Though it might surprise some who are unfamiliar with it, water polo can be an awfully physical sport 鈥� think full-contact basketball, all while treading water as you aim to keep your head above water.

And no one knows the physically demanding nature of the sport more than Garrett Davis, a 16-year-old Ocean Park resident who has been playing against older, stronger competition since he was about nine years old.

鈥淚t鈥檚 so physical, and that was one challenge for me 鈥� always getting put up with older age groups,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚 just wasn鈥檛 the same as them, physically.

鈥淲ater polo鈥檚 not a huge sport, so everyone around Canada kind of knows everybody, and me being younger, everybody knew me, so it was like, 鈥極h, this kid鈥檚 younger than us, I鈥檓 just gonna pound on him.鈥�

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 always fun, but I鈥檓 sort of used to it now鈥� I think it鈥檚 kind of funny that people have to beat on me to get me to stop scoring.鈥�

Scoring has rarely been a problem for the multi-sport athlete, who also plays basketball and at Earl Marriott Secondary. And this week, he鈥檒l be trying to do it against the toughest competition he鈥檚 ever faced, as a member of the , which earlier this week travelled to Lima, Peru for 2017 Pan American Championships, which run until July 9.

Davis was long-listed for the team earlier this year, and in early June made the final cut.

Once again, he will be the youngest player on the team.

A member of the 91原创-based Fraser Valley Water Polo club, Davis 鈥� who learned to swim with the 鈥� was turned onto the sport as a youngster, thanks to a friend from California who used to visit the Semiahmoo Peninsula each summer.

鈥�(Water polo) is really popular in California. I used to go down there just to swim, and he鈥檇 always say, 鈥榣et鈥檚 play water polo鈥� so I just jumped into it. I was always a good swimmer, but swimming lengths just got kind of boring for me,鈥� he said.

鈥淪o to add a ball, and to be able to check someone and to be able to score, that was just more interesting to me.鈥�

Though he鈥檚 now one of Canada鈥檚 top youth players, Davis is quick to admit that, in the beginning, he struggled with the intense fitness demands of the sport, which requires players to stay in the water for the better part of four eight-minute quarters.

鈥淭he only time I really get a breath is when it鈥檚 halftime, or when my coach calls a timeout, but definitely, when I started out, I was not the most athletic-looking kid out there,鈥� he said.

When he entered high school, Davis said he began to take the sport more seriously. He worked out, starting eating 鈥渟uper healthy鈥� and also starting running in an attempt to improve his cardiovascular strength.

鈥淚 just did it so (water polo) wouldn鈥檛 be as hard.鈥�

This week鈥檚 journey with the national program isn鈥檛 his first foray with a Canadian team. In recent years, he鈥檚 also been a part of national U14, U16 and even U19 teams. However, those teams only went on what Davis called 鈥渢raining trips鈥� 鈥� to places like Calgary, Saskatoon, Montreal and California.

The Pan American Games mark the first time Davis will face international competition.

鈥淧laying for Canada, it鈥檚 always been a dream of mine,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is the biggest thing I鈥檝e done. I鈥檓 looking forward to it.

Incidentally, one of his Team Canada teammates this week, Vancouver鈥檚 Sandro Miletic, was on the other end of one of Davis鈥� more physical moments of the club water polo season.

In fact, it was a full-on fight.

Davis was playing for his Fraser Valley team, and Miletic for the Pacific Storm. The game was particularly bruising one, and the action escalated to the point where the two were whistled for 鈥渇ighting above the water.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e friends 鈥� we鈥檙e close. We text all the time,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淏ut there were punches thrown.鈥�

When fists began to fly, 鈥渆veryone started freaking out 鈥� players, coaches, everyone,鈥� he said. Both players were ejected, and hopped out of the pool. But rather than collect their bags and leave the area, they instead walked towards each othe, eventually meeting in the centre of the pool deck.

鈥淚 was ready to just run at him, and I鈥檓 sure he felt the same way about me,鈥� Davis said.

鈥淓veryone thought we were going to start fighting again, but we just put our hands out and gave each other a hug. After the game, everything was good. There鈥檚 probably not too many sports where you see that.鈥�

Davis, Miletic and the rest of the Canadian team will stay in Peru for the duration of the Pan American Games 鈥� which features other sports aside from water polo 鈥� and will return home July 10.