Texas Challenge Cup

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TX Challenge Cup Preview, LISD Story, and More

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Catching up after quite a few weeks. We have a big tourney this weekend so let’s cover that and more.

Texas Challenge Cup

First, we’ll cancel all training this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5, since such a huge crowd of us will be competing in North Texas.

As always we’ll try to share all the details regarding the tourney on the Event Page. When in doubt, bookmark that page and check it out. On it includes the schedule, rosters, notes on travel, entry fees, and much more.

Notes on Rosters

  • AQTX 10u will be coached by Longhorn Coach Magaly and maybe our new coach Savvy. Make sure you are meeting with Coach Magaly 30 minutes before your games. (Coach James will be there too if not coaching the 14s.)
  • Longhorn 12u: Ilay can choose to play with the Longhorn 12u team if he wishes.
  • AQTX 14u mixed will be with Coach James. Meet him one hour before your first game each day.
  • AQTX 18u mixed will be with Coach Alon. Same thing: meet him one hour before your first game. Corina and Noelle, your priority is with your 18u girls team; Cash and Rocco, you will focus on the 14u boys team. If and only if you want more playing time then you can play on the 18u boys team; you are not expected to.
  • Longhorn 18u girls will be with Coach Sydney (I believe). Meet 45 minutes before game time, Corina and Noelle. As Thunder has pointed out, please notice that some 18u girls games are at Northwest ISD in Justin each day. Check the schedule!

Requests of our Families

Desk Workers

According to Thunder, the hosts, the tournament has gotten so big they are going to require one worker assigned by each participating team to work the desk. Luckily we have plenty who helped at Spin Lob, whether an athlete who’s not playing in that game or a parent, so we should be covered. We may send out a signup sheet like with did for Spin Lob so please keep your eyes open for that.

Videographers

Starting with this tournament we’d also like every AquaTex game recorded on video so we can review them during Monday training sessions. So if you’d like to give it a try, or have experience doing it, please let Coach James know. For those who might help us with video recording, a couple notes:

Get your zoom in and out ready. What we want to see (and hear) as coaches is:

  • A view of the front court offense in its entirety as tightly viewed as possible while still containing all (or nearly all) of the players. The view should be of one-half of the pool. Close-ups on individual players or pairs are rarely helpful.
  • A view of the entire pool as a team counterattacks. Upon the turnover, zoom out to show the entire pool as both offense and defense convert to the counterattack. You may be tempted to focus on the goalkeeper as he/she holds the ball prior to passing it. Please don’t! It’s exponentially more important that we see what’s happening on the counterattack than what the goalie is doing with the ball.
  • A view of the front court defense in its entirety viewed as tightly as possible while still containing all the defenders.
  • Optional but very helpful: call out the goals and exclusions by cap number kind of as you would if working the scoresheets at the desk. It should be as simple as “Dark 9 goal,” “11 white exclusion,” “2 Dark penalty.”

AQTX, LISD Athletes on KXAN

Check out this KXAN story that features Cash Brown and many of his LISD compatriots who are, along with their parents, working hard to re-instate UIL water polo at Vista Ridge, Cedar Park, and Vandegrift in 2023. Since we have several athletes already or soon-t0-be competing for one of these three schools, we support completely every effort to reverse this silly decision.

You already know AquaTex’s position on the issue: cancelling water polo is as short-sighted a decision a district could make especially after a season in which three schools fielded teams for the first time. What an amazing letdown! I’ll be writing about it more on TXWaterpolo.com in the coming days. Until then, check out these cheerful faces and, if you’re a resident of the LISD, perhaps you could let the administration know you want your UIL Polo back!

Spring Break

We’re consulting as coaches about training during Spring Break, between 11 and 18 March. It is likely that if we have training it will include all groups simultaneously or something like that. Stay tuned.

Lake Creek

Mainly for our newer members, April is approaching which means that the Round Rock ISD will shut down Micky Krebsbach for 2-4 weeks so they can clean the pool, paint the locker room floors, and some other stuff that never seems to include replacing old poorly functioning electrical outlets, installing more storage space, or much at all that directly helps us as an aquatics program (one can be grateful and annoyed at the same time!). But, as usual, we’re not entirely certain when our eviction will take place let alone how long the repairs will take. Just get ready for the jaunt to the East Side: Lake Creek Pool! (And yes, of course we’re hoping the RRAC might be available).

