10u

2023 08 22

2023 Alamo (Fall) Classic (14, 12, 10u)

Sign Up

Click here, find the corresponding event, then log in to your GoMotion account to register your athlete for it. You will not be able to sign up for this event if you are not currently registered with AquaTex.

Current Working Rosters

Based on age-as-of 8/1/2023

10um	12um	14um	18um
Tristan Miller	Neel Ramanathan	William Pemberton	Ethan Clark
Andrew Morrissey	Margaret Morrissey	Isabelle Morrison	Maxwell Tsukerman
Oliver Witten	Jonas Gardner	Elliot Bronstheyn	Adlee Colegrove
Oliver Morrissey	Ilay Lev	Annika Lee	Rachel Delk
Emeric Colegrove	Clayton Waterbury	Austin Lewis	Jacob Gerakos
Graham Gardner	Preston Bernard	Joshua Delk	Gavin Hantelman
Helen Morrissey	Knox Edmonds	Colton Nealis	Aaron Gordon
Delton Chen		Parker Nealis	Corina Nunziata
Yong-Jia Lee		Jackson Place	Elvis Lee
		Remy Lievens	William Lunsford
		Kenneth Brown
		Jordan Baek
		Chase Wadley

From the Hosts

Alamo Area Water Polo will be hosting the Alamo Classic on October 7-8, 2023 at the Alamo Heights Natatorium in San Antonio for 14U/12U/10U athletes. This is a two day sanctioned USAWP event with divisions for 8th Grade & Younger Boys/Mixed, 8th Grade & Younger Girls, 12U Mixed/Boys, 12U Girls, and 10U Mixed (Age as of Date is October 7, 2023). The maximum number of team entries will be 30 teams (first come, first serve). Games will be played in two courses beginning on Saturday morning and ending around 4:00-5:00 pm on Sunday. All teams will be guaranteed four games. To register, please complete the online registration (no cost) and bring entry fee checks to the pool the weekend of the tournament (check made payable to “AHISD”). Below is all the tournament info. Online Team Registration: Alamo Classic – 14U/12U/10U Divisions (must be logged in at USAWP website to register)

Alamo Classic – October 7-8, 2023:

Date: October 7-8, 2023. Games will be played in two courses beginning on Saturday morning and ending around 4:00-5:00 pm on Sunday.
Location: Alamo Heights Natatorium, 705 Trafalgar Rd., San Antonio, TX 78216
Divisions: 8th Grade & Younger Boys/Mixed, 8th Grade & Younger Girls, 12U Mixed/Boys, 12U Girls, and 10U Mixed (Age as of Date is October 7, 2023)
Entry Fee: $600 per team. Please bring checks made payable to “AHISD” to the pool the day of the event.
Online Team Registration: Alamo Classic – 14U/12U/10U Divisions (must be logged in at USAWP website to register)
Maximum Number of Teams: 30 total teams
Registration Deadline: Sunday, October 1, 2023
Roster Deadline: Friday, October 6, 2023
Schedule: An online schedule will be sent to everyone on Monday, October 2, 2023
Not Enough Players: If your club has athletes that would like to play in a specific division, but you do not have enough players for your own team, please email and I will attempt to help facilitate partnering up clubs as needed.

2023 08 22

2023 Armadillo Classic Tournament

jamesesmith 10u, 12u, 14u, 4th grade, 6th grade, 8th grade

For AquaTex Families

29 August 2023: AquaTex is not currently planning on entering this tournament.

From the Hosts

NOTE: The team entry deadline for this is Sunday, September 3rd (Online Team Registration).

The team entry deadline for this event is Sunday, September 3rd. This tournament will be a two day, sanctioned USA Water Polo event with 2 courses running simultaneously. Games will begin on Saturday morning, run all day on Saturday/Sunday morning, and then end around 4:00 pm on Sunday afternoon. All teams are guaranteed to play 4-5 games in a “championship” style format with placing games/awards for all divisions. Below is all the info for the event.

