the team, and decided to try out. 

Most of the team is based out of Sundre and Olds, Alta., which means Thomas trains by herself at the pool here in Jasper. She travels to her team as much as possible. 

“It’s a lot of travelling, but it’s worth it,” she said. 

Thomas has only been playing for a few months, and learned the official rules during a Canada Day demo game held in Jasper. She has been kayaking for three years, and has enjoyed learning about the sport.

“It’s such a wonderful experience to go to worlds with the national team,” she said. The 17-year-old said her team is a great group of women. This will be the first time Canada’s U-21 team has been invited to the world championships. “It’s actually a really big thing.”

Thomas said she enjoys the game because of the physical nature and speed. 

“It’s kind of like an adrenaline rush,” she said, describing the start when the players sprint head-on for the ball. “It’s really fast. It’s not like golf.

“I’m loving it, it’s a wonderful sport. It’s so active.”

To participate in the Europe trip, Thomas has had to raise over $5,000, with her plane ticket jumping another $300 recently. 

“A lot of it’s coming out of my own money,” she said. 

To help fund-raise, Thomas has been collecting bottles and has received help from people in the community, which she is grateful for. 

“People have been so generous with donations,” she said. 

Anyone wishing to help Thomas and her goal to represent Canada in Europe, can contact her at 780-852-4321, or at 780-883-0931.