JOs Meeting part Deux

We need to have another online meeting about JOs this summer. I’m going to pencil in on the calendar Friday, March 24 at 7:00 PM online. Let me know what you think. By the way, I created this cool flowchart to help anyone understand how we decide to go to California or Dallas. More links and details forthcoming.

Milestones

Welcome

It’s been a while since we updated the list of our newest members. Thanks to all of you for coming to us and welcome to AquaTex, Rein, Melia, Keegan, Remy, Noelle, Colton, Jake, Emeric, and Ethan, let alone the several who have given us a try but haven’t signed up yet. We hope they will.

Birthdays

And finally, some belated and some forthcoming birthday best wishes. Happy Birthday!

  • Remy, 2/21
  • Aaron B, 2/24
  • Ilay, 2/28
  • Elliott, 3/10
  • JP, 3/24
  • Molly, 3/28

See you on the deck.

2023 Texas Challenge Cup

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Schedule/Results

For Coaches

10u mixed team: scoresheet | IDs

14u mixed team: scoresheet | IDs

18u mixed team: scoresheet | IDs

Working Rosters

AQTX 10uLH 12u mixedAQTX 14u mixedAQTX 18u bLH 18u g
Ashton BensonSilasJackson PlaceWilliam LunsfordAddy
Ryan BensonLairdChase WadleyJackson PlaceAva
Claire GreenRobertWilliam PembertonVitali PavlenkoSarah
Eric CrockettZephyrAntonio FalceJames StraussBridget
Mason JonesDanielKenneth BrownConnor KnightNoelle Nealis
Tristan MillerElizaParker Nealis[Antonio Falce]Corina Nunziata
Vaugn GalloPhoebeColton NealisJacob GerakosTori
Colton GatesTheodoraElliot Bronstheyn[Kenneth Brown]Ashlyn
Ilay LevReinhold KarvenzDeclan GravesAllison
Diego Suarez-QuirogaLiam GravesGracie
Isabelle MorrisonAdlee ColegroveTaylor
Gavin HantelmanKat
Riley DixonMorgan 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

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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

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2021 Texas Challenge Cup

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LIVE Schedule/Results

AquaHorns Saturday Games, Coaching Assignments

12u athletes should be ready to warm up (suits on!) 30 minutes before game time with Coach Sidney. 14u, same thing with Coach Kendall. 16u be ready 1 hour before game time with Coach James. Keep your coaches informed of any schedule issues via the GroupMes (if you need a link to the GroupMes let me know).

daycoursetimegameagewhite capdark capHCACAlternate
sat3 - entrances8:00 AMGM3114ULonghornCFWPCKendallSidneyJames
sat3 - entrances10:30 AMGM3416UPegasusAquatexJamesKendall
sat1 - diving board11:20 AMGM512ULake JacksonLonghornSidneyJames
sat2 - middle12:10 PMGM2114ULonghornSouthsideKendallSidneyJames
sat1 - diving board2:40 PMGM912ULonghornThunderSidneyKendall
sat3 - entrances4:20 PMGM4116UAquatexCFWPCJamesKendall
sat3 - entrances6:00 PMGM4314UPegasus BlueLonghornKendallSidneyJames

Working rosters

16u Scoresheet

12U mixed - Longhorn14U mixed - Longhorn16U Boys/coed - AquaTex16u Cap Number
Silas ChamasTristan ChamasRiley Dixon13
William PembertonTomas BellaviaKai Pitkanen9
Isabelle MorrisonSofia SilvestriniDeclan Graves7
Tristan ChamasKelly MurphyAugust Nordstedt8
Finn HarringtonZeke SimeloffSebastian Herrera3
Tomas BellaviaLandon VickeryEvan Minter6
Lennon BeaversMaddox ConteGreyson Gaderson2
Eric CrockettCruz CrowleyAxel Haydt15
Joe HobsonFinn HarringtonManu Singhal1
Sawyer JayasuriyaFinnley MayLuca de Araujo4
Ezra Robertson-MarshFord SpencerCruz Crowley10
Calder MayDaniel ArmendarizKelly Murphy16
Laird GreenMax ValeMax Vale11
Jane HarringtonFlora Garcia
John Kelly
Rudy-Matheo Garcia

Admin

Registration

Commitment Deadline is Thursday, October 28. AquaTex will be entering 16u and 18u teams if there are enough athletes from AquaTex AND Longhorn. Longhorn will be entering 12u and 14u teams on which AquaTex athletes are allowed to play. Athletes may play up AND for different clubs (e.g. 14u Longhorn AND 16u AquaTex).