Armadillo Classic – 8th/6th/4th Grade Divisions:
Dates: September 9th – 10th, 2023. Games will begin on Saturday morning, run all day on Saturday/Sunday morning, and then end around 4:00 pm on Sunday afternoon.
Location: LISD Aquatic Center, 5729 Memorial Drive, The Colony, Texas 75056.
Divisions: 8th Grade Boys/Mixed, 8th Grade Girls, 6th Grade Boys/Mixed, 6th Grade Girls, 4th Grade Mixed
Age as of Date: September 9th, 2023.
Entry Fee: $600 per team. Payments will be collected when completing the online registration.
Registration Deadline: Sunday, September 3rd, 2023 at 11 pm (CT)
Roster Deadline: Thursday, September 7th, 2023 at 11 pm (CT)
Schedule: An online schedule will be sent to everyone early next week.
Host: The tournament will be hosted by Texas Mavericks Water Polo Club.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

2023 04 12

Longhorn Beach Polo Blitz

jamesesmith 10u, 12u, 14u, Game Day

Rosters

AQTX Blue	AQTX Orange	AQTX Black (lower)
Jackson Place	Reinhold Karvenz	Alan Ni
Chase Wadley	Colton Nealis	Ashton Benson
Parker Nealis	William Pemberton	Ryan Benson
Elliot Bronshteyn	Isabelle Morrison	Neel Ramanathan
Rudy-Matheo Garcia	Diego Suarez-Quiroga	Ilay Lev
John Kelly	Aaron Bielik	Clayton Waterbury
Jacob Bice	Adrian Herrera	Remy Lievens
Ryan Chong

Coaches Alon and Babs will be there and can make adjustments as necessary.

From the Host

Thursday, April 13 from 7-9pm at the Texas Swim Center

Format: Two division Beach Polo Tournament, games to 5, championship games for both divisions.
Four field players and a goalie, short courses (~15 yards), beach polo rules. 6 athlete max per roster. Should have around 6-8 LH and St Stephens teams plus whatever you guys can bring.
Two courses running simultaneously, LH coaches will ref games, each team plays at least three games.
Upper and Lower Divisions. For reference, my better middle school boys and girls will play upper, newer players and 10U kids will play lower.
We can incorporate individual athletes if you don’t have enough for a team or have too many for just one team.

Each athlete must turn in a completed waiver/try out form when checking in at the front desk. USA WP membership a plus but not required.

Parking- Koe Wetzel (?) concert at the Moody Inconvenience Center same night. Closest reliable free parking is probably the Bob Bullock/IMAX parking garage on1800 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701

Admissions-Parents/spectators welcome, no charge for admissions.

2023 01 11

2023 Texas Challenge Cup

jamesesmith 10u, 12u, 14u, 16u, 18u, Rosters, Schedule, Texas Challenge Cup, Tournaments

Schedule/Results

For Coaches

10u mixed team: scoresheet | IDs

14u mixed team: scoresheet | IDs

18u mixed team: scoresheet | IDs

Working Rosters

AQTX 10u	LH 12u mixed	AQTX 14u mixed	AQTX 18u b	LH 18u g
Ashton Benson	Silas	Jackson Place	William Lunsford	Addy
Ryan Benson	Laird	Chase Wadley	Jackson Place	Ava
Claire Green	Robert	William Pemberton	Vitali Pavlenko	Sarah
Eric Crockett	Zephyr	Antonio Falce	James Strauss	Bridget
Mason Jones	Daniel	Kenneth Brown	Connor Knight	Noelle Nealis
Tristan Miller	Eliza	Parker Nealis	[Antonio Falce]	Corina Nunziata
Vaugn Gallo	Phoebe	Colton Nealis	Jacob Gerakos	Tori
Colton Gates	Theodora	Elliot Bronstheyn	[Kenneth Brown]	Ashlyn
	Ilay Lev	Reinhold Karvenz	Declan Graves	Allison
		Diego Suarez-Quiroga	Liam Graves	Gracie
		Isabelle Morrison	Adlee Colegrove	Taylor
			Gavin Hantelman	Kat
			Riley Dixon	Morgan Spooner
			[Noelle Nealis]	Tatum
			[Corina Nunziata]

