The Marine who helped launch Afghanistan's first men's water polo team is making good on his promise to bring the sport to the other half of the country's population.
Marine Corps Reserve Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jeremy Piasecki is on track to travel to Afghanistan this month to stand up the nation's first women's water polo team, but has put out a call for help to make it happen.
With assistance from an indiegogo campaign, Executive Director Piasecki, fellow Marines and members of the nonprofit organization Afghanistan Water Polo will be able to travel to Kabul and fund the equipment and training needed for the 30 young Afghan women who have committed to the team.
A few years ago, putting together a women's team would have been nearly impossible, Piasecki told Marine Corps Times, but it was a promise he made to himself and to the Afghans he worked with while setting up the men's team seven years ago.
"It's something they want: 'How quickly can you come out?' 'When can we get the women in the water?' 'When can we get them the support they need?' … So everyone's very excited about it, not only our Afghan counterparts, but also the families [of the women] who are involved," he said.
In a country where 15 years ago, under Taliban rule, women were executed for inadvertently showing an ankle, the fact that some women are now eager to participate in competitive sports marks a milestone for the country, according to Lydia Davey, a member of the group and a former Marine combat correspondent.
Today, young women in Kabul have definitely show an appetite for competitive sports as they’ve taken up competitive cycling, gymnastics and skateboarding, and now water polo, she said, but cultural conservatism, continued targeting by the Taliban and the tenuous security environment still present real obstacles.
An Afghan woman, covered from head to foot, swims at the women-only pool that was established in Kabul in February.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Afghanistan Water Polo
"The courage that these women are demonstrating by even coming out for tryouts or taking the risk of emailing the water polo team for more information is incredible," Davey said of the more than 100 women who have expressed interest in joining the team.
Piasecki said that despite the large demand, they only have one female coach and one women-only pool in Afghanistan, which opened in Kabul in February, which means they have to start with a small core group of dedicated women.
Funds raised from the campaign will go toward securing the basics: balls, full-body swimwear, as well as kickboards and paddles for strength and endurance training during twice-weekly sessions at the pool.
"The first training session that we're going to have is mostly going to be teaching women how to swim, picking up a ball and doing water polo drills," Piasecki said.
Over time, he said, they will progress to intra-squad competition, forming additional teams in Kabul and Herat to play against each other, and eventually going outside of Afghanistan to compete against other national teams.
This will put the women on track to echo the resounding success of the men's water polo program that Piasecki and his all-volunteer staff helped stand up in 2008.
In December 2014, they participated in the Asian Water Polo Clubs Championship in Iran, and are working on setting up more international matches.
"Sometimes it takes a few Marines to create the conditions for success — including hope, progress, equality," said Afghanistan Water Polo member Lt. Col. Dan Huvane. "Why not do what we can to create success through any means possible — including sport?"
To help their cause, go to afghanistanwaterpolo.com.
