News Update

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Parent Meeting, JOs, WTTS, Summer Schedule

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The high school season is over which means it is essentially summer. We have ambitious plans for the next few months and, as always, have to adjust our training schedule to fit the city’s summer needs. There is a lot here so, AquaTex families, please read it all.

Schedule Update

In order to maximize the amount of time we get in the deep pool we are doing our annual schedule changes. As always we attempt to keep all training updates current on our calendar.

May Training Schedule

Ends May 29

  • Mondays 7-9 PM, middle school & high school
  • Fridays 7-9 PM, middle school & high school
  • Saturdays 10 AM-noon, middle school & high school
  • Sundays 10 AM-noon, middle school & high school
  • Sundays 10:30-11:30 AM, Swim2Score
  • Sundays 11:30-1 PM, masters

Note that on Sunday the 29th, if we don’t cancel practice because we’ll be competing at WTTS, we will begin at 9:00 AM instead of 10:00 AM.

Tentative Summer Training Schedule

May 30 – July 8

High school and middle school

  • Mondays and Fridays 7:15 – 9 PM or earlier start if available.
  • Sundays 9-11 AM
  • Tuesdays 6-8 PM (subject to swim meet schedule)
  • Saturdays 9-11 AM (select Saturdays, when available)

Swim2Score

  • TBD but likely Fridays at 10:00 AM or Sundays at 9:00 AM

Masters Waterpolo

  • TBD but likely Tuesdays at 8 PM or Sundays at 8 AM

Summer Parent Meeting

Parents are asked to join us in a mandatory Zoom meeting with coaches on Tuesday, May 17 at 7:00 PM. We will cover details from both coaches and parents about our plans for Junior Olympics this summer, but also other stuff:

  • What are Junior Olympics and why should athletes participate?
  • What are the deadlines for committing, etc.?
  • Which of our teams are trying to qualify for Sessions 1 and 2 in NorCal, and which will register for Session 3 in North Texas?
  • Does my athlete’s team need to qualify for JOs
  • Which club, Longhorn or AquaTex, is fielding each team and who’s coaching?
  • How does travel work for AquaTex families going to JOs (or any other tournament)?
  • Which other tournaments, including Welcome to Texas Shootout, are we planning on registering for this summer?
  • What do we know about collegiate coaches scouting at JOs?
  • How are we preparing for the first UIL fall high school season?

We’ll share Zoom invites via GroupMe and email so if you’re new to the program please be sure to join the GroupMe and that we have a current, working email address. Contact me for a link to GroupMe and/or any email address updates, or if you have any topics you’d like us to cover.

Junior Olympics Qualifier & Festival

It’s confirmed that those teams that plan to register directly for JOs Session 3 in North Texas are invited to the Southwest Zone Festival, which takes place simultaneously with the Junior Olympic Qualifier Tournament June 10-12 at CyFair and other local pools. This tournament will help the Zone seed teams for JOs Session 3 so it is NOT considered optional. We will send our best rosters and try to get the highest seeds possible.

Roster Calls

Welcome to Texas Shootout

The deadline for us to register is Friday, May 20. Spaces are filling up so please go to the Tournament Commitment Google Sheet to make any updates. You can find tournament info, including current rosters, on the tournament event page.

National Junior Olympics

Again, filling up quickly. In particular we’re looking to add to the AquaTex 16u boys and 18u girls teams, and the Longhorn 10u team, headed to Session 3 in North Texas (breaking news). More info on the JOs Qualifiers page. The form for committing to play at JOs is different than our Tournament Commitment Sheet so please let me know if you need the link.

Other Stuff

Welcome Coach Tom

Not only did Cammi earn MVP honors from West Region Coaches for her high school season, we also now have in our presence the West Region’s Coach of the Year from Round Rock High School! I’m delighted that Tom Arredondo will be helping us coach this summer and hopefully beyond. He’s been the very successful swim coach at Round Rock HS for well over a decade and has coached the water polo teams on and off since it was created in (around) 2011. Welcome aboard, Coach Tom.

Speaking of Swimming…

I have been speaking with some of our athletes, especially our middle school-aged ones, about joining a swim team. I’d like to make that case more strongly to our parents whose athletes are not already part of a swim program.