For AquaTex Families

Here are a few things about traveling to tournaments for newcomers and oldsters alike:

Cut your toe- and finger-nails as short as possible without harming yourself (!) before the tournament. Be prepared. We don't want you scrambling for nail clippers as a game is about to start.
Always plan on being ready to meet together one hour before our first game of the day. That is an AquaTex policy. Please schedule your time accordingly. For any following games on the same day plan on meeting 40 minutes before game time.
Wear your team suit and t-shirt every game and each day of the tournament.
Expect three games per day even if we only end up playing two. That means, be prepared: extra towel, goggles for warmup, eye drops, snacks, water, an extra suit is always a good idea. Be ready.
Food. Between games we encourage our athletes to eat lean protein, fruit, simple carbohydrates (not just candy!), water. After our last game of the day you can eat what you want... within reason.
AquaTex doesn't organize team hotels or meals but definitely appreciates parents who take the lead in finding hotel blocks to share and/or organizing team meals. That is mostly done via our GroupMe so please do communicate amongst each other there.
Fees: For nearly all tournaments, with the exception of those related to Junior Olympics, you can expect to pay around $90 per tournament roster. That is, if your athlete is playing for both our 18u and 16u team at a particular tournament then you'd pay (estimated) $180. Coach James pays our entry fees and coaches directly so you will pay him via Venmo or other means if necessary. Our fees cover tournament entry and coaches' lodging, fuel, per diem, so prompt payment is appreciated.

From the Hosts

27 February 2023

Here is the Schedule for the tournament (Please note there are a few 18u girls games at Northwest each day)

As we expanded to accommodate more teams, we are now in need of each team to provide 1 table worker for each of your games. The tournament is now 68 teams and 136 games which is one of the largest in the zone.

Divisions
10u – Small goals and small courses (width of a course) , 5 min quarters
12u – 12u goals will be used, 6 min quarters
14u Girls – One game only
14u Gold – 6 min quarters
14u Silver – 6 min quarters
16u – 6 min quarters
18u Girls – 6 min quarters ( please note Games at both pools)
18u Mixed Gold – 6 min quarters
18u Mixed Silver – 6 min quarters

Warm-Up/Game Caps: There will be no warm-up area. Teams will need to warm-up between quarters or if there is no game in one of the pools. Teams will need to provide their own warm up balls. Teams will need to supply their own game caps for the competition.
Teams will need to print and bring scoresheets for each game

Additional Announcements:

No deck changing. Locker rooms will be available.

Teams listed first on the schedule will wear white caps and start to the left of the table.

Athletes will not be allowed to play in the tournament unless they are USAWP registered.

The Referees will be doing ID Checks prior to each game of the tournament. Athletes, Coaches, and Teams MUST be prepared for ID checks as to keep the tournament on schedule.

If you need to change cap numbers during a game, please let the table know BEFORE the player enters the pool to play
COACHES:
Hospitality: Hospitality will be for Coaches & Officials ONLY
Awards:
1ST, 2nd, & 3rd Place medals will be given out in each division.
The coaching staff of the 1st place team of each division will choose a player for the Player of the Tournament Award. This athlete will receive a trophy and be asked to pose for a picture after the 1st place team picture is taken.
PARENTS:
Facility Locations:
NISD Aquatics Center 1976 Texan Dr, Justin, TX 76247
CISD Aquatics Center 1501 W Southlake Blvd, Southlake, TX 76092
Admissions: $5 Day Pass, $10 Weekend Pass. Children 5 & Younger will not be charged admission. All admissions will be sold at the facility (no pre-paid admissions).
Apparel Sales: Custom made tournament apparel will be available at the Southlake CISD location.
Spectator Expectations: We request your cooperation by supporting the participants and officials in a positive manner. Profanity, or other intimidating actions directed at the officials, athletes, coaches, or volunteers will not be tolerated. Spectators should be aware that they can be removed from the premises for undesirable behaviors at the request of game officials, the tournament director, or facility director.

