Weekly Update

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CyFair Tournament Roster Call, Training Update

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After a couple weeks of excellent practices we plug along as the high school season approaches.

Roster Call, CyFair Spring Tourney

February 6 is the deadline for athletes to register their intentions to play at the CyFair Spring Shootout in Houston, February 12-13. We have some already signed up but need more. Age groups 12u mixed, 14u mixed, 18u boys/mixed, 18u girls. The best way to share your intentions is via TeamUnify, or email me.

AQTX Hosting Events

Planning is going forward for a few items I mentioned in the last update. They have been approved by AquaTex but, given the pandemic, we are always prepared for things to change.

  • Friday/Saturday March 5-6 for the AquaTex West Region High School Tournament
  • Sunday, March 7 for a local 14u game day (Zilla, Aqua Swift, etc.)
  • Tentative ODP clinic, Sunday, February 28 (girls only)

Training Update

There’s a swim meet this weekend at Micki so no Youth practice or Masters training on Saturday or Sunday. We will add a Youth practice for Thursday, February 4, 7:00 to 9:00 PM. There will be no Chalk Talk on Thursday, February 4.

Annual Micki Repairs

The time is near. Yes, we’ll be evacuating to Lake Creek Pool beginning on or around Monday, March 15. The City of Round Rock closes Micki Krebsbach for four weeks (more or less) every year to do maintenance. Last year they poured the new concrete pad where we keep the cages. This year we’re hoping they deepen and extend the pool another 20 yards. We’ll see…

Zilla Scrimmage

The next Zilla scrimmage at Milburn is on the calendar for Saturday, February 12. Same agenda as usual.

Programming and News

We’re working on a new program for athletes age 5-12 that will better leverage the highly-regarded swim training that AquaTex professionals provide. There will also be some additional changes to our Masters offerings. Plus, another coach! Stay tuned.

See you on the deck,

James

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Winter and Spring Schedule, Alon’s Online Training, Masters Update

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You’ve gone long enough without a scintillating weekly update. So here you go. And January is already almost over.

Winter/Spring Competition Calendar

USA Water Polo recently collected all the competitive events, including some high school, coming up in the next few months. Here it is with some additional dates specifically for AquaTex stuff.

  • Every other Saturday, Zilla Scrimmage, 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM
  • Sunday, January 31st: North Texas Winter Game Day at the LISD Eastside Aquatic Center (hosted by Mavericks Water Polo, All Athletes/Age Groups)
  • Saturday-Sunday, February 13-14: CFWPC Spring Tournament at the CFISD Natatorium in Northwest Houston (hosted by CFWPC, All Athletes/Age Groups)
  • Saturday-Sunday, February 20-21: North Texas Winter Invitational at LISD Westside Aquatic Center (hosted by Thunder Water Polo, 19U Boys & 19U Girls)
  • Saturday-Sunday, March 27-28: Thunder Spring Invite at LISD Eastside Aquatic Center (hosted by Thunder Water Polo, 14U Boys, 14U Girls, 12U Mixed)
  • Saturday-Sunday, April 24-25: TAGS Water Polo Champs at the Pearland Natatorium (hosted by SWZ & Southside, 8th/6th/4th Grade & Younger)
  • Friday-Saturday, April 30-May 1: Texas High School Water Polo – Region Championships (various locations)
  • Friday-Saturday, May 7-8: Texas High School Water Polo – Girls State Championship at LISD Westside Aquatic Center in North Texas
  • Friday-Saturday, May 14-15: Texas High School Water Polo – Boys State Championship at CFISD Natatorium in Northwest Houston

I will put these events on the calendar but the one competition we will focus on most is the CFWPC Spring Tournament on Feb 13-14. Keep an eye out for roster calls, particularly 16u coed athletes.

