David Fisher
Lecturer
I play canoe polo, the kayaking team sport. Teams of five pass and use their paddles to get a ball into a goal suspended two meters above the water, while the opposing team attempts to stop them by blocking passes, ramming boats and pushing them in! There is A LOT of contact, meaning all the kit is made of carbon fibre and is very light and durable. I play for Granite City Canoe Club. We train in Aberdeen and play around Scotland, the UK and Europe.
I used to play rugby, but I badly damaged my left knee such that I cannot do any running around any more. After trying a few sports I settled on canoe polo as the ideal sport that does not stress my knee but otherwise gives me a complete work out, allows me to be part of a team and lets me be competitive. Luckily, Aberdeen had a team, so I joined in the summer of '21.
Playing regularly in a club, especially after COVID, has been wonderful. We've had some success at tournaments, including winning the Scottish Open Division 2, the Highland Quaich, and securing promotion from National Division 3 North.
As opponents can push you in you have to get really good at rolling your kayak back up again, even if you have dropped your paddle and are still trying to hold onto the ball! As it is a somewhat niche sport sometimes we have to drive down to Liverpool, Manchester or Hull for weekend tournaments. A convoy of cars on the motorway with carbon fibre boats strapped to the roof is quite a sight.
15 October 2025