A Closer Look - Mad Dog Water Polo (St. Louis, Missouri)

Official Name of Club: Mad Dog Water Polo

Director of Club: Gregg Emde

On the Web: www.hereweare.net/maddog/

Age Groups and Genders: Co-ed 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U

Coaches: Gregg Emde, Mark Kendall, and Morgan Dodge

Number of Members: Between 50 and 80 depending upon the season

Home Base: The club practices at Marquette High School and Lafayette High School, both in the St. Louis area.

Who Do They Play?: The club plays in all the middle school and high school leagues in their area in addition to taking teams to Speedo Cup qualifiers. On the schedule for 2009 are plans to host their own summer tournament as well as a camp that will help expose the players to some better water polo and hopefully improve their skills.

How the Mad Dogs Got Their Start: The club started up in 1999 as a summer development club at a local outdoor pool. In the fall of that year the club merged with another club that had some indoor pool time. At the time there were just about 10 members, but that number has since grown substantially. Club director Gregg Emde had the nickname of "Mad Dog" bestowed upon him years earlier and thought it would be a good name for the club. The club has helped serve a need as well as they cater to players from 12 different high school regions.

Something for the Young Ones: Mad Dog has made a point to be a club that will offer an opportunity for the younger players especially 14U and 12U. Emde got on board with the club because he had two young children playing the game and wanted them to have an opportunity, something he never did growing up. The club has had players as young as five and as old as college age. Today they have even started a "Middle School League" that accommodates a host of younger players.

10 Years Strong and Growing: Starting with just 10 people some 10 years ago the club has risen to at times 100 members in a session especially during the summer time. They hope in the future to keep growing and become recognized as one of the best clubs in the Midwest.

What Can Brown Do For You?: While they are still in the early stages compared to other water polo clubs, Mad Dog has sent their share of players off to college to play. Most notably according to Emde would be Zach Levko a junior driver at Brown University.

For more information or to join Mad Dog Water Polo visit www.hereweare.net/maddog/