Boys Prep

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New High School Programming

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We’re pleased to announce additional programming for high school athletes.

Beginning on Monday, February 28 we will offer training for high-school age athletes from 7-9 AM on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at Micki Krebsbach. All high school-age athletes are encouraged to give it a try. Monday and Wednesday evening sessions will remain on the training calendar for as long as we’re at Micki and are open to both high school and middle school/novice athletes.

Then, after the Spring Festival tournament on March 4-5, we will make our annual move to Lake Creek Pool while Micki goes under repair. At Lake Creek we will offer the following training schedule (subject to approval by the city):

  • Monday & Wednesday, 7pm to 9 pm, middle school/novice only
  • Tuesday & Thursday, 7 pm to 9 pm, high school only
  • Saturday & Sunday, 10 AM to noon, middle school/novice AND high school
  • Sunday 11:30 AM Swim2Score
  • Sunday noon-1:30 masters

We won’t know the date of our migration to Lake Creek until right before it happens, nor will we know for certain the date of our return to Micki Krebsbach (four weeks maximum), so stay tuned.

These extra sessions for high school athletes will remain on the training calendar until the end of the high school season. We invite athletes from any and every Central Texas high school to join us and quickly learn the newest UIL sport with one of the best coaching staffs in Texas. Athletes can train with the club twice for free to see if it’s a good fit.

Contact us for more info about our offerings or simply show up to practice.

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Boys at States, Roster Calls, Summer Schedule, Clinics

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State High School Championships part Two

Our boys Luca, Riley, Mac, and Ian gave highly ranked Marcus a scare on Saturday and made life difficult for Lamar on Friday at last weekend’s TISCA High School Water Polo Championships. Ian finished his two games with 10 goals and the notice of a couple coaches, who asked me if he was an AquaTexan.

Riley had 19 saves, 14 versus Marcus, and several more steals. Luca the Freshman was all over the place (in a good way): three goals and five steals. And Mac capped off his high school career with a goal, two assists, three shot blocks, and one steal.

It was a spectacular end to the high school season for all our athletes. We’re particularly proud of Ian, Tailynn, Mac who finished their careers with a bang. Congratulations to those graduating seniors and to everyone who took part in the high school season. More specifics on the tournament at TXWaterpolo.com.

Summer Tournament Roster Calls

There are now several new tournaments on the summer calendar and rather than asking our families to email their intent I’ve created a spreadsheet where you can indicate for each athlete their likelihood of participating. Of primary importance this week is Cowtown Rodeo. So make sure to update the sheet as soon as possible.

I’ll be emailing member families the link of the sheet to use so keep an eye open for it.

Summer Training Schedule

We now have plans for training this summer on the calendar. It begins on June 1 and will last until August 1. Check our Calendar for training times and a lot more.

  • Youth/HS Waterpolo on Tuesdays from 6-8 PM at Micki (main pool)
  • Youth only (middle school) on Thursdays 7:15 to 8:45 PM at Micki (south pool)
  • Youth/HS Waterpolo on Fridays from 7:15 to 9:00 PM at Micki (south pool/main pool)
  • Youth/HS Waterpolo on Sundays from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Micki (main pool)
  • Masters Waterpolo on Tuesdays 8-9:30 PM at Micki (main pool)
  • Swim2Score (age 5-11) Thursdays 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Micki (south pool)

Masters

The final Sunday Masters scrimmage is on this Sunday at Micki, noon to 1:30 PM. See the revised schedule above for summer plans, and get ready to register!

Clinics

I’ve put two clinics on the busy Events page, one in North Texas and one in Houston. Each will feature three days of training and evaluation by a variety of impressive collegiate coaches from throughout the US. They’re ones you want to be seen by!

A few AquaTexans have already asked me about these and I contacted organizers to find out more. Regardless of which clinics our athletes choose to attend I’d love to see us go together in big numbers.

