The 13-year-old Kahuku Intermediate student, and four other girls of around the same age, are participating in the Seasider Junior Water Polo Program this summer.

The girls hope that the chemistry they are building in the youth program will make them a force when they get to high school.

"This group could take us (Kahuku) to the state championship down the road," said Aukai Ferguson, who runs the youth program and is the Brigham Young University-Hawai'i men's water polo coach.

Eckmeier, along with Ella Aiwohi, Rebecca Fonoi-moana, Noe Wicker and Shannon Ching, are part of about 40 youths currently in the four-day-a-week summer program that started in June and will end in August.

The girls feel their relationship is special.

"We have more of a closer friendship," Eckmeier said. "It's good to play a long time together."

Ferguson, who didn't play water polo in high school, but played collegiately at Chaminade and Loyola Marymount, said that the youth program has taken on added importance this year.

The Hawai'i High School Athletic Association added girls water polo as a state tournament sport for the upcoming school year.

"Now that they have a place to play in high school, we decided to go even further," Ferguson said.

The youth program is an offshoot of a high school club team that Ferguson started eight years ago to give Kahuku youths an opportunity to play the sport.

The youths in the camp learn the basics of the game (swimming, throwing) as well as strategy.

"They're teaching us different skills and techniques that we'll need to beat the town teams," said first-year player Maile Love, 13. "We just have fun in the water and learn the game of water polo."

Played with six players plus a goalie per team, the purpose of water polo is to score by throwing the ball — using only one hand — into a goal that is 3 feet tall by 10 feet wide. Players are also not allowed to rest on the bottom of the pool.

"People think it's easy, but it is complicated," Eckmeier said. "It's tiring, but it's fun."

The youths are receptive to Ferguson and assistant coaches Makana Whitford and Doug Cole, both of whom were coached by Ferguson when they were younger.

"Coach Ferguson is a really, really good coach," Forrest Singh, 11, said. "He's a good teacher."

Singh gives high marks to the three coaches.

"They tell us that we have to be really aware of who's by us and what we are doing with the ball," she said.

Ferguson said he uses Whitford, who will be a junior on the UH women's water polo team this fall, and Cole, a former All-America at the University of California-San Diego, as examples.

"If you work hard day in and day out, you can go and do anything you want," Ferguson said. "They're perfect examples of that."

The three coaches said that they jumped at the opportunity to participate in the clinic.

"It's nice to give back a little," Cole said.

Whitford said she does it for other reasons, as well.

"I like seeing a kid do something that I taught them," Whitford said. "I like when kids have hobbies instead of getting into trouble."

The Seasiders are not in a league, but play organized pick-up games. They hope to start a league with other youth water polo clubs on O'ahu and travel in the near future.