Southwest Zone Spring Season Under Way

Southwest Zone Coaches, Club Administrators, and Referees,

The USAWP Southwest Zone Spring Season officially kicks off this weekend with the Spin Lob Classic at the UT Swim Center in Austin, TX. There are 30 masters teams coming from across the country to Austin with 20 Men’s Open teams and 10 Women’s Open teams. Many of the teams are from out of state including NYAC, O-Club, Los Angeles Athletic Club, Newport, Alumni, etc. There will be former collegiate All-Americans and national team players in the water competing against each other throughout the event. The games start at 11:30 am on Saturday with games being played until 8:40 pm. On Sunday, the games will be from 7:00 am – 3:00 pm. There will be three courses playing simultaneously throughout the weekend. There is no admission fee for spectators. If you are in the Central Texas this weekend, come to the UT Swim Center and see high level water polo. Spin Lob Classic – Schedule & Results – 2020 (Click Here).

Below are additional USAWP Texas Development Announcements:

Austin College on ESPN+: The Austin College Women’s team begins their season this Friday, January 31st (tomorrow) with games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Brown University in Providence, RI. Austin College plays at 4:00 pm & 7:10 pm on Friday (CST), 9:30 am & 7:30 pm on Saturday (CST), and 9:20 am on Sunday (CST). For the entire Bruno Classic 2020 Schedule/Results, click here. To view the games, there are video links on the schedule page (you will need to get ESPN+). If you already have ESPN+, you can simply login to your app and search for the games (easy to find).

TAGS State Champs UPDATE: At this time, the SWZ does not have a bid for the TAGS State Champs. Therefore to increase the number of possible clubs that would be willing to host the event, the TAGS State Champs can be on April 25-26, 2020 (original date, weekend before HS State Champs) OR May 9-10, 2020 (new optional date, weekend after HS State Champs). If your club is interested in hosting the TAGS State Champs, please email joelinehan@uswaterpolo.org as soon as possible. Please be sure to include what weekend you want to host the event.

Upcoming Spring Events/Contacts: Below is list of the upcoming USAWP Sanctioned “weekend tournaments” this spring involving SWZ athletes/clubs. Please contact the local host club if your club is interested in attending any of the events listed below. For the Southwest Zone Calendar, click here. For the Southwest Zone – Club Contacts, click here. The Texas high school water polo season is the spring season so most of the events are either for 8th/6th/4th grade & younger athletes or for Masters clubs. The Spring Season is a great opportunity for youth clubs to focus on the younger athletes. We do encourage clubs to also organize local Game Days throughout the Spring Season. NOTE: Please email joelinehan@uswaterpolo.org any local Spring Game Days or changes to the SWZ Calendar/Club Contacts.

February 1-2: Spin Lob Classic at the UT Swim Center in Austin, TX. Hosted by the SWZ and Longhorn Aquatics. Spin Lob Classic – Schedule & Results – 2020 (Click Here).
February 8-9: Cowtown Rodeo at the Keller ISD Natatorium (North Texas). Hosted by Cowtown Water Polo. Cowtown Rodeo – Schedule & Results (Click Here).
February 28-March 1: USA Water Polo Boys ODP National Champs in Riverside, CA. Hosted by USAWP. USAWP Boys ODP National Champs – Schedule & Results (Click Here).
February 29-March 1: Thunder Spring Invite at the Carroll ISD Aquatic Center (North Texas). Hosted by Thunder Water Polo. Divisions: 8th/6th/4th Grade & Younger.
March 13-15: USA Water Polo Girls ODP National Champs in Riverside, CA. Hosted by USAWP. USAWP Girls ODP National Champs – Schedule & Results (Click Here).
April 4-5: Southside Badger Brawl at the Pearland Natatorium (South Houston). Hosted by Southside Water Polo. Divisions: 8th/6th/4th Grade & Younger
April 25-26: Houston Open at the UH Campus Recreation Center (Houston). Hosted by HOPS. Divisions: Men’s Open & Women’s Open.
Date TBD: Texas Age Group State Water Polo Champs (TAGS), location TBD. Hosted by the SWZ. Divisions: 8th/6th/4th Grade & Younger.

TX Waterpolo Website: USAWP Texas Development has partnered with the TXWaterPolo.com website to help bring valuable info and content to the water polo community of Texas and the Southwest Zone. TXWaterPolo.com is dedicated to covering the sport in Texas and will have an emphasis on the written word with ambitions for streaming/video production, rankings, history, online forums, and more. Please check the Sports Growth section of the TXWaterPolo.com website for info on Education, High School Water Polo, Club Water Polo, and College Water Polo. Be sure to also follow @TXWaterPolo on twitter, facebook, and instagram, and share with friends, family, and fans of water polo in the Lone Star State. Additionally, James Smith and I also began the TXWaterPolo Podcasts this fall/summer (and continued this winter). TXWaterPolo.com is the premier online location for all info, news, updates, etc. on everything from high school to club to college water polo in Texas.

USA Water Polo – New Playing Rules: Beginning January 1, 2020, select new rules and interpretations will go into effect for all USA Water Polo sanctioned events and tournaments. This is the second wave of the new rule changes and is in addition to the March 1, 2019 new rule changes. These new rules were first introduced at the USAWP General Assembly (January 2019) and have since been updated with further clarification. We believe these changes will improve player engagement and player safety. We encourage all participants involved in our sport to carefully read this updated version.

Have a great holiday.

Joe Linehan
USA Water Polo – Texas Development
joelinehan@usawaterpolo.org