Obviously our game depends on mobility, which means efficient swimming. As you can tell from our training schedule we have limited time to strictly develop swimming skills. And our coaching staff has been assembled not for teaching swim technique (though we all have some skills in that regard) but in technical and tactical water polo skills. That is our focus.

To put it directly, we need to improve our swimming skills and speed, especially among our younger athletes. So if your athlete is not already signed up for a team we suggest as strongly as possible that you do so. Of course, we want all our athletes to swim for AquaTex. But a summer league team can be a huge help, and we have athletes who swim for other programs as well. The point is simply that, we need to get faster and have more stamina. And it takes specific swim training to do so.

To be clear: swim lessons and recreational swimming on your own are not substitutes for training with a team with qualified coaches. If you are interested in playing water polo in college, for example, it’s a rare thing for someone to do so without some swimming background. Take a listen to my conversation with three-time Olympian and NCAA Champion coach at UCLA, Adam Wright, who makes specific reference to swimming skills as a requirement for water polo success (that discussion starts around the 24:00 mark, but do listen to it all!).

Contact me if you have questions but I hope you’ll take my point seriously and help our team get better more quickly. And, as always, thanks for your support.

Austin High School Rumors

It’s been mentioned by a few people that AISD schools are poised to drop water polo prior to the first UIL season this fall due to a lack of training facilities. That would eliminate programs for many of our friends at schools such as Austin, Anderson, McCallum, and LASA. My understanding is that at least a couple of those schools have already come to an agreement to use Austin city pools during the UIL season. We’ll share the news when those plans are final but I think the concern for those programs is premature… thankfully.

RRISD Natatorium

Travis Benson, one of our masters players and father to two of our awesome Swim2Score athletes, plays a key role in the construction of the new Round Rock ISD Natatorium. So here are a couple photos of what it looked like on April 28. Rumors are that it may open pretty soon.

See you on the deck,

James

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ODP Selections, Dare 2 Dream, Parent Meeting

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AquaTexans Selected to ODP National Teams

We learned today that Kendall Strauss and Tristan Chamas were both selected to represent the Southwest Zone at USA Water Polo’s Olympic Development Program National Championships in March. Kendall and Tristan were recent participants in the program’s West Region Championships in Utah, after which ODP coaches selected their final rosters plus alternates for the zone’s national championship teams.

The National Championship for boys takes place in Northern California March 4-6. The girls reconvene there March 18-20.

Tristan will play for the boys’ Development team (born 2008 and younger) while Kendall is on the girls’ Youth team (born 2004). Aaron Gordon was scheduled to play in Utah for the boys Cadets but was forced to cancel because of exposure to Covid. You can find all the roster selections here.

Huge congratulations to all three of them for their hard work, and best of luck in California! #TexasWaterpoloRising

Dare to Dream

Rosters and schedules have been finalized (thanks to everyone for updating their Covid-19 waiver) for this weekend’s Dare to Dream tourney. Our 12u team has its first game at the very civilized time of 11:00 AM on Saturday. But you can find all the games, AquaTex and Longhorn, on the event page. For this tournament AquaTex athletes are expected to be ready to warm up 30 minutes prior to the game (not 29!). For those playing for Longhorn 10u teams you’ll be coached by Coaches Tom and Sydney, and I’ll be hovering around those teams as well. Stoked!

To our newer families don’t be shy about using the GroupMe to communicate during the tournament.

Weekly Training Schedule

Though our 12u athletes will mostly be in Houston this weekend the training schedule at Micki remains the same: Saturday and Sunday at 10 AM; Masters at 11:30 AM; Swim2Score at 10:30 AM.

Parent Meeting

A reminder that on Thursday, January 13 at 7:30 PM we will have a parent meeting via Zoom for all AquaTex Waterpolo families. We’ll send an invite to you via email and/or GroupMe. Plans are to cover the coming spring season (more below), partnering with Longhorn, Junior Olympics, goals for the club, and much more. We have many new families (happily) so please to take the time to join in and learn more about what we’re trying to do, and share any questions or issues you’d like. Contact Coach James if you have anything you’d like covered during the meeting.