See you on the deck,

James

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HS Girls Nearly Make History, JOs in Texas, Cowtown Tourney

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State High School Championships

One of the most exciting games of high school water polo finished on Saturday with an outcome that AquaTexans would not prefer but will remember for a long time. Our girls, playing for Round Rock High School, stunned highly rated Marcus HS by getting out to an 8-3 lead in the second quarter. Already with a short bench, Cammi, Kendall, Morgan, and Corina each earned three exclusions leaving the Dragons with only five athletes to compete against Marcus’ six.

Round Rock fell 10-9 after a frantic last quarter in which a very game but exhausted and inexperienced group of girls nearly held off one of North Texas’ best teams to win the school’s first ever game at TISCA Water Polo State Championships.

Though it wasn’t the outcome we had hoped for it drew the attention of spectators and collegiate coaches (that’s right) who were observing. With immense pride, we say congratulations to Cammi, Nilmary, Morgan, Nyla, Corina, Kendall, and Tailyn. I can already see that 2022 will be a very good spring for our high school athletes.

The boys, meanwhile, will try to make their own history beginning on Friday. The Round Rock HS boys, featuring Luca, Riley, Mac, and Ian will attempt to down Lamar in its first round match. Again, I’ll be there to cheer them on and steer collegiate coaches in the right direction. You can find streaming info and live results at TXWaterpolo.com.

And finally, a shout out to cross town friends/rivals Cedar Ridge whose girls topped Lamar convincingly last Friday to make their own history. Congratulations to them for breaking new ground for Round Rock and Austin-area high school water polo.

Junior Olympics… IN TEXAS

On Saturday we finally received confirmation after a couple weeks of biting my tongue that because of Covid protocols in California, USA Water Polo had decided to add a third session of Junior Olympics to be played in North Texas. The session would include teams from all Zones except those in California. This is massive news for us as it will be very likely that any team we field at Southwest Zone Championships will be granted a slot at Junior Olympics.

As we’ve mentioned before we with our friends from Longhorn plan to have a very large presence at the tournament. So families, please start planning for it now. The best place to start is with our JOs Session 3 events page, which will be updated as needed. I will be in contact with AquaTex families soon about specifics: how to commit, costs, which rosters do we prefer to field, etc.

As you know, the clock is already ticking toward Southwest Zone Championships, which is the qualifying tournament for JOs. The deadline for committing to it is coming fast.

Exciting news for the club.

Cowtown Rodeo

This annual tournament is now on the calendar for June 5-6 up in Keller. Several Longhorns are already committed so if you’d like to go just contact me. All age groups. Southwest Zone Championships are the following weekend so if you have to choose one, there’s no debate: Southwest Zone Championships! There is also a masters division. We’ll be playing with Longhorn so contact us if you want to play for them.

Summer, Reminder

The summer season is under way. We will be arranging our practices to take advantage of any chance we have to practice alone in the deep pool. I owe Coach Mark an agenda for the entire summer and will share it with everyone once it gains approval.

As we mentioned last week, changes may include Friday evening practices, separate training for youth and high school, working at Lake Creek, more fun dry-land activities, etc.

Until May 28 our schedule will remain Monday and Wednesday from 7-9 PM at Micki, and Sundays 10-noon at Micki (when we will have the pool to ourselves, so don’t miss it).

Masters

Masters is on this Sunday at Micki, noon to 1:30 PM. Also, contact Alon or Matthew if you are interested in playing at the Cowtown Rodeo on June 5-6. Spaces are limited apparently. We’ll be combining with Longhorn to participate.

Swim2Score

Week three of Swim2Score takes place this Friday! So far we’ve had a lot of athletes joining us and always are looking for more.

See you on the deck,

James

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AquaTex Preps Excel, Swim2Score, Th’ Summer

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TISCA West Region Championships

It was a huge Saturday for AquaTex high school athletes competing a the TISCA Water Polo West Region Championships in San Antonio. The Round Rock HS boys won the regional championship for the first time ever while the Round Rock girls placed second. Both of them will compete at state championships over the next two weekends (and I’ll be there).