14 February 2023

This is a Thunder Water Polo hosted event in North Texas the weekend of March 4th and 5th.

All teams will receive a minimum of four games with the top 3 teams in each division receiving 1st – 3rd place medals.

All participants must have a minimum of a USA Water Polo Bronze membership with picture and age verification completed. ID checks will be administered on deck.

Divisions – 10U Coed, 12U Coed, 14U Coed, 16U Boys, 18U Girls and 18U Boys

Details

Locations
- Northwest ISD Aquatics Center 1976 Texas Dr Justin TX· ( 10u, 12u, 14u )
- Carroll ISD Aquatics Center 1501 W Southlake Blvd, Southlake, TX ( 16u, 18u)
Approximate Time: Saturday 8:00am – 7:00pm and Sunday 7:00 am – 4:00pm.
Age as of Date: August 1, 2023
Entry Fee: $600 per team. Payments will be collected when completing the online registration. Link to Register
Registration Deadline: Friday Feb 17th 9:00pm (PT)
Admissions – $5 per day or $10 for the weekend
Roster Deadline: Monday, February 27th at 9pm (PT)

Schedule: An online schedule will be sent to everyone on Monday February 27th

Team Hotel

https://group.trubyhilton.com/edo7wk

The reservation cut-off date is 2/17/23. (We will release any rooms not used at that date and the rate will no longer be available. If we sell all rooms in the block, the rate may not be available prior to this date).

The Tru Northlake is 4 miles, 5 minutes from the NISD Aquatic Center in Justin and 10 miles, 15 minutes from the Carroll ISD Aquatic Center in Southlake.

The Tru by Hilton offers a complimentary breakfast 6am-9am. It includes hot items, bacon and eggs and other items, freshly made pancakes, cereal, breakfast breads, yogurts, fruit and all the toppings

We offer:

Work, play, lounge, or eat in our 2880 square-foot lobby-with Pool Table

24/7 Market with local gourmet snacks & drinks

Large bathrooms with tons of counter space & glass

55inch TVs with in-room entertainment system-Netflix and huge selection of premium channels

24/7 complimentary LaVazza coffee

Tech Forward with Free Fast Wi-Fi and easy to reach charging outlets

Modern Fitness center

2022 12 22

2023 Dare to Dream Festival

jamesesmith 10u, 12u, Dare to Dream, Novice Waterpolo, Splashball, Swim2Score, USA Water Polo

Schedule/Results

For our Athletes & Families

Admissions

Parents/Spectators can pre-pay before they arrive at the facility or scan a QR Code/pay at the admissions desk on the Second Level. Parents/Spectators will receive a wristband depending on what they purchase. Dare to Dream – Texas Festival Admissions: $10 Day Pass, $15 Weekend Pass. Children 5 & Younger will not be charged admission.

Click here for the Admissions Link

USA Water Polo IDs

2023 AquaTex Dare to Dream IDs

Texas A&M Waivers

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dn-92fRn8TFQIdHEYx1d8RqoprdZIOlb/view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ef7lZ8K_vpMAX8czrC-6Tn2psgnJfdj0/view

Tournament Expectations

We very gladly have a lot of new athletes attending this tournament. Welcome to all of you, and of course to all our experienced families as well. Here are a few things to cover for newcomers and oldsters alike:

Plan on being ready to meet together 30-40 minutes minimum before our first game of the day. Coach Babs will let you know via GroupMe.
Athletes, wear your team suit every game of the tournament, and your team t-shirt on Saturday at least. And, of course, we encourage our families to don the black, orange, and blue while attending.
Expect three games per day even if we only end up playing two. That means, be prepared: extra towel, goggles for warmup, eye drops, snacks, water, an extra suit is always a good idea. Be ready.
Food. Between games we encourage our athletes to eat lean protein, fruit, simple carbohydrates (not just candy!), water. After our last game of the day you can eat what you want… within reason.
AquaTex doesn’t organize team hotels or meals but definitely appreciates parents who take the lead in finding hotel blocks to share and/or organizing team meals. That is mostly done via our GroupMe so please do communicate amongst each other there.
We expect all our athletes to work hard, to be their best, when we compete. Winning and losing are important but not nearly as much as effort, being the best you can be, being there for your teammates, communicating, executing the skills you learned at practice. That’s what we as a club and your coaches expect.