AQTX High School Tournament(s)

We have requested time for the following events, which we have hosted in past years and help with our budget tremendously. We’ll let everyone know if any are approved (they are not yet):

  • Friday/Saturday March 5-6 for the AquaTex West Region High School Tournament
  • Sunday, March 7 for a local 14u game day (Zilla, Aqua Swift, etc.)
  • Saturday March 27 for a high school mini-tournament
  • Two Sundays in February for potential ODP training.

Online Training

This week we’ll begin online training again with a new feature: Alon’s dryland bodyweight workout for home! Our athletes should be using their Tuesdays to join Alon via YouTube as he puts you through your paces. Check out the first of many workouts, all of which will be posted on our YouTube channel.

Then on Thursday we will resume our Zoom Chalk Talks where we cover strategy, tactics, and watch game film. Plus you can expect some cool guests to join us every once in a while. Next one on Thursday, January 28 at 7:30 PM. Look for an invitation via email and/or groupme.

Zilla Scrimmage

As mentioned last week we’ll put the Zilla Scrimmages on the agenda, the next one will be this Saturday at 2:00-4:30 PM. They are always free of charge and all ages.

Update: Since there is no youth practice on Saturday the 30th we’ll look for our athletes to go to Milburn instead, 2:00 to 4:30 PM.

Masters Waterpolo

Update: There is a swim meet at Micki on Saturday, January 30 so we will move them to Sunday the 31st, noon-2 PM for youth with masters afterward.

Saturday will also be the return of masters water polo. But if you haven’t already be sure to fill out this form if you plan to attend and read this before you come so you won’t be surprised by the new processes.

Automatic News Updates

We changes email marketing services recently which gives us a new chance to invite you to receive automatic updates any time we post news here on AquaTexWaterpolo.com. Share your email address below and click the Subscribe button to sign up.

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See you on the deck,

James

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Full Contact Training Returns for the New Year

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We begin 2021 catching up on things and with a major announcement.

Full Contact Training

The club has approved the return of full-contact training which will resume fully on Monday, January 18. We are asking that every AquaTex Waterpolo member, coach, athlete, parent, and masters athlete read in detail our Covid-19 guidelines and protocols before his or her next practice.

While we consider this very good news for our athletes and coaches we recognize that there are serious issues regarding the pandemic that we will continue to monitor and assess.

As mentioned in previous emails ALL athletes will be accommodated whether they and their families prefer to avoid physical contact or not.

#OneTeamOneDream

Masters Waterpolo

While we will soon resume with full-contact scrimmaging for those who attend our masters sessions we are also revising the check-in process for the program. There will be a mandatory and simple sign-in sheet (paper or digital, TBD) and USA Water Polo membership will be monitored. Masters will return to the weekend calendar once those policies are in place.

Prior to our next Masters session we ask that you fill out this form if you plan to attend, or have scrimmaged at Micki in the past.

Some New Year Plans

In order to accelerate the growth and improve the training we offer we are considering some efforts that would help in 2021. We want the feedback of our current and potential families as well so expect to receive communications about these in the coming weeks.

Online Dryland Strength and Endurance Workouts

Coach Alon has taken the lead on providing our athletes with body-weight workouts to be done on non-practice days at home. Look for us to share them via our YouTube channel in the next week.

Outreach

We have already made progress toward scheduling at least one introductory waterpolo clinic to be held in Belton. The aim is to have sessions for Scorpion Ball-age newcomers and older athletes who will be preparing for the start of UIL Water Polo in the fall of 2022. We have also scouted locations in Pflugerville and Georgetown to attempt to do the same. If you have suggestions for people we should contact who can help us in those areas or others contact Coach James.

Increased Training

Since 2013 we’ve discussed increasing the number of practices per week to four instead of three. Given the increased number of coaches and the needs of our athletes we are planning to make that change in February or March. That change will undoubtedly accelerate the improvement of our collective and individual skills. We will be asking for feedback from our membership regarding the potential change since it will very likely require an increase in fees (still the best bargain in Texas).

Team Photos

We are hoping that Saturday, January 30 will be a beautiful Round Rock day for our first “official” team photos. Expect to arrive to practice early. More soon.

