Four La Cañada High School water polo team members and one player for Flintridge Prep recently joined 10 other local water polo players on a trip to Uganda, where they co-hosted a learn-to-swim camp, a water polo coaches clinic and participated in the national World Drowning Prevention Day event.
The 15 water polo players traveled to Uganda from July 19 to Aug. 2 to engage with local communities, train swim coaches in the basics of water polo and provide opportunities for youth to learn water safety and play water polo. Through this trip, the team hoped to promote water safety, inspire a passion for water sports, foster teamwork and create meaningful connections with the local participants.
This was the second year LCHS senior and water polo team captain Ian Wipfli hosted the trip, coordinated by the nonprofit Energy In Action. Energy in Action, formerly known as Ray United FC, was started by LCHS graduate Ray Wipfli, Ian Wipfli’s older brother, after his first trip to Uganda in 2014 with his mother, USC professor Heather Wipfli. Over six years, Ray Wipfli raised more than $300,000 and reached more than 5,000 Ugandan children with soccer instruction and public health education. In 2019, Ian Wipfli decided to expand the program to address the burden of preventable drowning and hosted his first learn-to-swim Splash camp in 2022.
“I am so excited we had such a strong team joining us this year in Uganda and incredibly proud of our ability to equip so many young people in Uganda with critical life-saving skills and instill a love of water and team sports,” said Ian Wipfli.
This year’s program taught essential community drowning prevention strategies, first aid and CPR, survival swimming skills and water polo basics to more than 100 youth living on Lake Victoria. The five-day Splash camp was run in partnership with the Uganda Swimming Federation, Uganda Scouts Association and Swim Safe Uganda.
On July 25, the team also participated in Uganda’s national World Drowning Prevention Day activities. This year’s event, co-hosted by the Ugandan Ministries of Water and Environment and Health, included a brass band parade, a demonstration water polo game with the Ugandan Swimming Federation team, water rescue demonstrations by Swim Safe Uganda, and special guests and popular dancing troupe seen on “Britain’s Got Talent” act The Ghetto Kids.
La Cañada Flintridge students were recognized and received certificates of appreciation and personalized Ugandan soccer jerseys from the Ugandan government for their contributions to drowning prevention in the country.
The water polo coach’s clinic taught skills to two dozen coaches from Uganda, as well as representatives from Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. By introducing this dynamic sport to East Africa, the team aims to enhance the growth and development of aquatics within the region and offer new possibilities for aspiring athletes. The water polo coaches clinic included training sessions, skill-building exercises, friendly matches and interactive workshops to enhance participants’ understanding of the game. The LCF team members served as mentors, sharing their expertise and imparting valuable sportsmanship, resilience and leadership lessons.
“We are so grateful to the La Cañada community who has supported the work of Energy In Action now for a decade and for the ability to continue to provide local youth the opportunity to embark on a journey of cultural exchange, personal growth and community service,” Heather Wipfli said.
For more information on Energy In Action and future service-learning trips to Uganda visit energy-in-action.org.
First published in the August 24 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