Roster Call

South Texas Championships

Now that Joe Linehan is running things in the Alamo Heights area we can expect to have many more chances to compete somewhere relatively close to us for not-so-much money. Here’s the next one: a one-day Winter championship tournament for all ages on January 30. Our high school athletes have very few chances remaining to compete prior to the prep season. This is a good one, and each team gets two games within a few hours, so no extended stay in the bleachers (unless you play for multiple rosters!).

Our plans are to field teams for every age group, 18u down. Don’t miss this opportunity for some (inexpensive) game experience prior to the spring high school and 14u seasons.

Other Stuff

See you on the deck.

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2022 Kicks Off with Parent Meeting, Roster Calls, JOs and More

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Happy New Year, everyone.

We end 2021 as our busiest and most successful ever with definite aims at making 2022 even better. We kick off the new year with several items, some more current, others more down-the-road.

Parent Meeting

On January 13 at 7:30 PM we will have a parent meeting via Zoom for all AquaTex Waterpolo families. We’ll send an invite to you via email and/or GroupMe. Plans are to cover the coming spring season (more below), partnering with Longhorn, Junior Olympics, goals for the club, and much more. We have many new families (happily) so please to take the time to join in and learn more about what we’re trying to do, and share any questions or issues you’d like. Contact Coach James if you have anything you’d like covered during the meeting.

ODP West Region Championships

Kendall Strauss, Aaron Gordon, and Tristan Chamas are headed to Utah this weekend to take part in the ODP West Region Championships. Here are the rosters and the game schedules for everyone to follow. We’re also excited that our friends from Longhorn are making their marks too: Greyson, Axel, Owen, Thomas, Kelly, and Zeke. Make Central Texas proud, and congratulations to all of them for their selection.

Roster Calls

As always, contact me for the link to our Google commitment sheet to update your athletes’ plans.

Dare to Dream

This tournament is held simultaneously in California and Texas making it the (unofficial) national 10u and 12u championships! All our young AquaTex athletes should plan to play. And keep in mind, the “age as of” date is August 1, 2021, so it’s the last chance for many of us to compete at that 12u level against players the same age. The deadline to commit is quickly approaching so let us know.

South Texas Championships

Now that Joe Linehan is running things in the Alamo Heights area we can expect to have many more chances to compete somewhere relatively close to us for not-so-much money. Here’s the next one: a one-day Winter championship tournament for all ages on January 30. Our high school athletes have very few chances remaining to compete prior to the prep season. This is a good one, and each team gets two games within a few hours, so no extended stay in the bleachers (unless you play for multiple rosters!). Sign up!

High School

It’s January which means that the high school swim season is coming to its peak with District Championships on January 28, Regional Championships on February 4-5, and for the fastest of the fast, UIL Championships on February 18-19. As always, we’re rooting for all our swimmers to shatter some personal bests and make waves against their Texas competitors. For those who’ve taken a break from polo we look forward to having you back at practice after your last meet if not sooner.

The high school water polo season comes quickly with the first possible tournament on February 25-26 followed soon after by our own Spring Festival at Micki on March 4-5. Our spring season training schedule will not change and high school athletes are expected to attend AquaTex practices, especially since it is unclear whether they will be able to continue club practices during the UIL season in the fall. Nothing makes AquaTex coaches happier than seeing our athletes perform well with or against fellow AquaTex athletes for their high school teams. #BeYourBest

Middle School

With the high schoolers occupied between March and May we get to place our USA Water Polo focus on our middle school and younger athletes! The spring will have several tournaments throughout Texas geared for those age 14 and under, which is great news for our growing group of youngsters.

Other Stuff

  • A reminder to renew your USA Water Polo membership for 2022 if you haven’t already. A current membership is required to practice and compete for AquaTex or any other club.
  • Another reminder that athletes are required to wear an AquaTex suit and have at least one AquaTex tee-shirt for any USA Water Polo competition.
  • An athlete’s tournament fees will now be drawn automatically via families’ AquaTex Team Unify accounts instead of via Venmo.

See you on the deck.

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ODP Selections, TCC Recap, Cowtown Call

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We had a great weekend in Justin and simultaneously received great news from USA Water Polo. And the final big tournament of the season is on the horizon.