Scrimmaging

We’ve put a tentative marker for Saturday Zilla scrimmages every other Saturday on our calendar. Given that we will resume with physical contact we can expect to host scrimmages or more formal game days in the coming months.

Parent Meeting and Collegiate Recruiting

We had to postpone an online parent meeting and collegiate recruiting session originally scheduled for January 7. That meeting will get on the calendar soon and will feature one of the most knowledgable people in Texas regarding the collegiate recruiting process (hint: get your water polo resume in order).

Milestones

In all the hoopla surrounding the holidays we neglected to point out that in December, Joey and Declan both turned 15. And in just a couple days “Big Game” James turns 14. Happy Birthday!

Oh, and did you happen to catch page 5 of the most recent edition of Skip Shot Magazine?

Luca Skip Shot Winter 2020

2021 is here and we couldn’t be happier. Stay safe and #BeYourBest.

James

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Holiday Schedule, Recruiting Chalk Talk, Tourney Recaps

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The 2020 tournament season is over. So, a recap and some other important scheduling updates for us through January.

North Texas Tournaments

AquaTex finished its busiest ever year with four rosters at two tournaments 40 minutes apart in North Texas. And while the younger teams were pretty lean they found some success Ironman-style. Our 7th grade u co-ed team, featuring the scoring-addicted Tomas and our lefty assist-man assassin Tristan, helped the team to an impressive fourth place finish, including yet another shootout win to finish the competition.

Also at TAGS, our very young 9th grade u co-ed team held up against some teams featuring some pretty huge players. That included a gutsy win over Cowtown to finish the tournament on a high note. Jacob took Coach Kendall’s advice and scored some timely goals from the posts, James was a scoring machine from the left-hand side, Tristan (that guy again!) was a huge attacking threat from his left-hander side, and Morgan won every sprint she started, plus continued her assault on the front of the cage.

Across town our 18u girls had a very good weekend with a third place finish at the Cowtown Stampede. Kendall continues her perimeter shooting onslaught, Cammi is becoming a counter attacking machine, and Morgan earns the attention of the opposing team with her attacks on the cage. Mac and Riley (the thief) were big contributors to the very successful weekend for the 18u boys, who went 3-1 to place top four in the highly competitive festival.

A year-ending well done to all those who participated and excelled, including our friends from Longhorn.

Scheduling

The schedule for December and January is updated. We will not be taking our traditional year-end break but should have some fun practices before January arrives. The calendar is now updated: we’ll continue Monday/Wednesday weekday practices and weekend practices on (mostly) Saturday. Once school is out, practices will be from noon to 2 PM.

This Week

We are moving practice from Wednesday to Thursday this week due to a high school swim meet. On Wednesday we’ll have our 7:30 Chalk Talk with Justin Pudwill joining us to share his success in utilizing a 4-2 offense while he was head coach at Whittier College.

And all practices originally planned for Saturday are moved to Sunday at noon. That includes FREE Scorpions Ball for any athlete age 5-11. Bring lots of friends, and spread the word.

Masters

We will plan on hosting masters’ shoot-arounds after any youth practices during the weekend. Sessions will start at 2 PM or whenever the youth practice ends.

COVID and Coaches

To perhaps help give some peace of mind to our families, some Covid news. I today tested negative as did Coaches Alon and Kendall in the past couple weeks. We’re pleased to note that we have experienced only one known case among coaches and athletes since March, and that athlete had stopped practicing with us weeks before reporting it. So there was never any exposure to it by other athletes.

January Parent Meeting and Collegiate Recruiting

We have an online parent meeting on the calendar for Thursday, January 7 at 7:30 PM. In addition to going over plans for the club in 2021 we expect to have an extremely knowledgeable guest join us to go over details of college water polo recruiting. An invitation is forthcoming. Parents and athletes are welcome to take part.

