August 2008
Official Club Name: Jungle Cat Water Polo
Director: Paul Baudendistel
On the Web: www.junglecatpolo.com
Age Groups and Genders: 14U boys, 16U boys, 18U boys and the club has a few girls that play but not enough yet for their own age group
By the Numbers: As of this summer they have 96 athletes
Main Pool: Chaminade College Prep
Club Coaches: The assignments change for each coach but for the summer of 2008 it is as follows: Charlie Cutelli - 14U boys, Tom Milford - 16U boys, and John Penilla - 18U boys
How They Got Started: The club got going in 1998 as an option for players who didn't make the Daisy Water Polo Club but still wanted to play outside of the high school season. They started with 20 players with a wide variety of abilities and have grown to their current size.
Jungle 'Cat' Fever: Much like the Stevie Wonder song with the same name the Jungle Cat Water Polo Club has been a hit right out of the gate. They have flat out dominated the St. Louis water polo scene. In a recent tournament among local teams Jungle Cat claimed first, second, fourth, sixth, and 15th place. It isn't just the club season either, the players on Jungle Cat do work on the high school level. Four years ago the state of Missouri started awarding player of the year, offensive player of the year, defensive player of the year, and female player of the year. Of these sixteen awards given out somebody from Jungle Cat has heard their name called nine times. Very nice!
Who Do They Play: The club plays in a variety of settings including area club leagues, men's open tournamnents in St. Louis and Des Moines, Iowa and in recent years they have taken part in one-day age group tournaments in Chicago. They of course also look to work there way into the S & R Sport Junior Olympics every summer.
Growing Pains : Between Jungle Cat and other clubs most high school players in the area are already signed up with a club so the focus has turned to the middle school age. Jungle Cat has some 18 players this summer that are in the seventh or eighth grade and think that could be an area of expansion in coming years.
Arch Madness: With only seven high school club teams in St. Louis the club often has to venture outside of town to find games. Illinois, a neighboring state has a host of club teams but most are located in Chicago which is a five hour drive from St. Louis. The club competes in a couple of men's tournaments each year but often find themselves in the middle of the pack. An expansion of more clubs in the St. Louis area would definitely be a benefit for everyone.
Take Five: In five years the club hopes to continue to grow. As the middle school age continues to expand the club hopes to become a viable option for more and more middle schoolers. In addition water polo in general is on the rise in St. Louis which is a good sign in general for the Midwest.
Heaf's House: The gym at Loyola Marymount may already have a nickname thanks to legendary basketball player Hank Gathers. As for the pool that honor might go to Tim Heafner who scored the game-winning goal in the contest that sent the LMU Lions to the NCAA Championships. Heafner, a Jungle Cat alum has helped put the club on the map in the collegiate game.
Why Jungle Cat?: Like most water polo players will tell you, it's more fun than swimming. That is what the folks at Jungle Cat have noticed, swimmers are hooked on water polo just after a couple of practices. In addition the program has some of the finest young coaches in the area and continues to hold a commitment to play the game the right way.