ODP Selections

We shared yesterday that three of our athletes were selected to USA Water Polo’s Southwest Zone ODP teams. Kendall Strauss, Aaron Gordon, and Tristan Chamas will take part in training with the Zone’s Youth, Cadet, and Development teams respectively, and will head to Utah for West Region Championships on January 8-9. We are enormously proud of them and wish them success for the remainder of the ODP season, which ends in February and March with a national championship tournament in California. Congratulations to all three!

Texas Challenge Cup

Our AquaTex 16u team finished fourth at the recently completed Texas Challenge Cup in Justin. The boys defeated Cy-Fair convincingly on day one after a three-goal loss to Pegasus. On Sunday they fell twice to strong teams from Viper Pigeon (tourney champs) and Thunder with only one substitute. Riley returned to play goalie and was a force while Declan kept up his habit of winning sprints and making steals. Kai continued to make progress at his second-ever tournament making steals and playing some solid offense too. Of course our friends from Longhorn were huge too: Greyson, Axel, Bash, Evan, Kelly (wishing a speedy recovery from a scratched cornea), and Cruz, all of whom have made great progress. Congratulations on their fourth-place finish!

Meanwhile, our athletes littered Longhorn 14u and 12u rosters. The 14s also finished fourth with Tristan and Tomas leading the way. Both had great tournaments and drew the notice of their opposition.

The 12s were loaded and AquaTexans again led the way with Tristan, an unstoppable scorer, and Tomas making opponents miserable with some great defense. Silas and William (the counterattack king) were also at the top of their games, while Isabelle showed off those sneaky steal skills and played some great defense. And two first-timers, Wes and Rudy, scored their first ever goals at a USA Water Polo tournament. We are so excited to see all those newcomers at the Cowtown Stampede in just a few weeks.

Well done to all our AquaTexans, our friends from Longhorn, and all our supportive parents.

One point of admin: thank you to all who have paid me for the tournament so far. As Coach Tom of Longhorn has hopefully informed his athletes, if you played for our 16u team you should pay me directly ($67) via venmo. All AquaTex-registered athletes on Longhorn’s 14u and 12u teams will also pay me directly. Longhorn-registered athletes on those two rosters will be charged directly by their club and should not pay me.

For final results you can go to the 2021 Texas Challenge Cup event page.

Cowtown Stampede Call

We have to be excited about our participation at this annual tournament in Keller on December 11-12 (our 14u team won the whole darn thing a couple years ago). Our partnership with Longhorn is in play although, given the sheer number of 12u athletes, we may look to enter two teams! Even better, the tournament WILL feature competition for 10u athletes and yes, our Swim2Score families are strongly encouraged to attend. The tournament features competition for all age groups so make sure to commit as soon as possible (contact me for the link to commit).

USA Water Polo Membership Renewal

A reminder to renew your USA Water Polo membership for 2022 now since there are some cost savings in doing so early. Here’s more.

See you on the deck.

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Texas Challenge Cup Schedule, Training Agenda

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We’re headed to Justin this weekend for the Texas Challenge Cup. But training will still take place on Saturday and Sunday, including Swim2Score. That and more as we turn to November.

Texas Challenge Cup

We’re all set for this weekend’s tournament in Justin at the very new NISD Aquatic Center. AquaTex is sending a 16u team while Longhorn will field 12u and 14u teams (we’re still waiting to hear from Thunder about whether they’ll add 10u competition, which we are strongly advocating). Our athletes on Longhorn rosters can expect to hear from Coach Allie or Sidney about when to arrive, etc, but you should be on site a minimum of 30 minutes before your game. All 16u athletes are expected to be ready to warm up dry land one hour before game time. I’ll be joined by Coach Kendall this weekend (nice!) for that team.

Find all that information, rosters, maps, and more on our 2021 Texas Challenge Cup event page. Bookmark it!

UT Game Day

Big thanks to Longhorn for hosting us at UT on Oct. 24. We had an excellent day of competition starting with our newest athletes mixing it up and learning a ton on the 10u course, followed by big success by our 12s, 14s, and high school athletes. While the scores were very unofficial we came out on top in many ways aside from the number of goals. Well done to everyone and we’ll look forward to doing it again perhaps in November.

USA Water Polo Membership and Affiliation

I’ve made some headway in getting several athletes affiliated with AquaTex. But your help would still be immensely appreciated since I can’t make significant changes to your records (nor should I be able to). So here are instructions on how to check your current club affiliation and change it to AquaTex if you need to.

