By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor
Memorial Day is here and perhaps you’re wondering how your child will get in shape for Junior Olympics, HaBa WaBa or get noticed by that special college coach that he or she adores.
Welcome to Swimming World’s 2018 Summer Water Polo Camp Guide. As this is our FIRST-ever guide to youth polo camps, there’s sure to be MANY oversights. We have striven to be comprehensive in our coverage, but invite readers to chime in with either additional camps and / or experiences.
We have camps from all over the United States as well as a couple of international camps.
Enjoy!
EAST
PROVIDENCE, RI: The Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center in Providence is one of the newest—and finest—in the Northeast. Felix Mercado, Brown men’s and women’s head coach, runs a highly regarded camp with three separate sessions.
A very desirable residential camp—with a commuter option—that often sells out because Mercado is a hands-on manager of his signature camp. Plus, he often finds diamonds in the rough for his men’s and women’s programs at his camp.
Elite Water Polo Camp 1: Dates: June 25 – 28, 2018 (Monday – Thursday) Coed ages 13 – 19 by the start of camp
Elite Water Polo Camp 2: Dates: July 31 – August 3, 2018 (Tuesday – Friday); Eligibility: Coed ages 13 – 19 by the start of camp
Price: Residential – $699; Commuter – $400
Water Polo Skills Camp: Dates: August 4 – 7, 2018 (Saturday – Tuesday); Eligibility: Coed ages 12 – 19 by the start of camp
Price: Residential – $574; Commuter – $275
Contact: Felix Mercado, Felix_Mercado@brown.edu
Crimson Water Polo Clinic
CAMBRIDGE, MA: Camp at Blodgett Pool, Harvard’s indoor, Olympic-sized varsity facility, will be run by Ted Minnis, one of the East’s best men’s and women’s coaches, and Cassie Churnside, Minnis’ top assistant.
The camp description says this open clinic program is open to athletes of all skill levels, including individual players and teams.
Dates: August 3 – 5 (Friday – Sunday)
Price: $475 (hotel rooms available for a separate fee)
Contact: CrimsonWaterpoloClinic@gmail.com
Photo Courtesy: USA Water Polo/KLC Fotos
PRINCETON, NJ: Two separate sessions at one of the East’s finest aquatics facilities. Run by Derek Ellingson, who has been involved with Princeton men’s and women’s varsity polo for the past 14 years, there are always a host of local coaches and former Division I athletes on hand.
A well-organized camp on the Princeton campus; many local DI coaches around. Residential option draws players from as far away as Florida and Texas.
Elite Camp | Session 1: Dates: June 21 – June 24 (Thursday – Sunday);
Elite Camp | Session 2: Dates: August 1 – August 4 (Thursday – Sunday);
Eligibility: Entering Grades 5-12 in September 2018
Residential Fee: $695.00
Contact: 609-258-3369 / camps@princeton.edu
Ulmis Iordace. Photo Courtesy: Greenwich Sentinel
East Coast Performance Water Polo Clinic
GREENWICH, CT: High quality weekend camp at the home of Greenwich Aquatics, the Northeast’s strongest age group program, and run by its head coach, Ulmis Iordache. All athletes must have previous water polo experience, must be 11+ years old, and current USA Water Polo members.
Includes Adria Delgado, professional player in Barcelona; Rio Olympian; Pere Estrany, professional player with Waspo Hannover 98, Germany; Michael Zellner; goalie coach and two-time Olympian (2004, 2008); Dimitry Goanta, professional player in Romania; Olympian (2012).
Dates: Saturday, Jul. 7, 2018 – Sunday, July 8, 2018
Price: Commuter – $360
Contact: Ulmis Iordache – ulmis@yahoo.com / 203-606-3956
5Meter Water Polo Camp Miami
MIAMI, FL. The 18th annual Miami Winter Water Polo Camp will be held in Miami, Florida and features Olympian Genai Kerr.
Dates: December 27 – 30 (Thursday – Sunday)
Residential Fee: $495
Contact: info@5meter.com / 877-824-7656
ANNAPOLIS, MD. This camp, at the U.S. Naval Academy’s fantastic aquatics facility, is listed as being for: “The serious athlete who has aspirations to play at the college level.” Given that it’s run by Luis Nicolao—a Navy grad and for years one of the East’s top coaches while at Princeton—means players’ college aspiration are going to be greatly enhanced. Nicolau, now the Navy men’s head coach, and his staff will be sure to match great coaching with a premier pool.
