Alamo Classic

2022AlamoClassic16u

Alamo Success, Girls Training, TAGS, and more

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Alamo Classic

The 18u boys went 4-0 and the 16u boys, featuring several very new 14u athletes, played three very close games versus good opponents this past weekend. I call that a success.

Congratulations to all those who participated and to Coaches Alon and Matt (first timer!) for leading the team to such a positive outcome. And, as always, thanks to our great parents for repping, cheering, and helping the athletes get ready for a  weekend of a lot of water polo

Find final results here and ping me if you want a link to a gallery of great photos from the event.

Parent Meeting

Thank you to all of you who attended and participated in my online parent meeting last Thursday. Much of what follows here will be related to the things we talked about in the meeting. We’ll plan on re-convening likely in January or February to start laying down dates for Junior Olympics 2023.

Programming

We’ve arrived at a point where our training is often too crowded. This is a problem we’ve been hoping to have ever since the club started. So, we are working on new weeknight arrangements so we can keep our training manageable.

First, our aim is to start girls-only practices on Thursdays starting December 1. Coach Babs is taking the lead in training all our girls (we expect y’all back, you know who I’m talking about!) with help from the other coaches when necessary. You can expect to participate at the Cowtown Stampede under Coach Babs, and then start getting prepared for 2023.

If Monday/Wednesday numbers remain high you can expect us to add training on Tuesdays, perhaps for high school athletes only. We’re still working on that.

Weekend practices will remain the same. Since we can use the entire pool on weekends then we can still effectively keep training groups separate if necessary.

And, a reminder that all HS athletes should have a notebook at practice. Plans are to have chalk talks and video review session on Mondays. BUT those sessions could get postponed or changed so have your notebook with you regardless of day.

Player of the Month

We only just formed our new Novice Waterpolo group and already one of our superstars has earned the coaches’ attention. Ilay Lev is the AquaTex Waterpolo October Player of the Month! Congratulations to him.

Communications and TeamUnify

I’ve been contacting some of you about making sure your TeamUnify profile is up to date, that you’re registered for the correct group, that your contact info is correct, etc. As I increasingly use TeamUnify for email and SMS communications it’s important we have all those things up to date. As our numbers have grown (happily) it has become easier to use the TeamUnify platform for these purposes.

Right now it appears that nearly everyone is registered for “Waterpolo,” “Novice Waterpolo,” “Swim2Score,” “Masters Waterpolo,” or “Swim/Polo.” If not, let me know and we’ll ask Coach Mark to switch you to the correct billing/roster group. It definitely matters for communications, billing, and rostering.

Please also check that the email addresses you have added to your TeamUnify accounts are “Verified.” It appears that if they are not verified you may not receive communications from me. Here are instructions.

You keeping your profile up to date is extremely helpful so I appreciate you taking the time to do so.

Roster Calls

  • TAGS for 8th, 6th, and 5th grade and under teams takes place in just a couple weekends. The location has changed to Garland ISD Natatorium instead of SMU. We’ll be working with Longhorn to create rosters for the tourney.
  • The Cowtown Stampede is the last club tourney of the calendar year. We expect to have a pretty large presence with 18u boys, 18u girls, 16u boys, 14u mixed, and hopefully 12u and/or 10 teams as well (could be with Longhorn). Danny Dixon is looking for hotel blocks so make sure you’re monitoring GroupMe for that info, and sign up via TeamUnify.

Team Suits

As I’ve been harping, it’s required for all members to have a team suit. For any of our boys who need to buy a suit I have a fitting kit with me at practice. Make sure you try on one (or more) of the sample briefs to find your proper size. (We don’t ask for fitting kits for jammers because they are so much more forgiving with stretch).

For girls, we are soon going to discontinue the “old” design in favor of the new suit, which is a brand new RYTE product. The suit, I’ve heard, better resembles the fit and stretch of other water polo suits. I’ve heard that’s a good thing.

The suit is so new that RYTE does not have a fitting kit for us. So, you can order one (or more) of the new suits, try it on, and return it if it’s not the right fit. I encourage you to do that prior to Cowtown.