Also, November means that USA Water Polo is pushing registration for 2022, which often can be a good idea for some cost savings.

Player of the Month

Congratulations to Sofia for being selected by coaches as AquaTex Waterpolo’s October Player of the Month. More here.

Practice

A gentle reminder about expectations and practice, from our FAQs page:

While we believe in the #BeYourBest ethos we ask each 18u athlete to consider this:

Participation in AquaTex Water Polo is an obligation to your teammates and a commitment to each of their individual opportunities for development, as well as to your team and to yourself. AquaTex coaches understand that the club’s players are active and involved in many diverse and challenging activities, and we understand that conflicts may arise. We are committed to the development of well-rounded young athletes, so we understand when conflicts occasionally interfere with AquaTex events. In recognition of the commitment that our players have made to their teammates, all players and their parents should consider every practice, game and tournament to be as important to their teammates’ development as to their own.

Many teams require that athletes have attended at least two practices the week prior to any competition. We don’t have that requirement, but it is reasonable to expect that those who attend regularly will be more likely to play in competitive games.

Mosquito-infested ultimate training, October 2021

See you on the deck.

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Weekend Training and Competition Update: UT Game Day

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Our participation at the Longhorn Aquatics Game Day on Sunday, plus a high school swim meet, will affect our entire weekend schedule, including masters. Read more!

Weekend Training Changes

Due to a huge high school swim meet there will be no training for middle- or high-school athletes on Saturday the 23rd. On Sunday the 24th, the only training that will take place at Micki Krebsbach is Swim2Score at 10:30-11:30. There will be no masters at Micki on the 24th. All youth athletes are expected to play at the UT Game Day, and our masters athletes are encouraged to do so too at no cost.

Upcoming Competition

UT Game Day

We’re all set for the October 24 Longhorn Aquatics Game Day. Take a moment to look at the rosters and schedules on the event page. Our youth athletes can expect to play on rosters that may not correspond with their actual age group, mainly to allow our newest athletes a chance to play against similarly-experienced competitors. We scheduled a 10u game specifically for our youngest players, so Swim2Score athletes are strongly encouraged to attend.

As mentioned above, bring a filled and signed “tryout” form even though none of you are actually trying out for Longhorn.

Texas Challenge Cup

Longhorn has entered 12u and 14u teams, and AquaTex has entered a 16u team to compete up in Justin at the Texas Challenge Cup. See the event page for updated rosters and hotel information. The schedule will be linked there as soon as we get it. There is still time to get on one of the rosters so contact me if you’d like to play.

USA Water Polo Affiliation

Many of you have already done so but another reminder to be sure to change your USA Water Polo affiliation to AquaTex Waterpolo instead of Longhorn. It’s extremely helpful to me since the new system does not allow me to view records of athletes who have temporarily switched affiliation to Longhorn. Thanks!

See you on the deck.

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Game Day Details, Texas Challenge Cup, Sunday Training Change

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Despite not having any competition recently there’s a lot to talk about. Current members can read this also via an email which will have some additional information. Several action items for you so read on and check your inboxes.

Sunday Schedule Change

Middle school and high school athletes will start practice at the same time on Sundays beginning October 17. Both age groups will begin at 10:00 AM and go until noon. Swim2Score and masters will not change start times.

Tournaments and Roster Calls

Check your email, everyone, for a link to the sheet we use to commit to tournaments. If you haven’t updated already we need to know who plans on going to the UT Game Day and Texas Challenge Cup in particular. Deadlines are coming up.

UT Game Day

The October 24 Longhorn Aquatics Game Day event page is updated with the tentative schedule, working rosters, and a link to the tryout form as mentioned below. Families, this is a FREE chance to compete in a fun setting. All AquaTex athletes are expected to attend as long as they’ve been to practice recently. That includes Swim2Score athletes; this is a great opportunity to play against athletes their same age, and it’s a ton of fun.

Every athlete who attends will be required to bring a filled and signed “tryout” form even though none of you are actually trying out for Longhorn. Save yourself some time and don’t forget to bring it. One more reason to be grateful for Micki and AquaTex’s very limited bureaucracy.

