- Evan K
Your Newest Addiction: Underwater Torpedo League
At first, I thought it was crazy. Guys duking it out underwater in diving meets swimming meets basketball. But then I really started to read into it and The Underwater Torpedo League looks like an insane amount of fun. I mean, I would be terrible at it because I cant hold my breath underwater for shit. But my god it looks cool. Jen Murphy of Outsideonline.com wrote an article about the ins and outs of the league stating that it is "the brainchild of Prime Hall and Don Tran, two former Marine Raiders (an elite unit of the U.S. Marine Corps), underwater torpedo is played in the deep end of a large pool—ideally 13 to 14 feet deep—by two teams of five. The aim is to get a ten-ounce, ten-inch-long torpedo-shaped toy into a kid’s hockey net anchored at the bottom of the pool by dive bricks. Players may move the torpedo by swimming with it, handing it off, or passing it to another team member, all while submerged. They can surface to take a breath, but not if they are holding the torpedo—that results in a penalty. Tackling, pulling, holding back, and grappling are only allowed on the player in possession of the torpedo. Kicking, punching, choking, and single-limb submissions are forbidden" (Murphy). That seems insanely fun, and If you have friends like mine you know they would all love to play it. This league has gotten attention from MMA fighters, Crossfit, surfers, and even NFL players like Micah Hyde and Mant'i Teo. Murphy states that the UTL's creators want it to be in the 2028 LA Olympics and I am absolutely for that. It would be sick watching the best swimmers from the USA go up against other countries in Torpedo League. On top of that, the leagues championship match is called "The Aqua Bowl". Now that sounds straight out of a comic book. So if you are like me and interested in new things to keep you busy during the summer, go check out Underwater Torpedo League. Cause it will be huge in 10 years, mark my words.
Works Cited:
Murphy, Jen. “The Wild World of the Underwater Torpedo League.”Outside Online, Outside Magazine, 3 Feb. 2020, www.outsideonline.com/2408755/underwater-torpedo-league#close.