Gear for the Holidays

Not only is there plentiful AquaTex Waterpolo swag available for your holiday gifting needs, you can also support the TXWaterpolo Podcast and news site by giving loved ones some beautiful TXWaterpolo (and Total Waterpolo) gear at the TWp Sports Store.

Happy Holidays, everyone, and I’ll see you bundled in the parking lot.

James

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TAGS, Cowtown Stampede Mark the End of 2020

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We’re headed to North Texas this weekend for two tournaments, so check in for all the relevant details.

Tournaments

General rules: athletes should be there 45 minutes prior to game time prepared for warmup outdoors.

Cowtown Stampede

  • AquaTex 18u girls first game vs. Viper Pigeons at 3:00 PM Saturday
  • AquaTex 18u boys first game vs. Cowtown Renegades at 1:30 PM Saturday.

Find everything related to the Cowtown Stampede on the event page. That includes links to the two waivers required of each athlete, coach, and table worker (get those done by Wednesday please); rosters and cap numbers; safety guidelines; and the live schedule. Those teams will be coached by Tom Andrew.

TAGS

  • AquaTex 9th grade u first game vs. Thunder Black at 9:30 AM on Saturday.
  • AquaTex 7th grade u first game vs. Thunder Silver at noon.

Same with the Texas Age Group Championships. You can find rosters, the schedule, safety guidelines and a lot more on the event page. Coached by James, Kendall, and Becca Andrew.

Holiday Training Schedule

Given that we have new coaches (yes!) who will be available, we will not be having our traditional two-week break between Christmas and the new year. We’re waiting for the swim team to nail down its schedule but you can tentatively plan on practice on Mondays, Wednesdays at noon and on Saturdays at noon (likely) during the weeks school is closed. Of course, exceptions for Christmas Day, New Years Day.

Also, because of a swim meet scheduled at Micki on Dec. 18-19 we will shift all our water polo programming to Sunday the 2oth. That includes Scorpion Ball, youth training, and masters. Check out the calendar.

See you there,

James

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Roster Calls for TAGS, Cowtown Stampede

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Happy Holidays, AquaTexans. Right to it as the year winds down.

Roster Calls

Only a few players have signed up via the TeamUnify interface for the two remaining tournaments of 2020, which both take place in North Texas on December 14-15. I strongly suspect that there are more who actually want to play so let me know by Wednesday if you’re committed. You can email or SMS me if you prefer.

  • Cowtown Stampede
    • 18u boys: none
    • 18u girls: Kendall
  • TAGS
    • 9th grade u coed: Aaron, Jacob, Kelly, Cruz
    • 7th grade u coed: Cruz

We have committed to both tournaments (and paid) so want the biggest AQTX turnout possible. Rosters are due from me to the tournament organizers on Dec 5 so I need to know soon who wants to go.

A couple other pieces of info for each tournament:

TAGS Hotel Info

The deadline to reserve your rooms at the tournament hotel has been extended to Friday, December 4th.  The tournament hotel is the Hampton Inn & Suites Dallas – The Colony. The hotel rate is only $70/night and it is directly across the highway from the pool (very close to the facility with many restaurants within walking distance from the hotel).
  • Address/Phone: 3650 Plano Pkwy, The Colony, TX 75056, 469-362-1111
  • Rate: $70 per night (Friday and/or Saturday)
  • Reserve Rooms by Friday, December 4th (UPDATED)
  • Free Breakfast, Parking, Wifi

Cowtown Stampede

There are two waivers each athlete, coach, and table worker need to complete before they are allowed into the facility. Both waivers along with everything else you need to know about the tournament can be found here.

There are no spectators allowed inside the venue, although they are planning to stream the games live (link can be found at that link above). Each team is allowed to provide two table workers per game (same volunteers throughout the tournament preferred), so if you are interested in helping out and being able to watch the games in person, let me know and I can add you to our table worker list.

