Dominique Adams bellows instructions in Spanish to her students at Woodlawn Junior High School.
The 30-year-old has a commanding presence to be sure, but it turns out she’s even more formidable as a defender on the national underwater hockey team.
She’s been a member of the elite squad since 2010.
Westlawn Junior High School teacher Dominique Adams plays for Canada’s national women’s underwater hockey team. (Adrienne Lamb/CBC)
“We’re not an Olympic sport yet unfortunately, but we have our own world championship every two years,” Adams explains. This year the tournament takes place in July in Quebec.
Underwater hockey is played along the bottom of a pool with with players propelling a lead puck encased in plastic using skate guard-like hockey sticks, all the while bobbing up and down for air.
According to The World Underwater Federation, the British Navy invented the game in the 1950s to keep their divers fit and improve their ability to move and work efficiently under water.
Adams admits it’s a weird sport, but the more you play, the more you love it.
“It’s difficult, there’s some contact, it can be rough sometimes, but it’s also very fun.”
Adams poses alongside some of her teammates on Canada’s national underwater hockey team. (Supplied by Dominique Adams)
She shares that passion with members of the Edmonton Underwater Hockey club such as Keith Heslinga.
Two years ago the engineer and father of two noticed the underwater hockey practice taking place and members invited him to give it a go.
They said it was “way more fun than swimming laps. I agreed. I mean pretty much anything is more fun than swimming laps,” Heslinga said.
Adams is geared up for action. (Supplied by Dominique Adams)
Adams took Heslinga under her fins and gave him the skinny on the sport she adores.
Heslinga was hooked.
Now he and 20 fellow members practise twice a week at Peter Hemingway Pool and the Kinsmen Sports Centre where they’re always game to take on newbies.
As for Adams, she believes the offbeat underwater sport has made her a better teacher and coach.
“I take a lot of what I learn as an athlete and I’m able to turn that around and try to give that wisdom to my kids.”
You can see more from Westlawn Junior High School this week on Our Edmonton Saturday at 10 a.m., Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and Monday at 11 a.m.