We’re so proud of the recognition our athletes earned as a result of their notable performances: Ian Campbell, Cammi Schaufelberger, and Kendall Strauss were named to the First-Team All-Region team; Riley Dixon made the Second-Team; and Tailyn Schaufelberger earned Honorable Mention accolades. Plus, Coach Alon was named Coach of the Year for West Region high school boys. What a weekend! You can see the entire list here.

Congratulation to all of them: Riley, Cammi, Luca, Nilmary, Morgan, Nyla, Ian, Mac, Corina, Kendall, and Tailyn. We’ll be watching how everyone performs at the state championship tournaments! Can’t wait to see even more of our athletes playing high school ball for even more teams in the Spring of 2022. And if there are any more photos you’d like to share just let me know.

Now, watch Coach Alon forced to swim in pants.

Swim2Score

Our first Friday of Swim2Score was a big success – over 20 athletes! Coaches Sam and Hayley will be back this Friday for more so read more about it here if you haven’t already and we hope to see more young athletes.

Southwest Zone Championships

Longhorn Coach Tom and I are continuing to solidify dates for our Southwest Zone and Junior Olympics efforts. A deadline to commit to both events is coming soon, in the next couple weeks. More info available here and will be updated as necessary. Be sure to note the teams that we are likely to be fielding.

Cowtown Rodeo

This annual tournament is now on the calendar for June 5-6 up in Keller. We’ll be gauging interest in competing up there in the next few weeks. Southwest Zone Championships are the following weekend so if you have to choose one, there’s no debate: Southwest Zone Championships! There is also a masters division. We’ll be playing with Longhorn so contact us if you want to play for them.

Summer

The summer season (very) unofficially started on Monday meaning that we will be arranging our practices to take advantage of any chance we have to practice alone in the deep pool. Plus, our numbers have been rising, which is such great news and means we can start to consider separate training sessions. So, keep an eye out for changes to the schedule that may include Friday evening practices, separate training for youth and high school, working at Lake Creek, more fun dry-land activities, etc.

Until May 28 our schedule will remain Monday and Wednesday from 7-9 PM at Micki, and Sundays 10-noon at Micki (when we will have the pool to ourselves, so don’t miss it).

Masters

Masters is on this Sunday at Micki, noon to 1:30 PM. Also, contact Alon or Matthew if you are interested in playing at the Cowtown Rodeo on June 5-6. Spaces are limited apparently. We’ll be combining with Longhorn to participate.

Welcome

After completing her water polo season with Westwood High School, Clarissa has joined AquaTex. Her first practice was on Monday when Coach Matt introduced her to an extended “dirty dozen” conditioning session! Take a chance to introduce yourself to her as our group of high school girls continues to grow.

See you on the deck,

James

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TAGS Recap and Prep Playoffs

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TAGS Recap

Our second TAGS tournament of the strange calendar year was a big success in Pearland last weekend. Our 8th grade u mixed team placed 7th and our 6th graders finished 5th in their bracket going 2-2 and 3-1 respectively. With our friends from Longhorn we featured a lot of newcomers to the sport who did great work. Particular kudos to Jordan and William who not only played in their first competition ever after less than two weeks of training, but each scored a handful of goals, found the open teammates for better shots, and never stopped hustling on defense! On that same 6th grade team Tristan dominated to the point where we had to reign him in.

Better to give Tristan room to excel for the 8th grade team, which he did (gotta love scoring while three defenders have their hands around your throat). Jacob continues to improve as an eager threat in front of the cage; Aaron maintains his habit of stealing the ball and terrifying the defense with speed; Ava was a revelation playing determined defense and scoring; and James loves to earn inside water so he can put the ball in the net. It was a great weekend for all those athletes, our friends from Longhorn, and AquaTex in general. Thanks to all the parents for being such great supporters while withstanding the equatorial climate! Check out the scores below, and take a look at the 2000+ photos of the tournament, including a good number featuring our athletes.

