Aug 21, 2013
USA Water Polo Clubs are spread throughout the country; however there is a few that stand out. The New York Athletic Club currently has fourteen water polo players on both the Men's and Women's National Teams. From the men's team, nine of its sixteen players are from New York Athletic water polo Club, and from the women's team, five out of seventeen.
New York Athletic Club was founded in 1868. Its founders were Henry Buermeyer, John Babcock, and William Curtis who all had an interest in developing and growing amateur sports in the U.S. The club started with championships for boxing, swimming, wrestling, and track & field, but has since grown to include basketball, fencing, lacrosse, running, tennis, water polo, handball, rowing, soccer, table tennis, cycling, judo, rugby, squash, team handball, and triathlon.
Its members have been represented in the Olympics and have won, over the years, 119 gold medals, 53 silver medals, and 59 bronze medals. Forty athletes from NYAC competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and twelve of its athletes won gold in the 2012 London Olympics. Other notable accomplishments NYAC has done is it built the first squash courts in the U.S in 1903, its members introduced competitive fencing, it planned the first indoor track meet and outdoor track and field championships in the U.S.
The club has a city house located in New York, New York on Central Park South. Along with the city house, NYAC also has a summer clubhouse on Travers Island, New York. NYAC's members on the current Senior National men's water polo are Tony Azevedo, Shea Buckner, Matt DeTrane, JW Krumpholz, John Mann, Merrill Moses, Andy Stevens, and Janson Wigo. On the women's water polo Senior National team are Betsey Armstrong, KK Clark, Courtney Mathewson, Kelly Rulon, and Lolo Silver. The official site for New York Athletic Club is www.nyac.org .
SOCAL Water Polo Club
NYAC Water Polo members might dominate the Men's and Women's Senior National Team, but they are not the only club that provides elite athletes to the team. SOCAL water polo club has four members on the women's team.
SOCAL Water Polo Club was founded in 1987 with their mission being to develop young players' water polo skills in hopes of them playing in high school and college. The club offers summer sessions and has a Splashball program to help develop athletes five years and up. Along with developing water polo players, the club also recognizes the importance of education and believes its players should be good in academics to help them not only with water polo but with their life beyond the sport as well.
Based on their mission statement, SOCAL has continued to develop talented water polo players who compete at a high level. The Club has won USA Water Polo Chairman's Cup Award Winner for years 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2006. Members from SOCAL on the current Women's Water Polo Team are Rachel Fattal, Jillian Kraus, Danielle Warde, and Tumua Annae. SOCAL provides water polo players with the skills to compete in and out of the pool. In hopes to continue to grow and cultivate future water polo athletes, SOCAL offers a new member free week trial. To join the SOCAL club, visit their site at http://www.socalwaterpolo.org/w/.