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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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Central Texas Festival Details, and We Finally Scrimmage

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Central Texas Festival

It’s on! USA Water Polo, along with local hosts AquaTex and Zilla, will put on the first full-contact sanctioned water polo tournament in Texas since the lockdown.

Here are some details about the Central Texas Festival from USAWP:

The USA Water Polo – Central Texas Festival will be played over two weekends in early October in North Austin. The 14U & 12U Mixed Divisions will play on October 3-4 in Cedar Park at the Elizabeth Millburn Park Pool in Cedar Park, TX. The 18U/16U Girls & Boys Divisions will play on October 10-11 at the Mikki Krebsbach Swimming Pool in Round Rock, TX.

Spreading the tournament out over two weekends allows for us to maximize team entries and have the most flexibility with planning the event. This event will be a USA Water Polo run tournament, and [Joe Linehan] will supervise/oversee the tournament with local club hosts Aquatex and Zilla…

The four divisions for the Central Texas Festival will be:

  • 18U/16U Girls (a single division, possibly “A” and “B” brackets)
  • 18U/16U Boys (a single division, possibly “A” and “B” brackets)
  • 14U Mixed
  • 12U Mixed

The Age as of Date for all divisions will be August 1, 2020. All teams will receive a minimum of four games in a “festival” style format over the two day tournament. The hope is for all clubs throughout the Southwest Zone that want to participate will be able to participate in the event. “B” Teams will be permitted to play in the tournament if space is available.

AquaTex Team Entries

AquaTex has already entered and paid for a 14u mixed team to play in the tournament. We will also add at least one 18u team which would include many of our 14u athletes in addition to our high schoolers (AquaTex and Longhorn). The 14u athletes will get eight games total. I’ll be discussing with Coaches Tom and Allie from Longhorn if there are enough athletes to field a girls’ 18u team, or maybe more. #Excited

Volunteers

Unwritten in the note above is that there is some chance that we will host some games at Micki on Sunday, October 4 in addition to definitely hosting the weekend of October 10-11. We’re going to need our best ever turnout for volunteers: desk workers, covid monitors, entry gate personnel, concessions (if we choose). We already know there are two teams from California who have asked to register so it will be a very popular weekend of competition. We’re very pleased to have our friends from Longhorn training with us and playing on AquaTex teams, so we are grateful for Longhorn and AquaTex families pitching in.

Zilla Scrimmage(s)

It was simply amazing to be back in the pool playing actual water polo last Saturday at Milburn Pool with Zilla. Our 14u athletes showed genuine progress with all the work we’ve been doing, as did our high school team, which faced some very talented Zilla players. Those scrimmages will take place every other Saturday at Milburn so we will plan on copying the routine we used last Saturday: practice, break, scrimmage. Thanks to everyone who came and to Kristin Gordon for the photo!

These scrimmages are not mandatory but I can’t stress how important it is for our athletes to actually execute the things they learn in practice during competition. This is a chance to do so at no cost. These should not be considered optional unless there is good reason to miss it. And as I mentioned to everyone on Saturday, the scrimmage is not a replacement for practice. If an athlete has not been to enough practices he or she will not be allowed to play. #beyourbest

Saturdays Hiatus

Our youth and masters players get a month worth of Saturdays off. All waterpolo is cancelled for Sept 19 (AQTX Swim Meet), Sept 26 (USA Water Polo ODP), Oct 3 (HS swim meet), and Oct. 10 (Central Texas Festival at Micki).

Weekly Online Learning

Athletes should keep an eye open for the link to our Thursday night Zoom chalk talks. These are required of all our athletes since we do not have classroom facilities at Micki where we could do it in person.

Jolyn Fitting

The fitting suits are here. You can try them on for the next week or so at practice.

Olympic Development Program at Micki

Registration is open for the girls’ Olympic Development Program clinic at Micki on September 26. The boys’ sold out in less than 72 hours so we’re looking for the same from our local female athletes.