Saturday, April 24th

  • 8:00 Pegasus-13 v. AquaTex-9 (14UM)
  • 11:30 Viper Pigeons-13 v. AquaTex-5 (12U)
  • 12:30 Viper Pigeons-17 v. AquaTex-13 (14UM)
  • 4:00 AquaTex-19 v. Pegasus Red-5 (12U, B-3rd)
  • 7:00 AquaTex-13 v. Triumph-6 (14UM, 7th-10th Semi)

Sunday, April 25th

  • 11:00 AquaTex-18 v. Pegasus Red-4 (12U, 5th-7th RR)
  • 1:00 Lake Jackson-4 v. AquaTex-10 (14UM, 7th Place)
  • 2:00 Lake Jackson-9 v. AquaTex-13 (12U, 5th-7th RR)

TISCA West Region Championships

A huge number of AquaTex athletes are competing at this weekend’s West Region Championships in San Antonio, where high schools from between Waco and the Rio Grande Valley will compete to earn one of four spots at the state championship tournaments in the next couple weeks. This group of AquaTex high schoolers has improved enormously over the course of the past year and I can’t wait to see them make their mark this weekend. From a proud coaching staff, good luck to Riley, Cammi, Luca, Nilmary, Morgan, Nyla, Ian, Mac, Corina, Kendall, and Tailyn. I’ll be there on Saturday to cheer on all of them, Coach Alon, and Coach Matthew who will be refereeing (I might dispute some calls though, we’ll see).

Swim2Score

I’d love to report that our first Swim2Score session was a success. But then weather intervened last Friday. No worry; we’ll kick off our first session on Friday, April 30 with the usual 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM schedule. Read more about it here if you haven’t already. We’re excited to get started and have a good group of young athletes committed to attending

National Junior Olympics

Things are looking up for a Championship bracket, meaning many more allocated spots for the Southwest Zone. Nothing concrete but the news I’m getting sounds positive in several ways. We’re getting closer to our late May deadline when AquaTex and Longhorn athletes must commit to playing at both Southwest Zone Championships and National Junior Olympics. More info available here and will be updated as necessary.

USA Water Polo Admin

All our members are required to be members of USA Water Polo as you know. But please go back to your athletes’ profile to make sure there is a recent headshot uploaded and that his or her estimated high school graduation date is correct. The referees at events are becoming much more strict about these things so please get that done today.

Masters

Masters will take place this Sunday from noon to 1:30 PM, after our youth practice: $10 per player. AquaTex High School athletes are encouraged to join the scrimmage after practice (you gotta go to practice to play in a masters scrimmage).

See you on the deck,

James

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Tourney Success, Spring Break, off to Lake Creek

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AQTX TISCA High School Spring Festival

Once again we pulled off a successful tournament hosting 13 games and two scrimmages last weekend. So we have to begin with huge thanks to our volunteers working the desk, wearing the orange vests, dealing with human show ponies who wouldn’t wear a mask (OK, there were only two), setting up and breaking down the course, and all the things that keep us humming during such a weekend. Also, special shout out to our new friends at Aqua Swift and many from Longhorn who helped us cover the pool and clean up on Saturday. We are grateful.

Our athletes had a stellar weekend as well. Kendall, Cammi, Morgan, Nilmary, and our newest member (!) Tailyn stood out in their two matches, as did Riley, Luca, Mac, and Alexander on the boys side. I can say with pride that their performances got noticed by other coaches and spectators. Their hard work is paying off. #ProudCoach

Schedule and Spring Break

Coach Mark sent a club-wide update about our upcoming schedule, which the youth waterpolo program will follow as well. Some highlights:

  • Practice is on at Micki Krebsbach on Wednesday, March 10 at 7:00 PM, and on Saturday, March 13 at 10:00 AM.
  • A scrimmage at Zilla is on the calendar for Saturday, March 13 at 2:00ish PM. No word yet on which age groups will be participating when or whether there will be AQTX coaches available (I’ll be out of town from March 13-21).
  • The next practice after March 13 is on Monday, March 22. On that date we begin our several-week camping trip to Lake Creek Pool. Plan on four weeks at that facility and hope the City of Round Rock completes its Micki renovations sooner – it has gone more quickly in the past at times.