Session 1: June 22 – June 25, 2018 Ages: 10- 19
Session 2: June 29 – July 2, 2018 Ages: 10 – 19
Price: Residential – $645; Commuter – $585
Contact: Luis Nicolao – Nicolao@usna.edu
MIDWEST
Chicago Water Polo Showcase
HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL Clinic—run by John Abdou, USA Water Polo’s Chief High Performance Director—introduces athletes to college-level instruction from current NCAA and National Team Coaches, while also educating athletes on what it takes to be recruited and successful at the college level. Athletes must be entering at minimum their 10th grade year in high school and be prepared for rigorous college-level instruction. Athletes will receive position-specific training for: Goalies, Centers, Defenders, and Attackers.
Includes: Gavin Arroyo – Long Beach State head coach and Olympian (1996, 2000); John McBride – Bucknell University head coach; Pat Beemer – University of La Verne head coach.
Dates: June 23 – 24 (Saturday – Sunday)
Price: Commuter – $225
Contact: Timothy Daniel; Nepolo7@hotmail.com / 847-208-3428
WEST
Azevedo-Wright UCLA Water Polo Academy Program
LOS ANGELES, CA. Combining two of the marquee names in US water polo, this camp features Tony Azevedo, a five-time Olympian, and Adam Wright, his teammate from the 2004 and 2008 and 2012 Olympic squads. All at UCLA’s beautiful Spieker Aquatics Center. A special guest coach is five-time Olympian Stefano Tempesti, the great Italian goalie who led the Azzuri to silver in the 2012 London Games.
For boys & girls, ages 10-18
Dates: July 9-13 (Monday – Thursday)
Price: Residential – $995; Commuter – $795
Contact: sara@azevedowaterpolo.com
Photo Courtesy: USA Water Polo/Jared Gray
Cal Water Polo Camps
BERKELEY, CA. If you want your child to spend a week in San Francisco honing polo skills, there’s nothing like working with Kirk Everist and Coralie Simmons. Everist, head coach for the Cal men’s program, oversees the Cal Boy’s Water Polo a three-day training program opportunity in June, for players ages 11-14 (Skills Camp) and players 13-18 (Advanced Skills). Includes assistant coach Jeff Tyrell.
Simmons, the Golden Bear’s women’s coach, runs Cal Girl’s Water Polo Camp offers a three-day training program opportunity in June, to high school level players ages 13-18. Andrew Silva is a special assistant, who will join Cal coaches Christopher Lee and Heather Petri.
Dates: Boys – June 18 – 21 (Monday – Thursday); Girls – June 15 – 17 (Friday – Sunday)
Price: Residential – $625; Commuter – $450
Contact: 800-645-3226
LOS ANGELES, CA. If you want to be the best, not only do you have to play the best, it helps to be coached by the best. And what could be better than being coached by Jovan Vavic at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center (Bruin fans: no comment!). For ages 8 and older.
Staff includes long-time USC coaches Marko Pintaric and Casey Moon.
Session 1: June 4 -8 (Monday – Friday)
Session 2: June 11 – 15 (Monday – Friday)
Session 3: June 18 – 22 (Monday – Friday)
Session 4: June 25 – 29 (Monday – Friday)
Price: Residential – $694; Commuter – $495
Contact: 310-750-6989 / Info@JVWPC.com
MALIBU, CA. If there’s one place in the continental U.S. that is a perfect setting for polo, it’s the Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool at Pepperdine University. Having Terry Schroeder—one of the most accomplished American water polo athletes and coaches—and Merrill Moses, a four-time Olympian, coaching young athletes is as good as it gets.
Session 1: June 18 – 22 (Monday – Friday)
Session 2: June 25 – 29 (Monday – Friday)
Session 3: July 9 – 13 (Monday – Friday)
Session 4: July 30 – August 3 (Monday – Friday)
Price: Residential – $725; Commuter – $565
Contact: (818) 889-8732 / malibuh2opolo@gmail.com
NIKE 5Meter WATER POLO CAMPS at UC Santa Cruz
SANTA CRUZ, CA. US Sports Camp is offering Nike 5Meter Water Polo Camps, led by former Olympian Genai Kerr on the campus of UC Santa Cruz
Dates: June 27 – 30 (Wednesday – Saturday)
Price: Residential – $625; Commuter – $425
Contact: info@5meter.com / 877-824-7656
CORONADO CA. Set in beautiful Coronado outside of San Diego, an ideal Southern California location. Camp draws athletes 14-18 years of age with strong swimming skills seeking to improve their games. Camp Director Randall Burgess is acknowledged as one of the best youth water polo coach in California, and he’s brought in a strong crop of coaches. Key is new Navy coach Luis Nicolao; San Diego has the country’s largest naval base; this offers an ideal opportunity for players interest in a future playing polo at the Naval Academy.
