Dec. 4, 2014 
Huntington Beach Calif. - December 4, 2014 -- BridgeAthletic, a smartphone app offering sport specific, customized training for athletic development, has partnered with USA Water Polo as an official training service partner. Founded by former USA Water Polo National Team athlete Michael Sharf and Olympic swimmer Nick Folker, BridgeAthletic combines high level training education and instruction with cutting edge technology available on both Apple and Android devices. In addition, BridgeAthletic branded content will appear in USA Water Polo's monthly newsletter, on USAWP social media, and at USAWaterPolo.org. Each issue of SkipShot magazine will also feature a section entitled "Bridge to Success" featuring relevant athletic development content specifically engineered for water polo athletes.
"I'm incredibly excited about the opportunity to work closely with USA Water Polo. We feel that USA Water Polo shares our values when it comes to serving the athlete first," said Michael Sharf, BridgeAthletic CEO. "Our company is comprised of athletes and coaches creating a product that we wish we had when we were playing. In a physical sport like water polo, strength training is incredibly important. Our services provide athletes and teams with a strength training system they can rely upon to take their game to the next level. I really hope the work we do with USA Water Polo will have a lasting impact on the sport, and increase our competitiveness at every age group in the international circuit. I would love to see the US National Teams standing on the podium in Rio and beyond, and know that this partnership had some impact on that success."
"BridgeAthletic will not only be a great resource for USA Water Polo but also a great resource for all USA Water Polo members who are looking for that competitive edge. Along with top flight technology, their specific water polo strength programs will provide athletes with valuable knowledge that will elevate their game," said Jeff Dyrek, USA Water Polo Director of Marketing.
BridgeAthletic also recently announced the launch of BridgeStrength for water polo. BridgeStrength is a fully customized, strength training program designed for elite athletes. Delivered straight to a smart phone or tablet, BridgeStrength is a subscription program of tailor-made strength and conditioning exercises. "BridgeStrength is geared to elite athletes ranging from age-group to the NCAA and Olympic levels, we work with both teams and individual athletes. When we start working with an athlete or a team, we begin the relationship by gathering information that we use to build our customized programs. In addition to sport, position, age, and equipment access we look at mobility and flexibility, current conditioning and fitness levels. Then we create a program of specific movements for that individual athlete designed to build on their strengths and work on their weaknesses. Because we know their competition dates, our training programs build-in a taper period, so athletes are peaking at just the right time," added Sharf.
For more information visit BridgeAthletic.com/waterpolo.
About BridgeAthletic
Launched in 2013, Bridge Athletic is headquartered in San Francisco, in a loft that is slowly tilting toward the San Andreas Fault. Bridge was co-founded by Michael Sharf, a former professional water polo player, and Nick Folker, a South African Olympian who is widely regarded among the top strength coaches in the world for Olympic and Professional athletes. The company combines big data, educational technology, and mobile computing to provide sport-specific personalized training delivered to competitive athletes via a smart phone or tablet. BridgeStrength for water polo is among the first products from BridgeAthletic. Future plans include sport specific training for elite athletes competing in lacrosse, basketball, baseball, track & field, volleyball, soccer, and endurance sports. For more information visit: http://www.bridgeathletic.com
About USA Water Polo
USA Water Polo, Inc. is the national governing body for water polo in America, overseeing our United States Olympic program as well as 20 different championship events annually, such as Junior Olympics and Masters National Championships. With more than 40,000 members, USAWP is also the sanctioning authority for more than 500 Member Clubs and more than 400 tournaments nationwide. USAWP is committed to the development of the sport throughout the US. It fosters grass-roots expansion of the sport, providing a national system of affiliated clubs, certified coaches and officials.
Official USA Water Polo Sponsors & Suppliers
Active Media, American Pistachios, Bare Fruit Snacks, Big Fish Payroll Services, Bridge Athletic, Colorado Time Systems, Deckside Pool Services, Justin's, Katin USA, KT Tape, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Malibu Wellness, Mikasa, Nestlé Nesquik, Ospraie Management, PowerBar, S & R Sport, Sea Air Federal Credit Union, Special Event Contractors, TicketPrinting.com, TYR, United, Water Marque, & ZOLL AED.
