One has to wonder exactly what you were searching for that brought you to this very old thread.
In any event, please keep in mind that what was socially acceptable back in 2003 is not the same as what is socially acceptable in 2020. Jokes about inappropriate sexual touching are no longer considered acceptable and can get you in trouble for inappropriate behavior on this message board. Please try to avoid boy’s locker room type comments here.
Also note that this thread is nearly two decades old. We tend to refer to old threads like this that have been revived as zombies, so don’t be surprised if you see comments or jokes about the undead.
Our fearless Moderator is quite correct. 2020 is not 2003.
IMHO ( heh heh ) this makes this Zombie the rare reanimation that is very relevant.
Does a female ( s.i.c. ) give blanket consent to having parts of her body touched underwater and out of view of others? Does one need to gain full verifiable verbal consent before every single play? How does that work? Do players swim around with waterproof clipboards with Consent Forms on them before every play? Does a player who made a serious attempt to void breast contact get arrested because just as they pushed against the upper sternum ( underwater ) the opposing player lunged for the ball, rising up out of the water and essentially having the other players palm pressed against her breast as she lunged, therefore justifying a sexual assault arrest?
If this sounds insultingly over the top, think about the level of written consent now demanded on college campuses. Water Polo is played at the college level.
So. This thread is more than relevant in 2002. It doesn’t only mean that a player could get slapped in the testicles in return. It means they could be slapped with a lawsuit as could the coaching staff, school Athletic Director and Provost.
Makes someone thing very very very very carefully before engaging in any physical activity involving contact.
Especially underwater where there are no witnesses.
“sic” is a single word, not an initialism or acronym. It means “thus.”
Most of the occurrences of the word “female” in this thread have been as an adjective (“female opponents,” “female half”). One poster referred to herself as “the only female.” So I’m wondering what you meant by siccing that reference. The OP didn’t use “female” as a noun.
I, too, am curious to hear from Edward with his recollections of how this dilemma ultimately played out. He’s still active on the board, so maybe we will.
This is actually relevant, because as stated in the original OP, this form of touching is against the rules. So any player (male or female) is quite within their rights to complain about deliberate fouling - and if that deliberate fouling includes ‘inappropriate contact’, things get interesting.
I wonder how many girls have joined a water-polo club, only to find that some of the rules get ignored - in a potentially unacceptable manner. They probably drop out of the sport fairly quickly (well, the co-ed version at least).