Underwater Hockey as a sport was founded in the summer of 1954 in Portsmouth, England by a group of four friends and amateur divers. The divers, faced with the long British winter ahead, wanted something to do in the pool while the ocean was too cold to dive in enjoyably. Thus, they came up with the completely new sport which we still play today. At that time, it was known as Octopush, the name the sport still goes by in parts of Europe. The game at this time would have looked far different that today's game does, due to over seven decades of refinement of strategy and equipment.

Underwater Hockey was introduced to the United States in 1960 in Chicago, Illinois. At this time, the game was beginning to resemble what we play today. Further refinement to the game occurred thereafter, notably in 1978 at Nationals in Miami. Between the 1960s and 1990s, the game spread to every corner of the globe, with clubs found on every inhabited continent. Today, it is most popular in the UK, France, Oceania, southern Africa, North America and South America.

I'm a Bilingual Early Childhood Education major '27 with a focus on Spanish bilingualism and ESL. I started UWH my freshman year and knew nothing about it going in! I became the social chair my second semester of freshman year and served as president in 2024. In my free time I love to read fantasy books and do outdoor activities with friends. I adore baking and cooking (so get ready for fun treats as socials!)

I'm a sophomore in Neural Engineering. I've been hyper involved in water sports since freshman year of high school, playing water polo, diving, and swimming competitively at different points. I enjoy playing card games and reading web novels in my spare time. I'm loving the next installment in my water sports world.

I’m a Junior pursuing a dual degree in Global Studies and Journalism. I began playing Underwater Hockey in March 2024 when my friends and I were swimming laps in the ARC pool and decided to hop in on practice. Outside the pool, I love music, art, and movie nights with friends. 

I'm a junior majoring in astrophysics. I used to swim in junior high and found underwater hockey sophomore year through reddit (literally). Turns out, UWH is one of the best sports in my life! Outside the pool, I spent most of my time doing research and trying out foods around C-U!

I'm a computer engineering major with a focus on Data Engineering from New Delhi, India. I used to be a competitive swimmer, and then found hockey my freshman year and fell in love with it. In my free time I love to play board games and build silly projects! 

I'm a sophmore studying architecture. I started playing hockey fall of my freshman year and this past summer I competed at the age group world championships! If I'm not at the pool to lifeguard, play hockey, or lap swim, I'm probably rock climbing or cooking or crafting!

Paris started playing Underwater Hockey sometime during the last century when he was a grad student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He moved to Illinois in 2010 as a professor in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, mostly because of the awesome club at UIUC, and he has been playing here ever since.