Aug 21, 2013
Water Polo Clubs
USA Water Polo, Inc. contains about 500 clubs with more than half on the West Coast. California is home to the majority of those clubs with 305. The number of clubs California holds is contrasted with the states Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Ohio, who only have one water polo club. There are also twenty-five states without a water polo club.
These series of articles will highlight those states with few to one club. If you want water polo to spread or be the first one in your state, you can do so by filling out the following application http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/uswp/genrel/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/NewClubApplication.pdf.
Iowa (Des Moines Water Polo Club):
Also located in the Midwest Zone, Iowa is known as the Hawkeye state however its state bird is an eastern goldfinch. It has professional sport teams in baseball, basketball, hockey, and football. Some of its most famous athletes are Frank Wykoff (running), Roger Craig (football), and gold medal Olympic gymnast, Shawn Johnson.
Iowa's history of water polo in college has been a challenge. Iowa State University originally had water polo clubs that were started in 2001, while the University of Iowa has a men's and women's water polo team. UI Hawkeyes began their water polo program in 1975 as a coed program but did not join the Collegiate Water Polo Association until 1999. In 2000, the Hawkeyes had enough players to form a men's and women's team and join the Big Ten Conference. Unfortunately, both water polo programs at Iowa State and University of Iowa are no longer exist.
Despite Iowa's college's lack of college success, Iowa's one water polo club is going strong. Des Moines Water Polo club is located in Iowa's capital, Des Moines. The Water Polo club was started in 1962 and anyone 16 and older can join. Des Moines holds summer water polo tournaments and will be holding its 27th annual tournament in July. Des Moines water polo club also has a summer program from the months of June to August. For more information on the club or to join the tournament, check out its official website http://dsmwaterpolo.com/.
Minnesota Water Polo Club:
Minnesota, another state in the Midwestern Zone for water polo, is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" and is the twelfth largest state. The state has professional teams in all major sports and it was originally where NBA team Lakers was started before it moved to Los Angeles. Their baseball, Minnesota Twins has two World Series Championships while their football team (Vikings) and Women's Pro Basketball team (Lynx) have one championship. While the Lakers were still playing in Minnesota, they gathered six championships. Some of Minnesota's famous athletes are Dave Winefield (baseball), Neal Broten (hockey), and Kevin Mchale (basketball).
University of Minnesota does not have a water polo team; however they have a coed club team that is part of the Recreational Sports Department. The University was selected to host the 2013 Women's National Collegiate Club Championship. 16 teams participate in the water polo tournament making it the largest collegiate water polo championship in the U.S. University of Minnesota Women's Water Polo club team participated in the tournament and finished 13th.
Beyond its Universities' water polo club, Minnesota has one water polo club located in St. Paul. The club is open to athletes 8-18+ for both men and women. For more information about Minnesota Water Polo club visit the website http://www.allteamz.com/minnesota-water-polo-club/.
New Jersey (Tiger Aquatics Water Polo)
New Jersey's water polo club is part of the Northeast Zone and is known as the Garden State. New Jersey has the highest population density in the U.S. and the most diners in the world. Although the teams Jets and Giants are associated with New York, their stadium is located in New Jersey. They have a professional hockey team called the New Jersey Devils and were home to the New Jersey Nets until they relocated to Brooklyn. Famous athletes from the Garden State are Rick Barry (NBA), Derek Jeter (MLB), Joe Flacco (NFL), Dennis Rodman (NBA), and Shaquille O'Neal (NBA).
New Jersey is home to the Ivy League school Princeton, who has both a men's and women's water polo team. The men's program was started in 1996 with the women's program following a year after. The women's team has one Ivy League Championship and seven Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships while the men's team has one Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship. The University holds coed summer water polo camps to help train athletes interested in water polo. The camp is divided into two divisions, the tiger camp for those entering grade 5-12 and elite camp for athletes entering 8-12. More information can be found at http://www.princetonsportscamps.com/camps/waterpolo.htm.
Along with Princeton's water polo teams, New Jersey has a water polo club that is located in Princeton and plays in the same complex as the University's teams. The Tiger Aquatic Water Polo Club has four different teams: Splashball and Tiger Cubs that are for novices and coed, Golden Tabby Tigers which is a girls' team, Bengal Tigers a junior team for boys 15 and under, and Siberian Tigers for men in high school and masters. To find out more about Tiger Aquatic Water Polo Club visit their website at http://tigerswaterpolo.aquanite.com/home/.
North Carolina (Greensboro Triad Water Polo)
In the Southeast water polo zone, the majority of clubs are in Florida with a few in Georgia; however North Carolina is also included in the Southeast Zone with one water polo club. It is known as the Tar Heel state and is also what the University of North Carolina is known as. North Carolina is home to the Charlotte Bobcats, Carolina Panthers, and Carolina Hurricanes but does is not home to a major league baseball team. The Carolina Panthers won the Stanley Cup in 2006 becoming the first team in North Carolina to win the highest sport's championship. The Charlotte Motor Speedway is also located in North Carolina where it hosts three races from the Sprint Cup Series. It is also home to Pinehurst Resort which hosts golf tournaments such as U.S. Open Championships, PGA Championships, and Ryder Cup Matches. Despite the amount of sports teams in North Carolina, they are best known for their college's sports team specifically UNC's basketball program.
As successful as UNC's athletic programs are UNC unfortunately does not have a men's or women's water polo team. However they do have men's and women's water polo clubs that participate in Collegiate Water Polo Association League and other water polo invitational tournaments. UNC does hold a water polo tournament where Triangle Water Polo Club, from North Carolina, participates. The Triangle Water Polo club is open to adults and have introduction to water polo clinics for youths.
Although Triangle Water Polo Club is based in North Carolina, it is not a part of USA Water Polo, Inc. The water polo club affiliated with USA Water Polo is Greensboro Triad Water Polo. The club is a men's water polo team for athletes 18 and older. The club hopes to spread water polo throughout water polo and plan on starting a youth water polo clinic in hopes of eventually adding a youth water polo team. For more information about Greensboro Triad Water Polo Club, visit their site at https://sites.google.com/site/triadwaterpolo/home or check out their twitter feed at https://twitter.com/TriadWaterPolo.
Ohio (Moose Water Polo)
Another club included in the Midwest Zone is Ohio's sole water polo club Moose Water Polo. Ohio has major sports teams in baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer. Ohio is home to eight NCAA Division I-A college football teams, with Ohio State being their best known program. The OSU's football program is ranked 5th among all-time winning football programs and seven Heisman Trophy winners. As notable as their college's success is, Ohio is also home to other famous athletes such as Jesse Owens (track), Jack Nicklaus (golf), and LeBron James (NBA).
OSU does not have a water polo team but does have men's and women's water polo club. The men's water polo club holds a Buckeye Invitational where 12 teams compete in OSU's water polo tournament. It is also part of the Collegiate Water Polo Association and competes in tournaments in the Midwestern/Eastern states.
Ohio's water polo club is called Moose Water Polo and is located in Cincinnati. The clubs contains teams for elite, novice, and youth athletes. Moose Water Polo was started in 2009 and hosts Cincinnati Shoot-Out Jose Cerda Memorial Tournament and River City Invitational. The teams are coached by local high school coaches and former players and compete with other water polo teams across the Midwest. Moose Water Polo continues to expand by adding boy's and girl's novice teams and hope to develop three levels of playing. To find out more about Moose Water Polo Club visit their website http://www.eteamz.com/moosewaterpolo/ or follow them on twitter https://twitter.com/MooseWP.