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The First UIL Season, Plans for HS Athletes

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We catch up with things with a very high school-centric note.

The High School Season

I start with massive congratulations to all our athletes who took part in the first-ever UIL high school season. You made your AquaTex coaches proud. Your first season was special with teams like Vista Ridge playing for the first time ever, while the Round Rock girls went undefeated until their Regional Semi-final loss on Saturday. What a tremendous season for all our athletes (including some newcomers we hope will join in the coming days!) and all the high school teams for which you stood out; and you did stand out.

It may go without saying but we want to leverage all that enthusiasm we saw among our high school athletes toward a successful summer of 2023.

One of the great benefits of UIL sponsorship of water polo this fall is that it makes the season more like those elsewhere in the USA. And yes, I mean California. There, you find that as soon as the fall high school season ends, planning and training for Junior Olympics, which take place the end of July each summer, begins. And now that’s our plan too. And to be very clear, that preparation leads DIRECTLY to being prepared for your high school season. That’s very true in California and we plan on making it so here.

So if you want to excel in the fall of 2023 for your high school team, we’re going to help you get there if you’re willing to put in the work.

So yes: genuine, hearty congratulations to you all. You’ve completed an historic season and did so with skill, class, and pride.

Now, let’s get to work.

Registration

Many of you have come to me eager about getting back in to training. I’m stoked! All lapsed members need to re-register with AquaTex if you have not already. I suggest doing so today. You will not be billed until Nov. 1 so you have over a week of free training. And as soon as you’re re-registered I’m able to use TeamUnify to communicate with you much more efficiently.

Tournaments

Alamo Classic

We are targeting the Alamo Classic as a big-time tournament return for our 18u and 16u athletes. It takes place November 5-6 at Alamo Heights. Follow that link to see who has already committed to play. And we need girls to sign up! We want that 18u girls team.

Coaches, including Longhorn’s, are talking about how we want our rosters to be. As of today AquaTex will field an 18u boys team that is pretty much exclusively AQTX athletes, an 18u girls team that is AQTX and Longhorn combined, and likely an AquaTex 16u boys team that will include select 14u athletes playing up, some of our 18u boys roster athletes, and any 16u girls who want more competition. Longhorn will field 18u and 16u boys teams separate from ours.

Classroom Work

We ask every high school athlete to have a notepad ready for the days when we are in the classroom. You will be required to take your own notes. We will also plan on viewing game film together. Plan on class taking place on Mondays. However… we are exploring the need for separate training times for our novice/age group athletes and our high school athletes. If there is enough demand we plan on doing so. But first, we need to see the demand. So come to practice and show us! Stay tuned

Uniforms

Finally, a reminder to all our families: an AquaTex competition suit and one AquaTex tee-shirt are required for each athlete, both available year-round in our shop. This is not optional. If you require assistance there is financial aid available; just let me know. Please place your order as soon as you’re registered with the club or after trying on a sample suit, which RYTE Sport sends us regularly.

RYTE has announced a new single-color women’s water polo suit which they will offer at the end of the month. We should have an AquaTex design complete and ready in our shop within a couple weeks. Retail price is $74 per suit according to RYTE.

We will no longer offer Turbo suits as their requirements do not fit the size of our club or our demand.

Jacob Gerakos, Academic All American

And this happened too. Well done Jacob!

So excited for this fall. See you on the deck.

 

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Alamo Tourney Deets, Fall Game Day, Welcome Coach Matt

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Fall Game Day

Thanks to everyone – athletes, coaches, parents, fans – for coming to our Fall Game Day on October 2 at Micki. It is something we will plan to repeat as the 2022-23 USA Water Polo season continues and our Junior Olympics plans come more in to focus. One of our masters players, Dan, took 500 photos of the game day, which you can find here. Thank you, Dan!

Alamo Fall Classic

I’ve updated details for this weekend’s Alamo Fall Classic in San Antonio including our 8th grade (14u) roster, info on when athletes are expected to meet, uniform requirements, etc. If you are attending the tournament this weekend then take a moment to read the update, and share with any teammates, friends, families who should know.

Player of the Month

In case you missed it, Chase Wadley is our September Player of the Month! Congratulations to him. Read more about it here.