Athlete Fees

Each athlete will pay for participating in this tournament payable directly to Coach James via Venmo. Fees are nearly always estimated to be approximately $95 per athlete per roster. The final fee will be calculated after the tournament and takes in to account tournament entry fees, coaches’ travel expenses, per diem, etc.

Working Rosters

AQTX 10u	Playing for Longhorn 12u
Ryan Benson	Clayton Waterbury
Ashton Benson	William Pemberton
Neel Ramanathan
Ilay Lev
Emeric Colegrove
(2 San Antonio players)

From the Host

This is a friendly reminder of the USA Water Polo Dare to Dream – Texas Festival on January 28-29, 2023 at Texas A&M University in College Station. This event is for our youngest athletes and is designed to be a fun, developmental tournament (no qualification required, no club affiliation required). The divisions for this year’s event will be 12U Mixed, 12U Girls, and 10U Mixed (Age as of Date is January 28, 2023…first day of the tournament). The 12U Divisions will play 6 on 6 (5 field players, 1 goalie) with junior size goals and size 3 balls. The 10U Mixed will play 5 on 5 (4 x field players, 1 goalie) with a shorter course, 10U size goals, and size 2 balls. The hope is all clubs throughout the Southwest Zone will enter/support this event and join in on the fun. Developing confidence and having fun will be the focus. Teams are invited to come to Texas A&M/College Station ready to play, grow and enjoy the game. This tournament will truly be a great experience for all teams/athletes/clubs/coaches involved!

Online Team Registration/Payment: USAWP Dare to Dream – Texas Festival (must be logged in at USAWP website to register).

USA Water Polo – Dare to Dream – Texas Festival:
Dates: January 28-29, 2023
Location: Texas A&M Student Recreation Center, 187 Corrington Dr, College Station, Texas, 77843 (two courses, plus separate 10U course)
Divisions: 12U Mixed, 12U Girls, and 10U Mixed
Age as of Date: January 28, 2023…first day of the tournament
Entry Fee: $550 per team. Payments will be collected when completing the online team registration process.
Online Team Registration/Payment: USAWP Dare to Dream – Texas Festival (must be logged in at USAWP website to register).
Registration Deadline: Friday, January 20, 2023
Roster Deadline: Monday, January 23, 2023
Schedule: An online schedule will be sent to everyone on Monday, January 23, 2023
Tournament Details:
Age as of Date: January 28, 2023…first day of the tournament
Bronze level membership and birth date verification is required for all athletes
There is no club affiliation rule for this national event
There is no qualification required for this tournament
Teams will play no more than 3 games per day
Athletes can only play on one roster in a single division (athletes can play in multiple divisions)
The 12U Divisions will play 6 on 6 (5 field players, 1 goalie) with junior size goals and size 3 balls
10U Playing Rules for 2023 Dare to Dream – Texas Festival:
5 on 5 (4 field players, 1 goalie)
15 yard course length
10U Goals/Size 2 Balls

2022 11 29

Partenza Partita! 2022 AQTX/Longhorn December Game Day

jamesesmith 10u, 12u, 14u, 16u, 18u Boys, 18u Girls, Game Day

Copied from our October Game Day, except that this one is a farewell to Stefano who will be returning to Italy in a couple weeks and missing out on the Cowtown Stampede. Tentative schedule below.

***

A few notes about Sunday’s game day since there have been questions.