High school and middle school practices are cancelled on Oct. 24 to allow you to go to the Game Day. (Swim2Score and masters will still take place at Micki, regular times).

Texas Challenge Cup

Updated on the event page are far more details from Thunder, the tourney host, including hotel information. Plus, the deadline to commit for AquaTexans is Thursday, October 28 and tentative rosters are there too.

OctoPoloFest Payment

Families who had athletes at the recently completed OctoPoloFest will be charged $70/athlete/age group. You’ll pay me via Venmo, a link to which will be included in the email.

USA Water Polo Affiliation

In case you haven’t seen it already, USA Water Polo has rolled out a brand new interface for members. One of the features that no longer exists is one that allowed me as a coach to view any athlete’s record. No longer. I can only view athletes listed under my club. So it is VERY important that those of you not currently affiliated with AquaTex Waterpolo make that change as soon as possible. The email will contain a list of those whose athletes are not currently affiliated with AquaTex.

Other Stuff

  • The calendar page wasn’t rendering practice dates and time correctly but it’s working now
  • Coach Kendall is back in town this weekend so don’t miss practice!
  • We have been taking attendance so let me know if you’re interested in knowing how often your athlete is going to practice
  • Wes Kelly has joined us! Welcome to him, a brand new 12u athlete, and his family. And thanks to Austin Kenton’s family for recommending it. Stoked!

See you on the deck.

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OctoPoloFest Recap, UT Game Day, November Roster Call

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OctoPoloFest

It was a truly successful weekend for AquaTexans participating at OctoPoloFest in Angleton (not Alvin, I know!). Four Longhorn teams did well in the festival-style tournament with our 10u team finishing undefeated; our young 18u’s coming away with two wins, a tie, and a close loss; and our 14s an 12s having mixed results on the board but huge learning experiences for some of our newest athletes.

Coach Tom wrote the recap below, which understandably puts the focus on our friends from Longhorn. But some individual love to our AquaTex athletes who made their coach proud:

Tom mentions Silas’ shutout as a goalkeeper, which was such a fun experience for him and the team. But it fails to highlight just how dominant he was in the field, playing smothering defense, distributing the ball to every one of his 10u teammates, and scoring nearly at will. Undefeated!

Silas was also a contributor to our 12u coed team along with brother Tristan, who has become one of the most forceful centers on the team! A stellar weekend for Tristan both dominating the 12u competition and contributing hugely to the 14u team as well.

Which also included two of our newest athletes, Sophia and Laird. Despite it being their first ever competition Laird got significant playing time due to playing attentive defense (plus he scored his first ever goal), while Sophia quickly learned how to steal the ball and make her coach happy!

Kai did the same at the 18u level where he, Riley, and Luca had a terrific tournament. Kai is a fast learner and quickly understood how to withstand pressure from our Houston and North Texas competitors, leading to several assists. Riley was his usual annoying (in a good way!) defender making steals and shotblocking, while Luca rifled several from his usual lefty spot on offense, and also applied stifling pressure defensively. This was a young team to be playing 18u (eight of the roster could’ve played 16u), so it was especially gratifying that they only lost one game. Read Coach Tom’s recap for more details. Well done, and congratulations especially to our three newest tournament participants.

Coach Tom’s Recap

10u Coed

Our youngest Longhorn squad continued their undefeated streak from last summer to roll to a three win and one tie performance.  After their first meeting ended in a draw, the Horns dove in for a rematch with the host Viper Pigeons and the 2nd time proved to be the charm.  Stout defense combined with a deadly counter attack overwhelmed VP and we were able to pull away for a comfortable win in the 2nd half.  Big shout outs to Joe and Claire who were fantastic in their club debuts; Claire was tireless in the midfield and Joe was a high impact player on offense and defense.  Lennon was also a constant threat in front of the cage while Eric shored up the defense on our half of the pool.  Silas was intimidating at primary goalkeeper and even managed to pitch a rare 20-0 shutout against Triumph.

The future looks bright for the Orange and White as our 10U numbers continue to grow and our veteran players add to their game.  We’re looking forward to having even more first time athletes at the next event! .