UIL Season & AQTX

The first ever UIL season’s playoffs are here. Congratulations to all our athletes for taking part in this historic season. We wish every one of them luck in the coming weeks as the championship approaches. #BeYourBest

A couple thoughts about the high school season. First, many high school athletes have suspended their AquaTex membership until the UIL season is over. We want all of you to know that we have ZERO problem with that (from my own experience, high school athletes were not allowed to participate in club water polo during the high school season so it’s completely normal to me, Alon, Babs, etc.). To those who have continued to train with us during the UIL season we are very grateful and feel confident we’ve helped you at least somewhat improve while you play for your high school. It’s been a very exciting couple of months.

And, once the UIL season is over for your team then we expect to see you back training with us immediately. We have plans to send improved (and larger) teams to Junior Olympics next summer and that training begins in November. The Alamo Fall Classic for 18u and 16u athletes in San Antonio is in 30 days! So let’s get ready for our best season ever. We’ll see you back in the pool on a couple weeks.

Recruiting

I’m delighted to have spoken to several athletes and parents who are interested in the varsity collegiate recruiting process. High school-age athletes and their families who are even slightly interested in varsity collegiate water polo, it is CRUCIAL that you start planning for that now, even Freshmen. And I cannot urge you more strongly to watch this Zoom video featuring my podcast colleague Joe Linehan, who knows more about the collegiate process than anyone. Please watch it as soon as possible because there may be some misunderstanding about how the process works, scholarships, etc.

Welcome Coach Matt

We’re really excited to have Matt Braun join the AquaTex Waterpolo coaching staff. Matt is originally from Oregon and then played at NCAA Division I Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles where he earned second team All-Western Water Polo Association honors in 2017. He went on to play professionally in the United Kingdom where he also coached youth athletes. He moved to Austin a few months ago and works in (shock!) the technology sector. Welcome, Coach Matt!

Olympic Development Program

I’m delighted to have been asked many times about the Olympic Development Program. And my answer to those who are asking, “should I try it?” is unequivocally: yes. There is only one more camp this season so if you haven’t signed up already please do so as soon as possible because there is a limit to the number of athletes allowed. One important note: Camp #2 for Youth athletes will not be at the RRAC. The site is still to be determined but it’s likely to be in San Antonio. For anyone who has more questions just let me know. I may have a separate post about ODP, why I like it, what it does for you, etc.

Parent Meeting

I’ve checked the calendar and am planning on NOT having a weather-related make-up practice on Thursday, October 13. So let’s plan for an online Parent Meeting that evening at 7:00 PM. As always, if there’s a subject you’d like covered just let me know.

See you on the deck.

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Alamo Classic and Weekend Training Update

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Alamo Classic

Our middle school athletes are off to San Antonio this weekend for the Alamo Classic. Be sure to bookmark our event page for all (most?) of the info you might need this weekend including schedule and results, and rosters. A few important notes for our AquaTex athletes and families:

  • You are expected to wear AquaTex gear this weekend and at every competition unless informed otherwise. This includes when you are on a Longhorn roster and means your AquaTex competition suit during games, but also your AquaTex tee shirt when you’re not playing.
  • Those playing on a Longhorn roster, meet your coaches 30 minutes prior to each game. That means, in your suits ready to hop in the pool. For our AquaTex 14u (8th grade) team, meet me 45 minutes before your games.
  • It is required that all athletes have a current headshot photo uploaded to their USA Water Polo profile. There are pre-game checks by referees who expect to match the face in the photo with the cap number. If you have not done this already please do today so I can print our rosters and IDs for the weekend.
  • Be sure to use our GroupMe for updates and organizing. We’ve had great families who arrange for post-game meals, etc.

High School

Meanwhile many of our high school athletes are schedule to play in Waco tomorrow. We wish them all good luck and want to remind them of something Coach Alon (likely) told you: get your butt back on defense! One request: it would be extremely useful to have video of the entire game so we can talk to our athletes about how to correct certain things. If you do take video please try to capture the field of play, not necessarily the ball (for example, it doesn’t help much to see the goalie holding the ball for 9 seconds). That means, zoom out to see most of the pool during a counterattack but zoom in anytime a team has possession in the front court. Much thanks in advance if you do take video.