Athletes can expect to receive workouts from coaches to do at home during the break.

Tournaments and Clinics

There are two USA Water Polo tournaments on the calendar for athletes 8th grade and under. Be sure to commit early and we’ll work with our other local club friends to compile rosters.

Also, there will be (likely) three more USA Water Polo ODP clinics before the end of April. The next one on the calendar is in San Antonio at the shiny new AHISD Robbins Natatorium on Sunday, March 21. It’s not yet on the USAWP registration page but will be soon.

Enjoy your break and we’ll see you at Lake Creek,

James

AQTX TISCA West Region Spring Festival

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Game Schedule

 

AquaTex Waterpolo is pleased to host for the third year running the AQTX TISCA West Region Spring Festival. Details of tournaments in the past were brief and to the point. Given the facts surrounding the pandemic that is less so this season. So participants in particular should review the entirety of this page prior to the tournament. Click on the headings below for the invitation and more details.

Invitation

Dates: March 5-6, 2020. The teams geographically closest to Round Rock, or those willing to travel, will be scheduled for games on Friday afternoon and evening. Friday games will begin around 5:00 PM. Saturday games will go from approximately 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM.

Location: Micki Krebsbach Pool, 301 Deep Wood Dr, Round Rock, TX 78681. A single outdoor 25-yard course with floating goals. There is ample free parking at the facility. Contact us for parking instructions if your school plans to travel by bus.

Divisions: High school boys (includes co-ed teams); high school girls.

Entry fee: $165 per roster (boys, girls, coed). Teams are guaranteed at least two games. Checks can be made out to “AquaTex Swim Team.” Venmo is also available. Teams will be invoiced upon entry. The W-9 form for Round Rock Aquatics can be found here.

Intent and Schedule: Please share your intent to participate ASAP or at the latest by Friday, February 26 via this form. A schedule will be published on the AquaTex website and emailed to all teams by Monday, March 1. Spots are limited. Teams that register after the maximum number of teams have done so will be placed on a waiting list in the order in which they submitted a registration form.

Rosters: Coaches are required to submit rosters with assigned cap numbers via online form once they have indicated their intent to play in the tournament. A link to the form will be emailed to the coach.

Spectators and Concessions: Spectators will be allowed only in a marked area to the south of the match pool. No chairs allowed, standing room only, unless ADA access is needed. Access will be through the South Gate. Main entrance (breezeway) is for coaches, teams, officials, and volunteers only. Teams, and spectators are welcome to tailgate in the parking lot. Please be careful, and considerate of traffic flows. There will be limited hospitality for coaches and officials but no concessions at the facility.

COVID-Waiver: By registering for and participating in this tournament all athletes, coaches, volunteers, or any other person associated with the participating team acknowledge and understand the risks associated with assembly and indemnify Round Rock Aquatics as detailed in this waiver.

Competition Rules: Games are played under NFHS rules with six minute quarters, two timeouts per team per match. If the score is tied at the end of regulation play the game will be recorded as a draw. There will be no shootouts or extra time. The team listed on the left of the schedule wears dark white caps. Teams should provide their own warmup balls. The color of swim caps must match, within reason, the color of the water polo cap.

Tournament Contact: James Smith, ; 650.759.0310.

Tournament Details

Coaches or administrators who register a team with the tournament are responsible for ensuring their athletes, coaches, parents, and anyone else associated with the team understand the rules laid out below. Take a moment to read the following in its entirety.