From the Hosts

This is a Thunder Water Polo hosted event in North Texas the weekend of November 6th and 7th.

All teams will receive a minimum of four games with the top 3 teams in each division receiving 1st – 3rd place medals. Games will be played on the hour to give teams plenty of time to transition safely between games.

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

· Location: Northwest ISD Aquatics Center 1976 Texas Dr Justin TX·(Brand new 80,000 sq ft facility with ample seating areas ). Approximate Time: Saturday 8:00am – 7:00pm and Sunday 7:00 am – 4:00pm. 3 courses will be used during the weekend.

· Age as of Date: August 1, 2020

· Entry Fee: $600 per team. Payments will be collected when completing the online registration.
No Refunds for Team Cancellations

· Registration Deadline: Friday October 29th 9:00pm (PT)

Admissions – $5 per day or $10 for the weekend

· Roster Deadline: Monday, November 1st at 9pm (PT)

Schedule: An online schedule will be sent to everyone on Wednesday, November 4th

Admissions: Free. There will be no admission costs for spectators for this event

Team Hotel

Tru by Hilton Northlake-Fort Worth, TX-NEW

13451 Raceway Dr.

Northlake, TX 76262

(817) 854-3828-Direct

(817) 490-8846-Hotel

For Reservations your Guests can use this direct booking link:

https://group.trubyhilton.com/k8xkaw

Or call the hotel directly at 817-490-8846 Ext 3 for sales.

  • The Tru by Hilton offers a complimentary breakfast Mon-Fri 6am-9am and Sat-Sun 6am-10am. It includes hot items, bacon and eggs and other items, freshly made pancakes, cereal, breakfast breads, yogurts, fruit and all the toppings.
  • All our rooms have refrigerators, and our lobby has a microwave for our guest’s use.
  • Work, play, lounge, or eat in our 2880 square-foot lobby-with Pool Table
  • 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
  • Hilton Honors

3 miles from the NISD Aquatic Center. We are just across from Texas Motor Speedway, Tanger Outlets and Buc-ee’s.

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Tournament Results from North Texas, New Coach, Thanksgiving Schedule

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A flurry of activity as the year winds down, we return from a jam-packed weekend of games in North Texas, find ourselves a new coach, and get pumped for the final two tournaments of 2020. Plus, Tony Azevedo is coming our way.

Texas Challenge Cup

Our 14u coed team went (almost) ironman for its four-game schedule at last weekend’s Texas Challenge. With eight total athletes, a 2-2 record felt about right and earned the team a fourth-place finish after a tough game against Thunder Black, their “A” team. The weekend also featured AquaTex’s first ever shootout, which it won over the very feisty Pegasus team. History! All the live streams of every game are online, linked on our TCC event page. Well done in particular to James for playing in his first ever travel tournament and Riley for becoming the deadly ninja goalie Coach Matthew has been hoping for. Congratulations to them, Jacob, Morgan (7 games!), Kelly, Cruz, Austin, and Luca. Go check out their game highlights linked above.

Meanwhile, despite never having played in a USAWP travel tournament, Kendall, Cammi, and Morgan turned out to be among the most productive and reliable members of the Lonestar/Mavericks 18u girls team that ended the tournament with a well-rested Sunday afternoon win over Cowtown. Kendall is starting to show off that shooting skill she displays at practice, Cammi ended the tournament with a two-goal outing vs. Cowtown after showing off her speed on defense all weekend, and Morgan continues to be one of the most aggressive attackers on the entire club and showed some real progress in becoming a killer driver/post-up player. Very proud of all three of them

Welcome Coach Alon

Meanwhile, as we continue to improve and grow we have another new coach helping us out. Coach Alon Yoeli is from Carmel, CA and played his collegiate water polo at Fordham University in New York City (the Bronx to be precise). He also played for one of Italy’s best clubs. He recently moved to Austin, contacted AquaTex about masters water polo and ended up getting roped in to coaching! Welcome aboard, Alon.