If you have not signed up for the event using TeamUnify, and you are currently registered with AquaTex, just show up if you want to play. We are trying to get everyone accustomed to using TeamUnify to indicate their commitment to events but there’s some wiggle room for our game day
The start times are tentative though we are going to try to stick to them within reason. It is possible, for example, that we’ll combine 12u and 14u in to one game depending on our numbers
High school athletes:
- come early to run the clocks, which we will do for each game (6 minute quarters)
- those currently registered (not suspended) with AquaTex or Longhorn can participate
Games will be refereed by coaches
The game day takes the place of practice in case you wondered. There will be no training on Sunday, just games.

***

AquaTex members, indicate your intent to play via your TeamUnify portal.

We’ll be hosting a game day with our friends from Longhorn including high school and age group athletes (we hope to have enough for a 10u game as well).

We will attempt to create games with AquaTex vs. Longhorn but will adjust as necessary depending on the turnout.

The tentative schedule is:

9:00 AM pool open for warmup

9:30 AM 12u Coed Game

10:15 AM 14u Coed Game (High School girls should expect to play at this time)

11:00 High School Game

noon Masters Game

Masters athletes who are not AquaTex members will pay the usual $10 walk-in fee.

2022 09 23

2022 AQTX/Longhorn October Game Day

jamesesmith 10u, 12u, 14u, 16u, 18u Boys, 18u Girls, Game Day

A few notes about Sunday’s game day since there have been questions.

If you have not signed up for the event using TeamUnify, and you are currently registered with AquaTex, just show up if you want to play. We are trying to get everyone accustomed to using TeamUnify to indicate their commitment to events but there’s some wiggle room for our game day
The start times are tentative though we are going to try to stick to them within reason. It is possible, for example, that we’ll combine 12u and 14u in to one game depending on our numbers
High school athletes:
- come early to run the clocks, which we will do for each game (6 minute quarters)
- those currently registered (not suspended) with AquaTex or Longhorn can participate
Games will be refereed by coaches
The game day takes the place of practice in case you wondered. There will be no training on Sunday, just games.

***

AquaTex members, indicate your intent to play via your TeamUnify portal.

We’ll be hosting a game day with our friends from Longhorn including high school and age group athletes (we hope to have enough for a 10u game as well).

We will attempt to create games with AquaTex vs. Longhorn but will adjust as necessary depending on the turnout.

The tentative schedule is:

9:00 AM pool open for warmup

9:30 AM 12u Coed Game

10:15 AM 14u Coed Game

11:00 High School Game

noon Masters Game

Masters athletes who are not AquaTex members will pay the usual $10 walk-in fee.

2022 04 12

2022 South Texas Spring Champs

jamesesmith 10u, 12u, 14u, Alamo Area Aquatics Association, Game Day

Schedule/Results

Working Rosters

4th Grade/U (5v5) Only 1 Game	6th Grade/U (6v6)	6th Grade/U (6v6)	8th Grade/U (7v7)
Eric	Longhorn Orange	Longhorn White (AquaHorns)	Laird
Claire	Eliza	Izzy	Nick
Avi	Laird	Wes	Pierce
Ryan	Zephyr	Aaron	Zeke
Grey	Jackson	Eric	Landon
	Dan	Claire	Cruz
	Robert	Avi	Flora
		Ryan W	Maddox
		Grey?	Tomas
			Ryan W.

The day after West Region High School Championships are complete, Alamo Area Aquatics Association plans to host a Game Day for middle school and younger athletes. It will take place on April 24 at the AHISD Natatorium. Age groups are determined by grade. AquaTex will plan on combining with Longhorn when necessary as we did for the Alamo Classic a few weeks ago.

The event will take place all day Sunday.

Currently, plans are for all 4th grade and under athletes who are interested in playing to be divided up equally among 2-3 teams and will NOT compete for any particular club.

From the Host

There will be two divisions: 8th Grade & Younger Mixed and 6th Grade & younger Mixed. Additionally, we will be playing two exhibition games: 8th Grade & Younger Girls and 4th Grade & Younger Mixed. The 8th grade & Younger Mixed division will be playing first thing in the morning, then the two exhibition games, and finishing with the 6th Grade & Younger Mixed division playing late morning/early afternoon. This event will have a championship format with awards and played in two courses running simultaneously. All teams will be guaranteed two games with the games being back to back or with one game break (no waiting around all day for games).

