BAC Coaches Blog

This weekend, February 9-10th, Stanford University is hosting its annual collegiate women’s water polo tournament. Games will run Saturday from 8am thru 8pm, then on Sunday from 8:30am thru 5:30pm, with the championship game begin held at 4:30pm Sunday afternoon. The game schedule can be viewed using the link below, and admission is free for everyone. This should be a great weekend of competitive water polo - I hope that many of you can make it!

 http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/w-wpolo/08-stanford-invitational.html

The Pacific Zone is hosting a development camp for boys and girls born in 1995 or later. There are six sessions and the whole camp only costs $55. This is a great opportunity for our athletes to get more experience, and meet other athletes in the sport. I would encourage anyone who can make it to attend!

 For more information you can visit http://www6.relevanttools.com/8644/2008_dev_camp.pdf

Please let me know if you have any questions.

 Amy

Hello Everyone,

 I hope that you have enjoyed your winter season with us at BAC. The coaches have seen a ton of improvement, and are very optimistic about the future! Don’t forget to sign up for the spring season which will be starting on February 18th!

All of our groups have games this weekend to help wrap up the season. I just wanted to say good luck and have fun!

 Amy

We had our first parent coach conferences last week, and they all went great! Thank you to those of you who took the time to meet with us. I have personally enjoyed getting to know all of you better. 

For those of you who have not made an appointment yet, we still have some time open. We would love to see you! And for those of you who already have appointments, we look forward to seeing you soon! 

Amy 

Welcome back from the holidays! We had a few short weeks with only a few practices due to the rain and the holidays, but we are now back in full swing.
The past week has been great!  All of our athletes learned about 6 on 5. For those of you who do not know what this is, it is similar to a power play in hockey - the offensive team has an extra player. Specifically, everyone learned how to set up our offense when we have the extra player, and some groups even learned how to run a specific play (6 in).

We had an even better weekend, with all of our teams playing in their first games this weekend. Our 14 and unders hosted games at Burlingame. We had so many athletes that we split into two groups, and each group played 2 games. The high school boys were in a tournament at Lynbrook High School and came away 2-1. Finally, the high school girls traveled to Mitty High School for a scrimmage where they had their own success.
Congratulations to all of our athletes for their hard work in practice and their achievements in their games!
Amy

Hello again from the pool Deck! 

The last 2 weeks were even better than the first one. As more athletes continue to sign up, our practices continue to become more competitive. 

During week 2 we focused on defense. Every group learned how to play proper “turn-side” defense, as well as how to play defense in the “lanes.” (Parents, feel free to ask your athletes about these terms - I am sure they would all be happy to give you a great demonstration!). We also learned a skill that my sister Suze (Club Director) once told me was the most important skill I could practice on my own to help me become a great water polo player. What skill is that? A reversal. Reversals are the most efficient way to change direction in the water, and although they may be difficult to learn, they will make every athlete’s life easier in the long run. 

This week we have gone back to offense. Everyone learned two types of wet shots on Day 1 (a shot taken from off the water while you are horizontal in the water) – a screw shot and a t-shot. When perfected, these shots can be taken without the goalie even flinching. 

Our last main skill for the week will be picks. Both of the older groups will practice picks this afternoon, and the younger kids will get a chance to try them out at their elite practice. Picks are a great way to get open for a pass, or even a shot. 

I know it seems like we are rapidly learning many new skills - but don’t worry there are many more to come! 

Enjoy your break and we will see you all at the pool again soon! 

- Amy

Hello and welcome to all of our BAC water polo athletes and families.  I am pleased to announce that the winter season is already off to a great start!

This week we started out by getting back to the fundamentals on all levels.  We reviewed the proper techniques for throwing and shooting the ball, as well as how our offense should set up.  Even though this may seem rather basic, it is very important for both new AND returning athletes.

Having attended a majority of all practices this week, I can safely say that the coaching staff is already seeing improvements in our athletes, and we are all very excited about the further possibilities this winter.

We hope to be seeing all of you around the pool regularly, but in case you miss anything I will be sure to update you here!

 - Amy

Former BAC water polo player Cole Bielskis scored the winning goal that put UC Irvine ahead for good in a tight game against top-seeded Cal. To read more, please visit the link below. Congratulations Cole!

 http://ucirvinesports.cstv.com/sports/m-wpolo/recaps/112407aaa.html

Elite Water Polo Camps are the first, nationwide water polo camps to be held in December.  It’s safe to say this might be the best collection of NCAA coaches ever assembled for these three weekends of camps.  From the coaches to the facilities to the organization, these camps provide young athletes an amazing opportunity to not only learn from the best but also to showcase their talents to these elite coaches.

 For more information on the Elite Water Polo Camps please visit www.elitepolo.com.

This weekend the USA Water Polo Men’s 20 & Under National Championship is being held at the Soda Aquatic Center at Campolindo High School.  Games will be starting at 8am Friday through Saturday and will extend into the evenings. A game schedule should be available shortly on www.pacificwaterpolo.com. If your schedule allows, I strongly encourage you to head out to the games and support this age group of athletes.  Many of these athletes are the country’s up and coming collegiate and National Team stars.  

Please note that admission will be charged.  The admission fees will be as follows: 

Daily Admission Adults (19-59) - $8 per dayChildren (10-18) & Seniors (60+) - $6 per day 

Tournament Passes  Adults (19-59) - $20 Children (10-18) & Seniors (60+) - $15  For the best seats in the house with no charge for admission we are still looking for a few volunteers to help at the scoring table.  If you are available to help please email Andrew Morris at marinwaterpolo@gmail.com. 

Let’s get some good BAC representation at the Soda Center this weekend!