Includes: Ferenc Vindisch, Technical Director, Saanich Water Polo School, Carin Crawford, Head Coach, San Diego State University
Dates: July 9 – July 12 (Monday – Thursday)
Price: Commuter – $395
Contact: rbpolo@gmail.com
John Tanner. Photo Courtesy: Erin Chang
PALO ALTO, CA. There’s few finer facilities for polo in America than the Avery Aquatic Center. Having some of the best coaches in the game—John Vargas, head coach for the Cardinal men’s program and former U.S. Men’s Senior National Team Coach, and John Tanner, six-time NCAA champion with Stanford women’s team—makes this one of the country’s most desirable camps.
Boys Beginning/Intermediate Day Camp:
Session 1 – June 18-21 (Monday – Thursday) 9am – 12pm session and 1 – 4pm session; designed to be taken together)
Session 2 – June 26-29 21 (9am – 12pm session and 1 – 4pm session; designed to be taken together)
Price: Commuter – $220 for morning session; $220 for afternoon session
Boys Advanced Camp – June 22-25 (Friday – Monday)
Girls Beginning/Intermediate Camp
Session 1: June 18-21 21 (Monday – Thursday) 9am – 12pm session and 1 – 4pm session; designed to be taken together
Session 2: June 26-29 (Tuesday-Friday) 21 9am – 12pm session and 1 – 4pm session; designed to be taken together
Price: Commuter – $220 for morning session; $220 for afternoon session
Girls Advanced Clinics – Mon, July 30; Session 1 – 10:00 am-12:00 pm; Session 2 – 12:45-2:45 pm
Price: Commuter – $120 per session
Contact: Susan Ortwein 650-725-9016 / sortwein@stanford.edu
UCLA’s combined success in men’s and women’s polo is unparalleled. With Adam Wright now overseeing both the Bruin’s men’s and women’s program, this coed water polo camp program is an ideal opportunity for boys & girls ages 14-18 to work with one of the nation’s best coaches.
Session 1: August 3-5 (Friday – Sunday)
Session 2: August 6-8 (Monday – Wednesday)
Price: Residential – $635; Commuter – $410
Contact: 310-206-3550 / camps@athletics.ucla.edu
Photo Courtesy: USA Water Polo/KLC Fotos
Wolf Wigo’s Santa Barbara Water Polo Camps
If there’s a gold standard in water polo, Wolf Wigo is it. Co-founder of Kap7, the nation’s largest water polo equipment manufacturer, head coach for the UC Santa Barbara men’s team, and two-time Olympian (2004, 2008, 2012), Wigo runs one of the country’s best water polo camps.
Coaches include: Brad Schumacher—Olympian in water polo (2000) and swimming(1996), John Abdou, and Brandon Brooks, Olympian (2000, 2004).
Session 1: June 24-27, 2018
Session 2: June 30-July 3, 2018
Session 3: July 8- July 12, 2018
Session 4: August 1-4, 2018
Session 5: August 4-7, 2018
Session 6: December 28-30
Price: Residential – $695; Commuter – $485 (Session 6 is $485 Residential; $465 Commuter)
Contact: goletapolo@yahoo.com
INTERNATIONAL
LES CORTS, BARCELONA, SPAIN. If you would like an international adventure for you child, there’s perhaps no better place to go than Barcelona. Led by Quim Colet, sports director of the BIWPA Academy, ex-member of the team of the Spanish team at the Beijing and London Olympics and with extensive experience as a coach. They will be accompanied by Yuri Colet (CN Poble Nou), Sarah Lizote (Honor division player with CE Mediterrani), Joel Esteller (honor division player with CN Barcelona) and Sergi Clols (honor division player with the CN Catalunya) among others.
Dates: July 2-6 (Monday – Friday) and July 9-13 (Monday – Friday)
Price: Residential – $1,272 (approximate); does not include airfare
Contact: info@biwpa.com / +34 664 549 435
Ivo Tucak. Photo Courtesy: Beeldboot.nl\Gertjan Kooij
AdriaPolo: Water Polo Camps for Teams
PHILIP AND JACOB, CROATIA. Barcelona is a great European city for polo, Croatia is a fantastic country for the sport, and what could be better than playing on the on the Adriatic coast with your teammate! The AdriaPolo Team Camps—overseen by Predrag Majica—are designed for teams to improve together.
TThe Team Academy program couples the opportunity to learn, play water polo with other water polo teams, all while enjoying the summer on the Adriatic coast. Coach Majica will work with team coaches to custom design exercises and drills, test team strategies and tactics to create a program for success.
Among the coaches listed is Ivo Tucak, the Croatian National Team men’s head coach who last year engineered a stunning upset of Serbia at the 2017 FINA World Water Polo Championships.
Dates: By appointment
Price: Residential – TBD
Contact: TBD