Game Flow

Micki Krebsbach Pool
Micki Krebsbach waterpolo tourney configuration. Click to enlarge.

Athletes and coaches can arrive 45 minutes prior to their game and will enter as an individual team via the main entrance. When participants arrive there will be a designated “ready area” for each team where everyone and their gear should locate until they occupy their assigned benches.

We strongly advise teams to conduct dry-land warmup outside the facility prior to entering. Teams will have access to the warmup pool for a limited time (15-20 minutes); only one team at a time will be allowed to enter it. Warmup times will be assigned to each team.

When the prior match is complete, those teams that have warmed up will wait for the teams already in the pool and spectators to completely vacate the facility after which they can occupy their designated benches. Athletes will keep their bags and gear in a designated area.

At the conclusion of the game, athletes will swim to their bench and immediately put on their masks. (The last thing an athlete does before getting in the pool for warm-up is take off their mask, and the first thing they do when they get out of the pool is put on their mask).

Switching Benches

Teams will switch sides at halftime. When switching sides all athletes (including those not in the pool at that time) will swim to the other side while coaches walk to the other side wearing a mask

Spectators

Spectators will be allowed only in a marked area to the south of the match pool. No chairs allowed, standing room only, unless ADA access is needed. Access will be through the South Gate. The main entrance (breezeway) is for coaches, teams, officials, and volunteers only. Teams, and spectators are welcome to tailgate in the parking lot. Please be careful and considerate of traffic flows. There will be limited hospitality for coaches and officials but no concessions at the facility.

Spectators are required to wear masks. Any who repeatedly refuse to wear a mask or follow safety guidelines will be asked to leave the facility or the game will be suspended/forfeited.

Waiver

By registering for and participating in this tournament all athletes, coaches, volunteers, or any other person associated with the participating team acknowledge and understand the risks associated with assembly and indemnify Round Rock Aquatics as detailed in this waiver.

Health

No one is allowed to enter the facility if experiencing any of the following symptoms: fever over 100.4, cough, trouble breathing, chest congestion, sudden change in taste or smell, and muscle aches & pains.

Masks

Spectators, athletes, coaches, referees, and desk workers must be wearing face masks, covering both nose and mouth, at ALL TIMES within the facility with the following exceptions:

  • Athletes while actively participating in warm-up in the pool and during games.
  • Coaches when able to maintain six feet physical distancing during games.
  • Referees while active during a game (when addressing coaches/athletes/score table, need mask on)

Physical Distancing

While on the pool deck and in the stands, six feet physical distancing is required from others not in the same household.

No Locker Rooms

Athletes will arrive in swimsuits and depart without changing. No deck changing.

Restrooms

For use in case of emergency or for those at the facility all day, volunteers & referees. QuickTrip and Murphy USA are located less than half a mile north of the Round Rock High School Campus, each with open restrooms.

Team Requirements

Athletes and coaches cannot enter the facility until 45 minutes prior to the start of their game. There will be designated areas for the teams playing the next game. At the completion of the game immediately before and once the teams clear the area teams will bring all their equipment to their respective benches (white team to left of the table). No team water bottles, and do not share water bottles, towels, etc. Teams must bring their own warm up balls and game caps and are not allowed to share with other clubs. After their game, teams will need to mask immediately, collect their belongings and exit the facility as quickly as possible.

Communications with Referees

During games, coaches should only approach referees after goals, between quarters, and during timeouts. Coaches MUST wear masks when addressing referees during games or on the pool deck between games. Coaches need to stay within the coaching areas throughout the game (behind goal line when on defense).

Post Game Handshake

Teams will not shake hands, high five, etc. before or after games. Teams can give a cheer for the other team after the game and leave their bench area without walking past the other team.

Micki Krebsbach Facility

Absolutely NO climbing on or using the slides, ladders, pirate ships, etc.

Documents

For Participants

For AquaTex Volunteers