12u Coed

Six Longhorn 12Us were joined by our 10s to compete in a very competitive 12U coed division.  We played tough to finish 1-3 over the weekend with several losses going right down to the final buzzer.  More shoutouts are in order for first time competitors Reese and Finnley: both athletes wasted no time making their presence felt in the pool and improved noticeably from game to game!  By the final showdown, Reese was moving well without the ball and getting open for goal scoring opportunities while Finnley exhibited some early signs of a lock down defender.  In addition to the newcomers, the 12s were led in the field by the constant offensive pressure applied by Jake and some sneaky steal and outlet pass work from Daniel.  Tristan and Silas shared time in the goal while Pierce was speedy in transition both directions, helping back on defense and making extra passes on the counter attack.

While we didn’t finish with quite as many wins as we’d hoped, the 12Us were able to gain valuable experience from all the close contests and will bounce back stronger and ready to compete!

14u Coed

The Longhorn faithful were treated to a rollercoaster weekend from our 14U squad, as the team intermittently demonstrated their ability to go toe to toe with the best clubs in the state.  While the up and down play resulted in a couple of close losses and a 2-2 final record, the frequent moments of water polo brilliance point to a team on the verge of a big breakthrough.

The shoutouts start with Maddox, who wasted no time building up his career block total in his first tournament as full time goalie.  Maddox was also a key component of the counter attack as his outlet passes led to several quick hitting opportunities on offense.   Often on the receiving end of those passes,  Max and Kelly did the majority of the heavy lifting on the attack and drew the attention of the opposing defense.  Both Landon and Jake took advantage of holes in the defense to chip in some nifty center plays.  Cruz and Zeke showed their willingness (and awareness!)  to help for steals while Miles and Flora demonstrated improved one on one defensive and counter attack speed. Keep your eyes peeled for more exciting games from this group as they work on their consistency in the water!

18u Coed

Our oldest squad also put on an exciting show for the fans, finishing with 2 wins, 1 tie, and 1 loss.  Both the tie and loss came via heartbreaking last second goals from the opponents, and although certainly unpleasant in the moment, will no doubt prove to be invaluable experience moving forward.

This squad featured first time club competitor Seth who impressed early and often with tenacious press defense and speedy counter attack shooting.  Manu manned the cage and turned back plenty of one on one attempts from opposing sides while also sending accurate outlet passes more than halfway down the field.  Thomas, Axel, and Greysen comprised the rotating triple threat of 2 meter offense and defense.  Each athlete provided a different look to the opponents and kept them guessing on our gameplan.  Ella more than held her own on the perimeter and locked down several drive attempts from the wing while also keeping the defense honest with her outside shooting.  Gavin went almost undefeated as primary sprinter and applied perimeter pressure to create disruption and steals.

Overall, a very strong showing from the 18Us as we were just two total goals away from being the only undefeated team in the division.  You can bet the athletes will be motivated to get back to work in the pool this week and continue their trek to becoming the top club in Texas!

Roster Call

Texas Challenge Cup, November 6-7

So we do plan on sending teams to the well-run Texas Challenge Cup like this: Longhorn will enter 12u and 14u teams on which AquaTex athletes can play. AquaTex will enter a 16u boys team and 18u team if enough athletes want to go. I am VERY interested in assembling a 16u team that resembles the one we sent to JOs. It will definitely require some of our Longhorn friends so I’ll be making that recruiting effort. As always, update your Fall 2021 tournament commitment as soon as possible (let me know if you need the link).

UT Game Day

Speaking of Longhorn, we are invited to a Game Day at UT on Sunday, October 24. It has been added to the commitment form so please update. There is no cost to participate and we plan on having a very good 10u scrimmage, so all our Swim2Score athletes are expected to give it a try. Middle school and high school practices that day will be cancelled. Swim2Score and masters will take place, both likely to begin at 10:00 AM.

Weekend Training

We’ve had to take a couple weekends off but we’re back this coming Saturday and Sunday including masters and Swim2Score, so we want to see all those youngsters back in the pool with us, hopefully preparing for our game day at UT! And we’ll expect to have a productive practice on Sunday with our friends from Longhorn.

Uniforms

I’ll send the RYTE fitting suits for boys back to the vendor at the end of this weekend. We’re also still trying to get a female fitting kit as soon as possible. For anyone who wants it, I have a quaTex women’s suit, size 30, for $40. Let me know if you want to try it on, or just buy it and I’ll deliver it to you to practice.

