Water Polo
Summer Season Practice Schedule (May - August 2012)
Tuesdays 3-5pm
Thursdays 3-5pm
Fridays 7-9pm
2012 Water Polo Age locator grid click here
We ask the kids to arrive at practice 15 minutes early to begin warm ups and stretching prior to getting into the pool.
WATER POLO NEWS
Our very own Aidan Elphick-Miner was named to the 1996-1997 Canadian Mens Youth National team! Aidan started playing water polo for Haney at the age of ten and after four years of hard work it has finally paid off!
After two years of combining Fraser Valley's u14 elite program and our very own Haney Neptunes program Aidan has come in to his own as a very dominant hole set for his age. I can proudly say from watching Adian grow and mature that there is no other young man that deserves this accomplishment as much as him.
Haney Neptune Athletes keep working as hard as you can, follow your dreams and the world stands in front of you!
Cody Dodds
Haney Neptunes Aquatic Club
Water Polo
Head Coach (Summer 2011)
MORE WATER POLO NEWS
Welcome Back and Congratulations!!
Welcome back and congratulations to our Haney Neptune Giordano Marconato! Giordano has just returned from Rome, Italy where he has spent the last two years as a member of the SS Lazio Nuoto Water Polo Club. After turning down an invitation to Team Canada's U16 squad and two years of declineing Team BC invites, Giordano says it was all worth it. He sports a shiney silver medal from the Italian Championships, this to go with his Canadian Gold medal he won in May with Pacific Storm, at the U16 National Club Championships. The Marconato's, Giordano and his little brother Nicholas have been Neptunes for years, and we are glad to see Dano back just in time for provincials to try to add to his already amazing year of hardware.
Water Polo today's hot new sport
Fast…Physical…Exciting
Early beginnings
Water polo first originated in England during the 1870's. Legend has it the sport was developed by spirited young men who wanted to play rugby and cool off at the same time. Goalies were known to block opponents by holding their heads underwater until they were unconscious. Other early forms of play saw players riding on floating "horses' made of wooden barrels.
First Olympic team sport
Men's water polo was the first team sport entered into Olympic competition. Those were the Games of 1900. After a long wait--100 years to be exact--women's water polo made it's Olympic debut in Sydney, Australia in 2000. It is the only team sport played in the water.
Today's hot new sport
Although water polo originated more than 100 years ago and historically has been long dominated by eastern European countries it is a hot, new sport in both Canada and the U.S. Players and spectators love the fast paced action and physical nature of the game. Whether it is the motion and jockeying for position, the wicked shooting or the rugged defense, water polo intrigues fans and even the uninitiated find it exciting.
Best conditioned athletes in the world
A game of extreme physical contact, it has been called " the most physically demanding and mentally challenging of all sports" by leading exercise physiologists. Not only are water polo players considered to be among the best conditioned athletes in the world covering up to 5 kilometers in an hour and 15 minute game but they are continuously stopping and starting motion, thinking about where the ball is and where it is going and working together in sync with 6 other team mates.
Canada is recognized as a water polo powerhouse
Canada is fast becoming recognized as a water polo power house. The caliber of our teams is increasing dramatically and now poses a serious challenge to the eastern European stronghold of the past. National Teams from Youth to Senior levels consistently medal in international competition, World Championships, World Aquatic Championships and the Pan Am Games.
Hooked from the start
It seems all water polo players, tell a similar story, one of being hooked from the very start. Maybe it's the unique blend of swimming, basketball, soccer, hockey and wrestling. Certainly it is this similarity to many sports that attracts a wide variety of athletes, from synchronized swimmers to soccer, basketball, football and rugby players. Beginning as early as 8 years old and playing well into their 30's and 40's, it has been said that water polo is a game that takes a few moments to learn and a lifetime to perfect.
Perhaps it is that mastery that keeps players and spectators hooked.
- Cheryl Wilson-Stewart
Dry-land and Conditioning:
Will be incorporated prior to or after practices. There will also be a theory component on tactical skills lingo and rule incorporation.
Evaluations:
Each athlete will receive a skills and tactic checklist on what will be covered over the season. The coaches will do a year-end evaluation for each athlete.
Tournament Availability:
Everyone will receive a tournament availability sheet to be filled out and returned to Coach ASAP!