Weekend Training Update (Updated!)

The City of Round Rock is using Lake Creek pool all day Saturday and Sunday so all training – including middle school, high school, masters, and Swim2Score – is cancelled for Saturday-Sunday, April 2-3. We’ll continue at Lake Creek on Monday with middle school-only training. Micki remains closed for repairs.

Due to multiple tournaments, all training on Saturday, April 2 is cancelled. We are trying to find coaches available to lead training on Sunday, April 3 and will let you know as soon as possible whether that training will take place.

See you on the deck.

 

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Success at AQTX Fest, Thunder Spring Invite, ODP

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Catching up after two of our busiest weeks.

AQTX Spring Festival

It’s over – the final AQTX TISCA West Region Spring Festival, and it went as well as it possibly could have. Thank you to everyone who volunteered to make it the smoothest one we’ve ever run. Because high school water polo will be run by the UIL in the fall, we as a club will no longer be able to host such an event, something we consider a good thing altogether. And don’t worry, we’ll be hosting other events in its place.

So thanks again for everyone’s hard work and congratulations to all our athletes who got to put their skills on display over the weekend. It’s very exciting for coaches to see your hard work paying off. Keep it up! You can find final results for the tournament on its events page.

Thunder Spring Invite Champs

Belated huge congrats to Tristan, William, Rudy, and Wes for taking home 1st prize medals for the Longhorn 14u and 12u teams competing in the silver bracket of the Thunder Spring Invite. Their teams went undefeated over the weekend. And as a reward, as Coach Tom and I mentioned to the teams, we won’t be entering any silver brackets in the foreseeable future! A great result and congratulations to our four players and our friends from Longhorn. Final results are here.

ODP National Championships

Speaking of Tristan, he and his Southwest Zone teammates returned from Northern California after beating the Midwest Zone to earn 13th place in the program’s national championship tournament. In their first game they fell just one goal short of the Pacific Zone Blue team from Northern California.

Kendall will finish her spring break in NorCal for the girls’ championship. She and her Southwest Zone Youth team will take on the Central (CA) Zone on Saturday, March 19. Best of luck to her and her teammates, and congratulation to Tristan on a great ODP season.

The next ODP season will begin in September and we will be pushing our athletes to try out more than we have in the past. You can keep tabs of what’s going on with the program via USA Water Polo’s ODP page.

Junior Olympics Interest

We’ve gotten feedback from a lot of you but want more! Are you interested in playing at Junior Olympics this summer? We will share a google form for you to fill out in our GroupMe (contact Coach James if you need the link to our GroupMe).

You can read more about the summer schedule via our Southwest Zone JOs Qualifier event page. With our friends from Longhorn our plan is to attempt to qualify all our boys’ teams for Session 1 in California. We are still getting feedback from the families of our girls about competing in California versus playing in Session 3 in North Texas. But if you’re planning on playing on one of our boys’ rosters (and you should!) then you should know we plan on qualifying for a trip to California. If any of our teams don’t qualify for CA we will play in Session 3 in North Texas for certain.

Alamo Classic Roster Call

All of our middle school and younger athletes are encouraged to commit to playing a the Alamo Classic in San Antonio on April 2-3. We’ll be working with Longhorn on rosters. If we have enough to do so we’ll happily create separate rosters for AQTX and Longhorn. But if not we’ll combine as we often do. Because it’s high school season the age groups are determined by school grade. So, 8th grade and under, 6th grade and under, 4th grade and under. Let’s go!

Welcome Newcomers

We have an influx of new members as the high school season has arrived and are very pleased to have them. To all of you who joined recently, welcome to AquaTex Waterpolo. Take a moment to read our Welcome page so you know what next steps are. Most importantly, all AquaTex athletes must be both registered with the club and have a current membership with USA Water Polo. The minimum level of membership that will cover your athlete is “Bronze,” although there is also a 2-week trial membership. Families must register with USA Water Polo directly. We as a club cannot register your athlete, unlike with USSwimming.

Thanks again for joining us!

#BeYourBest