Other Stuff

  • A big welcome to Wes who gave the 12u group a try on Monday and we hope to see him again this week.
  • This week’s note to newcomers: At tournaments and other competition you should expect to be at the proper location ready to warm up one hour before game time. Coaches will inform you if you are expected at a different time, including when our athletes are playing for Longhorn. If and when you ever have any doubt, just be on the deck ready to go an hour before we start a game.

See you on the deck,

James

AngletonISDNatatorium

Heading to Alvin, Weekend Update

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A short update as many of us head to the outdoor pool in Alvin for OctoPoloFest this weekend.

Training Schedule Update

There will be NO practices this coming weekend, October 2-3. That includes Middle School, High School, Masters and Swim2Score; we were unable to find enough coaches to run a session. We’ll be back the following weekend. And we added a make-up practice for high school and middle school on Thursday, September 30 from 7-9 PM. Seeya there.

OctoPoloFest

It’ll be shame when this tournament is over cuz we won’t get to say “OctoPoloFest” until next September. The schedule, results, rosters, weather (!), and more are available on our updated event page. I will be assisting Coaches Tom and Becca across all our rosters. Coach Tom says be there 30 minutes prior to game time. Don’t be late and be ready to get in the pool.

Suit Fitting

The the boys’ RYTE suit fitting kit, including both briefs and jammers, is with me. If your male athlete hasn’t ordered yet and wants to get correctly fitted make sure to ask me before practice. We want everyone kitted out and looking good before the November tournament. I’ll be staying in contact with RYTE about a women’s fitting kit (they ran out).

Player of the Month

…will be announced soon! Stoked to share the news about this athlete with everyone.

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

James

 

 

 

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Our Ironman, Traveling Coaches, OctoPoloFest

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OctoPoloFest Rosters

We’re excited for our participation at the upcoming OctoPoloFest near Lake Jackson. For several of our new athletes it’ll be their first USA Water Polo competition. With Longhorn we’ll be entering 12u mixed, 14u mixed, and 18u co-ed rosters. Families that are attending should be prepared for early Saturday morning matches. The roster deadline is Sept. 27 so there’s time still to get on a roster if you’re interested. Coach James will be coaching at this tournament.

Coaches

In case you didn’t already see it, Coach Matt returned from Wisconsin very sore but having completed his first (and last?) Ironman in 14 hours 3 minutes. Another round of congratulations to Smiley for finishing so strong after training so hard!

Coach Alon was up there cheering him on and then proceeded to, naturally, Barcelona! If you already follow him on Instagram you can watch his worldly progress including, I’ve been told, a pending visit to one of the city’s world-class water polo clubs.

Coach Dom will be traveling the next few weekends, and I will be in New York checking out beautiful and pricey colleges for Kenna beginning on Wednesday. So…

Schedule Reminder

The timing is good because there are no masters, high school, middle school, or Swim2Score sessions this coming weekend, Sept 25-26, due to a big AquaTex swim meet (go fast!). Enjoy the weekend off unless you’re busy swimming.

Uniforms

I should have a RYTE fitting suit for boys only next week (they’re currently out of women’s fitting suits). Take the chance to try one on before ordering. Families should plan to have purchased a required team suit and one tee shirt prior to the Texas Challenge Cup on Nov. 6.

Also, a reminder that I have an AquaTex women’s suit, size 30, for $40. Let me know if you want to try it on, or just buy it and I’ll deliver it to you to practice.

Other Stuff

  • Here are links to video parts one and two of our recent parent meeting. We covered a good amount of territory so I recommend you check it out if you haven’t already.
  • Make sure to update your tournament commitments for high school and middle school athletes on our Google sheet. Contact me for the link.
  • We had our biggest turnout ever at the season’s first ODP camp at UT. I’m excited to hear how it went for all our AquaTex athletes. There are two more camps this season (Cy-Fair and North Texas) if you missed the one at UT. You can read more about the program here.
  • A note to newcomers: you’ll notice receiving lots of emails from Coach Mark Parshall about swim meets, etc. He sends those notices to every member of AquaTex (he owns the club!). Some of them are relevant to water polo, many of them are not. So don’t think you must act on every, or even many, of those emails.

See you on the deck,

James

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