2022 02 10

STX Winter Champs, Thunder Tourney, Spring Festival and More

jamesesmith News, Schedule/Results 10u, 12u, 14u, AQTX Spring Festival, Recap, Results, Roster Call, Schedule, Thunder Spring Invite

Catching up on a lot of stuff so here we go.

South Texas Champs Re-cap

Big thanks to Coach Alon for spending all Sunday the 30th in San Antonio watching our teams perform well at the South Texas Winter Championships. Here’s his recap of the day:

18 u Mixed

The AquaHorns fought hard bright and early to start the day against Zilla. Aaron Gordon won all 4 swim offs and led the team counter attack. Jacob Gerakos and Jake Roberts alternated in center and the team, especially Luca de Araujo from the 4/5 side, did a great job working the ball into center. Kendall Strauss and Cruz Crowley both had several stellar defensive plays throughout the game. The team ultimately lost to ZIlla in a shootout.

Next, the team matched up with Alamo Area. While the team executed defensively, they were unable to convert a number of key offensive opportunities that cost them the game in an 8-6 loss.

14 U AquaHorns

Our 14-U AquaHorns played some real water polo this weekend. It was a great opportunity for some younger players to get some solid game experience and playing time. We opened with a strong win against Zilla, followed by a 1 goal loss to Longhorn, and finished with another strong effort against Zilla. Gavin Hantelman scored his first tournament goal in the first game. Tomas Bellavia had a notable defensive performance throughout the three games. Jacob continue to impress out of center with some quick shots under pressure. Kelly Murphy was a big defensive help for the team, as well as a leader on the counter attack with James Strauss. Overall, it was an impressive effort for a team of various experience levels.

12 U AquaTex

Our 12-U showed up ready to fight—almost at bedtime—Sunday night. Despite missing some key offensive players, the AquaTex team was able to put 10 goals up on Alamo Area. Rudy suffered from a ball to the nose, taking him out for part of the 2nd quarter of the 1st game with a bloody nose. Not easily shaken, he was right back in the water at the start of the 3rd quarter! Isabelle Morrison scored an excellent high corner goal on the counter attack. Silas and Tomas alternated in goal and the field, each taking a leadership role both offensively and defensively for the AquaTex team. Wes (John) Kelly and Ryan White played reliable press defense, each proving they are picking up on the fundamentals we teach them in practice.

We we also part of some very strong Longhorn teams including our usual 16u boys team, which went undefeated, and our awesome Swim2Score athletes Ryan and Ashton playing on Longhorn White 10u. It was a very good Sunday for the club.

Thunder Spring Invite

Roster call for the next USAWP tournament of the spring season up in Lewisville February 26-27. Check out the event page and mark your commitment on the sheet we shared in GroupMe. Note that it is only for athletes age 14u and that the age is determined as of August 1, 2022. As usual we will partner with Longhorn if necessary. Let’s go!

Spin Lob

Coaches Alon and Matthew are playing for Longhorn Masters this weekend at the Spin Lob Classic at UT. It’s one of the premier masters tournaments in the US and features a lot of US Olympians and other extremely talented players. If you’re in Austin on Sunday in particular (prior to the Super Bowl) watch the final matches, likely to feature Olympic Club and/or New York Athletic Club, both of which are loaded with Olympians. Pegasus Dallas Masters has also emerged as one of the best teams in the US. Don’t miss practice but if you’re near UT go check it out.

Also, a team from Barbados Water Polo will be loosening up, scrimmaging at Micki on Friday at 8:00 PM with Coaches Alon and Matthew. All our high school athletes are encouraged to hop in with them and get some good game experience.

