A Closer Look: Orange County Water Polo Club
Official Name: Orange County Water Polo Club
Website: www.ocwpc.com
Club Director: Paul Fink
Age Groups and Members: 10U Coed, 12U, 14U, 16U, and 18U boys and girls; 125 total
Club Coach: Peter Asic
Home Base: JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Practice Time: The 10U squad goes three times a week while the rest of the groups practice four times a week.
How They Got Started: The club started off as a European Water Polo Academy in 2002 focusing on fundamentals such as driving and shooting. Eventually it grew into a club in 2005 known as Split OC before eventually changing to Orange County Water Polo. Currently the club focuses on playing a fast paced game of water polo while also developing the sport in Southern California by supporting the growth of younger players.
Where Do They Play: The club gets involved in most every major tournament from Junior Olympics to Speedo Cup as well as a host of other Southern California based events. It also sponsors a regional league of club competition.
On the Rise: OC Water Polo has been pretty successful in their short time on the scene. A 14U squad claimed Gold at the S&R Sport Junior Olympics back in 2005 and in 2006 the excellent play continued with a host of top 15 finishes including a first place victory at the Speedo Cup on the boys side. 2008 has been a banner year for the club as they picked up another Speedo Cup championship for the boys a little less than a month ago and also added a title at the U.S. Club Championships this past summer. Add to that a title at the newly created Southern California Age Group Championships and things are going pretty well.
National Team Connection: The club has had a host of players come through their doors that have gone on to success at the national team level. Senior National Team athletes Brittany Hayes (2008 Olympian), Erika Figge, and Adam Hewko also spent time at the initial European Academy. In addition Men's Junior Team athletes Josh Samuels, Griffin White, and Tommy O'Connell were keys to age group teams of yesteryear.