There are several things to cover as we head toward the much slower final two weeks of the calendar year and to the holidays. So let’s get in to it.
Ciao
It was a good day of games on Sunday with our friends from Longhorn, and a bittersweet Partenza Partita for our Italian exchange student, Stefano. Thanks to all of you for attending, supporting all our athletes, bringing food and drinks, and overall being great AquaTex parents. We plan on doing similar days when the tournament schedule is a little slower.
Speaking of tournaments…
Jingle Bells Festival
The Jingle Bells Festival schedule is out and rosters are final. Coach Smiley will be coaching all three teams (14u, 16u, 18u mixed) with the help of Longhorn coaches Tom, Steve, Molly, and Magaly. There are three AquaTex teams and four Longhorn teams playing at the tournament, which presented us with a challenge since our coaches are largely occupied that weekend. So our thanks to Coach Smiley for taking the lead, and Coach Tom for stepping up to help us.
As usual, families, plan on meeting coach Matt one hour before your first game of the day. After the first game it is the coaches’ decision about when to meet next. And don’t be surprised if you’re coached by one of the Longhorns! It’s gonna be a busy weekend.
Cowtown Stampede
It’s back on the calendar on a less-than-optimal weekend, January 7-8. We will take the lead on sending teams up to the LISD East Side Aquatic Center in The Colony. Longhorn will not be organizing any teams, so their athletes will play for AquaTex. The event is now live on TeamUnify so if you are interested in playing, commit as soon as possible. All age groups are open so plenty of chances to play.
End of Year
This week is the final one of the year with a normal practice schedule, including Thursday girls’ training. On Saturday we will have normal 10 AM practice (more of a shoot-around really) and Swim2Score. But we’ll cancel Sunday practice and then we’ll be dormant until the new year.
By dormant we mean that it is our coaches discretion to have some in-water shooting sessions and games or not! So keep an eye open in GroupMe for an ad hoc, fun training schedule, especially on the weekends.
Thank You
My heartfelt thanks to all our families for making this the biggest, most successful year in AquaTex Waterpolo’s history. Yes, we plan on more in 2023 but it’s important to reflect on the growth we’ve encountered this year, based on your trust in us to help your athletes get better. Thank you for that and we can’t wait for the new year.
And a particular note of thanks to our tremendous coaches. We added Babs and Matt this season, which has been an enormous help to our program. They, Smiley, Kendall, and Alon have committed many hours of their time sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm for this crazy European sport with your athletes. For that I’m enormously grateful. Thank you, Coaches! And don’t be surprised if that roster of coaches grows in 2023.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year to everyone.