AQTX Spring Festival Tournament

We’re just a few weeks away from our final Spring Festival, a high school tournament we’ve hosted for several years. Families can expect to see a volunteer sheet soon, and athletes will be assigned to work the desk during our matches. Jobs include concessions, course setup and breakdown, managing hospitality for referees and coaches, and more. As a member of our club all our families are expected to contribute to hosting efforts so thank you in advance.

Camps and Clinics

The number of clinics available to our athletes is ever increasing and we’re getting questions about which ones are best suited to our athletes. One that is relatively nearby and that will feature one of the best coaches in Europe is the Pegasus Spring Break Camp at SMU with sessions stretching between March 12-19. We definitely recommend that one, but know there are many others in California too. Give us a shout if you want our input about who’s running these clinics. Stoked that so many of us are interested in getting better at one or more of these events.

Other Stuff

Swim2Score

With the weather improving (finally!) we’re putting the call out there to give our Swim2Score program a try. For young athletes age 5-11 who want to learn both good swim technique AND throw a ball around in the water. One-hour sessions with our creative and fun coaches, Sundays at 10:30 AM. Contact us for more info and come give it a try twice for free.

Zumo Gear

My old friends from Zumo are having a gigantic blowout sale. If you’re looking for water polo OR swim training suits at half cost (including the ones already on sale – high quality women’s water polo suits for less than $30!) I strongly suggest you check them out. I just ordered a bunch of balls from them and may do even more.

2022 01 17

Firsts and Lasts at Dare to Dream, South TX Champs Upcoming

jamesesmith News, Schedule/Results 10u, 12u, Cy-Fair, Dare to Dream, Recap, Results, Roster Call, Schedule

Dare to Dream Success

An AquaTex-only 12u roster went 3-1 at the Dare to Dream Festival in Cypress over the past weekend, beating Pegasus Red, CFWPC, and Alamo Area while falling to the Thunder 12u girls (they’re good!). It’s the first 12u team made up exclusively of full time AquaTex members in some time and bodes well for the future, especially since we were missing a few 12u athletes who had other commitments.

A particular shout-out to Tristan and Tomas who have now graduated to the 14u level of play after showing their prodigious skills against the four opponents (one opposing coach was particularly impressed). Wes was the anchor in goal and also got significant playing time in the field; Izzy continues her one-on-one defensive onslaught; William was relentless in attacking the cage and scoring; Rudy continues to shoot the ball hard and increasingly accurately; and Silas is an old veteran, steady hand, making few mistakes and plenty of smart passes and decisions (while also dominating at the 10u level).

Two dominant wins, one tight contest with Alamo, and a challenging but close loss to Thunder: it was a very good weekend for AquaTex.

Meanwhile, Silas, Ryan, and Ash (repping our Swim2Score program) went 2-2 with their Longhorn White 10u team, including a six-goal comeback to beat Viper Pigeon 24-22 in their tourney opener. Silas was dominant, the leading scorer and distributor while Ash improved even over the course of four matches in the goal. And Ryan (age 7!) participated in every game contributing a key pass in her last game. It was such a fun tournament for our youngest athletes. Longhorn was the only program that entered two 10u teams, a great sign for both our club and the ‘Horns.

South Texas Winter Championships Roster Call

On Sunday, January 30 we’ll return to the new Alamo Heights pool to participate in the South Texas Championships. This one-day festival is another great chance for all our age groups to get together before the high school season begins. For our oldest athletes, our preference is to create at least one 18u coed team made up only of AquaTex athletes led by Coach Alon. Even better would be separate 18u boys and 18u girls teams that would include anyone of high school age. If that doesn’t work out we will happily compete as AquaHorns, boys and girls. Those are details yet to come but given the return of several of our 18/16u athletes it’s possible we could field exclusively AquaTex teams. Sign up!

The same holds true for every other age group though it is far more likely we’ll combine with Longhorn for those, maybe excepting an AquaTex 12u coed team (six AquaTex 12u athletes are already signed up). If you need the link to our commitment sheet just let us know. Deadline is Thursday the 20th.

That’s all for now. See you on the deck.