A Closer Look: Dallas Water Polo Club
Official Club Name: Dallas Water Polo Club
On the Web: www.dallaswaterpoloclub.com
Director of Club: George Fenton & Frank Connor
Age Groups & Genders: The Youth Program which started in 2009 offers programming for athletes 6-18, while the Masters program for athletes 19 & older has been around since 1987.
How Did They Get Started?: The club was started in 1986 when Loren Bertocci and Steve Koga got together and started the Club and provided the leadership in the early years. Loren was coach and Steve was a player. The club hosted the USA Water Polo Indoor National Championships in 1989, 2000 and 2002. Loren and a number of others, including Jeff Pokonosky and Marc Finley were leaders of the club at various times during that period.
In 1990, Frank Connor joined and soon started to run the tournaments (the club has been putting on three tournaments per year for almost all of its existence) and the grunt work of the club. George Fenton became club treasurer in 1991. Around that time, Loren went on to refereeing, eventually becoming a FINA ref. In 1992, Mihai Oprea joined the club as a player (he came from Romania where he had been a member of the National team and had played professionally), and in 1995 he was asked to serve as coach. He still is a player/coach, and for these many years he has been a stabilizing influence on the club.
In 1995, Mihai Oprea restarted a high school water polo league in the area (a similar league had existed in the 70’s and 80’s, but had lapsed). DWPC gave considerable assistance to this league, providing referees, clinics and encouraging selected high school students to join the Masters practices. In 2006, two other players with the Club, Chris Cullen and Andres Rodriguez, began developmental youth programs in Denton and Rockwall respectfully.
Early in the 2000's, George Fenton (the current president) started handling the majority of the affairs for the Club, with Frank still running the tournaments. In 2006, the Club reformed as a Texas non-profit company, and gained 501c3 status from the IRS in 2007. After considerable fundraising within the club, Joe Linehan was brought to the Dallas area with the intention of expanding the Club and the Dallas area to younger players. This is having considerable success, and represents the third era of the club, the first being the early establishment days with Bertocci and the second being the masters club era of Oprea, Connor and Fenton. Throughout most all of this time, the Dallas Water Polo club was the only place one could play water polo in the DFW Metroplex.
Where Is Home?: Since 2001 the main pool is the Carroll ISD Natatorium which is also the site for the three main masters tournaments in the area. In addition both the youth and masters programs use alternate facilities such as Rockwall, Denton, Plano, Carrollton, and the St. Mark's School of Texas.
Who Do They Play?: The Masters Program has hosted three tournaments through most of its existence: the Charles Dutton Memorial Tournament in March, the Dallas Summer Classic in June, and the Dallas Fall Invite in November. The Masters Program competes in other tournaments in Southwest Zone in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. The Masters Program has won the Connor Cup Series in 2006-2008 which uses five Southwest Zone Tournaments and compiles points for each club based on participation and finish. Periodically, the Club will travel out of state for tournaments such as attending Masters Nationals in June 2008 and the Dan O’Connor Memorial Tournament in October 2009.
The Youth Program participates in and hosts tournaments throughout the year in the Southwest Zone. This past summer the club played in the John hale Tournament (girls) and the National Junior Olympics (boys). In addition, the Club athletes play and compete in high school leagues and intra-club leagues.
Five Years Down The Road: The club plans to have the masters program continuing to provide the opportunities for experienced water polo athletes, hosting three high level tournaments, and traveling to various tournaments throughout the country. In 2010, the Club is determined to recapture the Connor Cup.
The Youth Program is only beginning and growth will only increase in the coming years. The number of high school programs has risen from four in 2008 to sixteen in 2009 to 20+ in 2010 (this coming spring season). Continuing to provide local developmental programs to introduce the sport to all areas of DFW will be vital to insure long term success of the Club. The current club membership for youth athletes is around 120 and the goal is to increase the number to 150+ and beyond. For 2010, the Youth Program plans to play in the USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics as well as continue to play and support the various tournaments throughout the Southwest Zone.
The Connor Cup: One of the founders of the club, Frank Connon was a 1989 inductee into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame and was a goalkeeper for the US National Team in the 1950s, including the squad that won the Pan American Games in 1959. After taking some 30 years away from the game, Connor returned to the pool to play goalie well into his 60s and 70s. While no longer playing Connor continues to serve as tournament director of the three Dallas Water Polo club tournaments.
In 2005 the Southwest Zone began the Texas Open Cup Series to award an annual trophy to the most consistent and active club program throughout the year. In 2007 the Zone board decided to name the trophy awarded to the winner in honor of Frank Connor and rename it the Connor Cup.
Big Men On Campus: Currently a few athletes are playing at the collegiate level including Michael Shashoua at USC and Brian Downs and Will Ference at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Throughout the years there have been many athletes who have played at the NCAA and collegiate club levels.
How Does Someone Get Involved With Dallas Water Polo?: All interested athletes can view all club information at www.DallasWaterPoloClub.com. For those interested in the Masters Program, please email George Fenton at ggfenton@aol.com. For parents and athletes interested in the Youth Program, please email Joe Linehan at joelinehan@earthlink.net or call 713-705-0945.