Scorpions Ball

A reminder that Coach Hayley is back to lead our Scorpions Ball program which will start the fall on Thursday, September 24 from 6.30 PM to 7.30 PM. The program is for athletes age 5-11, designed to provide basic skills and understanding of the sport of water polo in a fun, dynamic, safe, and easy to learn aquatic experience. It costs $5/session and $10 annual USA Water Polo fee. The registration process is new and simpler (and mandatory). Click here for the link.

New Podcast

I founded the brand Total Waterpolo in 2008 and have finally put a podcast out there to expand its coverage. The first edition includes my conversation with Preslav Djippov, who is the new head coach at Westcliff University in Irvine which is fielding a varsity team for the first time ever. And my colleague Michael Randazzo speaks with the father-daughter combination of Nathan and Nioka Thomas, he a two-time Olympian, and she an incoming freshman at UC Irvine. Subscribe on many of the most popular platforms and tell a friend.

See you on the deck,

James

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Big Tournament News, Scorpions Ball Returns, Masters Battle

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Slowly we’re returning to some sort of normal. Not quite, but there are some encouraging signs. Masters are back in the pool, Scorpion Ball is returning, our numbers are growing, and we might be hosting… an actual tournament!

Tournament

USA Water Polo wants to co-host a tournament at Micki, tentatively set for October 10-11 (Oct. 3rd and 4th, which we floated last week, won’t work for scheduling reasons). The Central Texas tournament would be split so younger athletes would play at Milburn in Cedar Park and older ones at Micki. It’s exciting news for us since it would be the first full-contact tournament in Texas since prior to the lockdown.

USA Water Polo will be managing the tournament but AquaTex will be required to have volunteers run the tables and oversee hospitality. We also have the opportunity to sell concessions and gear.

Welcome (Back)

We’re very happy to have Aaron back with AquaTex after a long hiatus. Welcome back! And our partnership with Longhorn has been so good for the club as we have several of their athletes training with us while UT is closed. We love having them with us: Greyson, Kelly, Owen, and the recent influx of 12u athletes, Cruz, Flora, Chase, Nick, and Landon. #AquaHorns

Attendance Records

We’ve had some questions about practice attendance, so that information is now available to our families via this Google sheet. #BeYourBest

Scorpions Ball (formerly Splashball) Returns

Coach Hayley Krebsbach is back to lead our Scorpions Ball program which will start the fall on Thursday, September 24 from 6.30 PM to 7.30 PM. The program is for athletes age 5-11, designed to provide basic skills and understanding of the sport of water polo in a fun, dynamic, safe, and easy to learn aquatic experience. It costs $5/session and $10 annual USA Water Polo fee. The registration process is new and simpler (and mandatory). Click here for the link.

Weekly Online Learning

We’ll return to Zoom in order to go over game film and other technical and tactical aspects of the game that we don’t get to cover during pool time training. It’ll be scheduled for every Thursday at 7:30 PM. Look for a Zoom invite via our GroupMe and/or email.

Jolyn Fitting

We’ll be receiving a Jolyn fit kit for their new water polo suits. We can do fittings beginning as early as practice on Sept. 16. The kit will be available at practice for at least a week.

Masters

We’ve had really good turnout for our Saturday masters’ shoot-arounds, which have included massive “ultimate” rules battles. Thanks to everyone for coming. There are several cancellations due to schedule conflicts on the calendar so check it out before you arrive at Micki.

Olympic Development Program at Micki

Registration is open for the first clinics of the season for USA Water Polo’s Olympic Development Program. They will be held at Micki on September 26 and 27. Girls will attend on Saturday afternoon and boys on Sunday morning. Coach James is in his fifth season as Head Coach of the program along side some of the best coaches in Texas.

RYTE Sport Store

RYTE has told me that their ordering process has changed for certain items, mainly those that require embroidery. So we will now be keeping the RYTE store open for limited times at the beginning of each season/session. It will be open for the remainder of September and will then re-open in November as the winter season arrives.

See you on the deck,

James

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