GB call-up for water polo player Ziggy

Since last August, Ziggy has been training with the GB water polo junior squad and has now been selected as one of just 35 boys to vie for a place at the 2008 European Championships.

A pupil at Littlehampton Community School, Ziggy trains every day of the week, swimming 15,000 metres, going to the gym and playing water polo.

In September, he takes up a place at the national water polo academy at Grantham College in Lincolnshire where he will train for 16 hours a week while also studying an engineering course.

He explained how he first got involved in this little-known sport.

"I have been swimming since I was about four and really enjoy it. I swim with Worthing Swimming Club where my dad is head coach and I had put my name down for springboard diving but the list was so long that I decided to go for water polo.

"I really enjoyed playing it and decided to focus on it instead. That was about three or four years ago and now I play for its water polo team.

"My ambition is to play in the up-coming European Championships and then to go on and play in the Olympics."

Water polo is played by teams of 14 players, seven in the pool at any one time and seven substitutes on the side.

It is a contact sport and each time a goal is scored, the teams can substitute as many players as they want.

The ball is about the size of a football and pumped up hard. It is thrown between players with the aim of scoring goals in the opponents' net.

The sport requires a special swimming stroke, called the egg beater, to be learnt.

Similar to a breaststroke kick but moving one leg then the other rather than together, the egg beater helps the swimmer keep their upper-body high in the water.

Although Ziggy feels it is an honour to be chosen to train with the GB squad, there is a financial cost to bear.

Travelling all round the country for training and tournaments is expensive and he relies on his parents and some outside support to help him pay his way.

His course fees at Grantham are also 2,900 a year and he said that although he was looking for more sponsorship he was grateful for the support he has received so far.

He said: "I would like to say a big thank you to Littlehampton Town Council for the 400 financial sporting award that helped me pay for my personal trainer for six months.

"The Rotary Club helped me as well, with 200 to pay for one of my national academy training weeks at Millfield School in Somerset.

"I would also like to say thanks to my parents Allan and Carol, my sister Jade, my nan, my aunt Ann and all my friends for their support."

Anyone who wants to sponsor Ziggy can email his dad Allan at [email protected] or call him on 07790 262960.