Water Polo

USA Water Polo’s Expanding Pool Of Players

By Selena Chavis

USA WATER POLO officials hope more community-based programs will help the national program expand its reach and increase participation on all levels. Credit: Mac Photo Design

Originating as an aquatic form of rugby football, the game of water polo was first introduced as a men’s Olympic sport in 1900. In 2008, at the Beijing Olympics, the USA team won the silver medal—the first medal win since the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, and gave “a big boost for the sport,” said Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo (USAWP), the national governing body for the sport.

Building on that momentum, Ramsey said that efforts are under way to take the sport to the next level—moving outside of the elite, competitive arena into more recreational options across the country. “Our focus is very much on getting into a growth mode. We are going to expand our recreational options dramatically,” he said. “Traditionally, USAWP has focused on the elite player. Now, we’re trying to create a balance between elite play and recreational play.”

Water polo involves swimming at its core. Players pass the ball while being defended by opponents and score points by throwing the ball into a net defended by a goalie. The game requires solid swimming and ball-handling skills, as well as acute reflexes and awareness.

Water polo has one of the smallest number of participants at the high school level, but it also is one of the fastest-growing high school sports, according to recent research conducted by USAWP. Nick Baba, head of the Irvine Youth Water Polo Club in Irvine, Calif., suggested that growth on the high school level would have a natural progression to more community-based programs. “It’s hard to get a lot of clubs going in an area if there is no way to affiliate with local high schools,” he said. “You have to have the facilities available to you as well.”

The Irvine Youth Water Polo Club is part of the Southern Pacific Zone of USAWP, comprising the organization’s largest membership in the country. In fact, the sport’s greatest concentration of players is in California. Currently, 77 percent of USAWP’s 30,000 members and 70 percent of all high school players are in California; 49 percent of USAWP members are from Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties. “It’s a hot bed for water polo,” Baba said, noting that the tri-county area hosts water polo leagues and events year-round. “A kid can play water polo all year long (in California). In fact, in this area, if you’re not playing [year-round], it’s hard to be in the upper echelon of teams.”

The tri-county region provides a direct feed into many of the USAWP’s premier events, including the Junior Olympics, which hosted 360 teams last year. As the coordinator for the 2008 Junior Olympics and a participant in the Junior Olympics’ first 18U Nationals, Baba has seen the 18U Nationals go from one team to hundreds.”

Other annual events include the Masters National Championships, to be held in Irvine in June; the Olympic Development Championships in May; and the Speedo Cup in November. Locations for the latter two events are still under consideration.

Expansion Efforts
According to Ramsey, water polo participation among women has increased since it was introduced as a women’s Olympic sport at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. A number of national events and competitions for women are held annually.

According to USAWP statistics, approximately 100,000 people play water polo in the United States. In an effort to expand participation among boys and girls across the nation, USAWP developed a strategic plan to garner more interest in the sport, Ramsey said. “You are going to see more water polo in community pools, Boys and Girls Clubs and YWCAs. We are confident that we are headed in the right direction.”

USAWP’s expansion plan encompasses five major themes, including holding more trials to introduce young children to the sport; redesigning the national club support system to include more recognition opportunities, resources and one-on-one consulting; improving USAWP member value through more team and player recognition, as well as more relationship development with supporting third-party organizations; augmenting the Masters program to include more recreational multi-tier play; and establishing USAWP alumni as ambassadors who will help generate exposure, serve as coaches, referees and mentors, and help raise money for USAWP. In addition, USAWP hopes to attract 1,500 to 2,000 more athletes into Olympic training through the organization’s Olympic Development Program. “We hope all of these efforts will increase our overall pool of athletes for national teams,” Ramsey said, noting that the youth level, club support, and the alumni network could see growth before the end of the year.

One of the challenges to widespread growth will be the availability of appropriate facilities, Ramsey said. “Facilities are really key. I have been surprised by how many planners are unaware of the aquatics facilities in their area. That’s just a huge piece for us…just doing your homework.”

Ramsey said that USAWP is actively looking for more places to host events—locales with deep-water pools that USAWP can engage as partners. “We are looking for more exposure across the country through events.”