Thanksgiving Week Schedule

The practice schedule is updated for Thanksgiving week. Check it out on the calendar. Coaches Kendall and Shannon will be back along with Matthew and Alon to keep us moving forward. That includes Scorpion Ball with Coach Shannon on the 21st!

Upcoming Events

Tournament Roster Calls

TAGS and the Cowtown Stampede are the last competitions of the year. And aside from the obvious reasons we might want to turn the calendar page, it’s also the last chance for many of our athletes to play in age groups they were supposed to occupy for JOs and Southwest Zone Championships. Beginning in 2021 we can expect that tournaments will set their “age as of” date to August 1, 2021. We want to end the year on a competitive high note and expect our athletes to take part in these final two tournaments.

TAGS

The Texas Age Group Championships are for athletes in 9th grade and under. We have already registered our 9th grade u (coed) team and may combine with Longhorn for 7th and under and/or 5th and under. Edit your commitment to TAGS here.

Cowtown Stampede

The same weekend as TAGS, the Cowtown Stampede is for 18u athletes only (boys/coed and girls). AquaTex has already signed up one 18u girls’ and one 18u boys’ teams. So sign up for the chance to play.

Tony Azevedo Clinic

The Legendary Tony Azevedo is headed to Texas to host three days of water polo training in North Texas. Three days for high schoolers, two for those age 14 and under. Plus, goalie training. Find out more and register here and let me know if you sign up. I may be able to make it up there to watch (and interview Tony for the podcast…)

Attendance Records

We have some really excellent attendance records for the months of October and November (shout out to Cammi, Declan and Austin!). The link has probably been wrong for several weeks so here’s the updated link to the document. #BeYourBest

Performance Training Course

Coach Marcy shared this via email on the 13th. The program is open to water polo athletes.

Aquatex is collaborating with Performance Course to offer an 8-week Dryland Training schedule.

Performance Course is an unrivaled approach to progressively improving athletic ability. This unique course combines sound, proven strength and conditioning principles with the latest methodologies to give the participant the top athletic performance program in the nation.

Senior/PreSeniors swimmers [and water polo athletes] that 13 & up are eligible to participate. The program will start November 30th, the Monday following Thanksgiving. Sessions will be held at our pool, on deck. The training will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays:

Girls – 5:45-6:30pm

Boys – 6:30-7:15pm

The cost is $180. To participate, please go to this site and signup: Performance Course

That’s all for this week. Have a great and safe Thanksgiving week.

See you in the parking lot…

James

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Countdown to Texas Challenge Cup, Cowtown Rodeo, TAGS

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We’re just a few days away from the Texas Challenge Cup in The Colony. And as we shift more information to this site there is a new link to “Events” which will mostly contain tournaments on the calendar to which we are committed.

Here are the details on the tournament including schedule, Covid guidelines, streaming and more. All our games will be at the LISD Eastside Aquatic Center, 5729 Memorial Dr, The Colony, TX 75056.

Athletes and coaches will meet together outside the facility one hour prior to game time.

For the 18u girls playing with Lonestar/Mavericks, the first game is on Saturday at 10:30 AM vs. Thunder 16u. The second game depends on the outcome of the first.

For AquaTex 14u co-ed the first game is at 1:30 PM on Saturday vs. Viper Pigeon Green, second game at 4:30 PM vs. Thunder Silver.

There are no apparent conflicts between our 18u girls and 14u coed games.

TAGS and Cowtown Stampede

Two tournaments take place on December 12-13: TAGS for 9th grade and under coed, and Cowtown Stampede for 18u boys and girls. Find details on both of these tournaments on our new Events page.

We have already registered a 9th grade and under team for TAGS for AquaTex. We will be partnering with Longhorn to fill out 18u boys and girls rosters playing as AquaTex, so be sure to let me know if you want to play. [Updated: AquaTex has registered one 18u boys and one 18u girls team for the tournament].

That’s all for this week though there could be updates as we get ready to drive up to The Colony.

See you on the deck,

James

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