March 2013
Player Spotlight on Rachel McCarty and Riley Dutton of RWP
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Riley Dutton and Rachel McCarty lead the Riverside girls’ 12 & U team with their positivity and experience. Both Riley and Rachel have been playing for Riverside Water Polo since the 10 & U level. With their team being young, they use their selfless attitudes to help their teammates learn while being role models for them.  Coach Meghan Rosenberger describes Riley as a feisty player with the right amount of aggression and the strength to play any position her team needs her to play. Coach Meghan finds Rachel to have a wealth of water polo knowledge, especially for only being 12 years old. Rachel’s ability to read the pool combined with her speed makes her to be an effective playmaker for her team. Outside of the pool Riley and Rachel are best friends and are always making their teammates and coach laugh. This Cal Cup season Coach Meghan wants the team to learn through experience and improve their team chemistry. Best of luck to Riley, Rachel, and the rest of the Riverside girls’ 12 & U team!

July 2012
Player Spotlight: Lindsey “Lou” Kelleher of Rose Bowl
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            Lindsey Kelleher is an all around talented player having the ability to play every position in the pool with speed. Lindsey goes by the name “Lou” and is a left-handed threat on both offense and defense for the Rose Bowl 16 & U girls’ team.
Coach Nicki Maichrowicz believes that Lou’s greatest attribute is that she is an incredible teammate and that she finds a way to connect with each one of her teammates. Coach Nicki stated that Lou has brought the team together, making an extremely close knit 16 & U girls’ team.
When Lou is not playing water polo, she devotes her time to community service and being involved in her high school, the Polytechnic School. Next Spring Lou will be traveling to the Dominican Republic where she will live and assist in an orphanage for a week.

Alek Dendall, a utility player for the 16 & U boys’ Sacramento Water Polo Club is committed to not only playing water polo, but also being a year round swimmer. According to Coach Lindsay Wing, Alek was a freshman starter on the San Joaquin CIF semi-finalist Granite Bay water polo team.
In addition to being a standout water polo player for Granite Bay High School, Alek also helped lead his high school varsity swim team to a San Joaquin CIF section title.
Alek is an excellent student at Granite Bay high school where is he is a freshman in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.  When Alek is not playing water polo or swimming he enjoys listening to music, playing the guitar, and hanging out with his friends.

June 2012
Player Spotlight: Wyatt Benson of HBWP
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At only twelve years old, Wyatt Benson stands six feet tall for the Huntington Beach WP 12 & U boys’ team. In the championship weekend of Cal Cup play, Wyatt was an offensive powerhouse scoring seven goals to beat CHAWP and ultimately guiding his team to a third place overall finish.
Coach Sasa Branisavljevic said that this is Wyatt’s first year playing in the field. Up until earlier this year, Wyatt was a goalie and then transitioned into a two-meter player. Coach Sasa believes that Wyatt has a very bright future ahead of him.  If he keeps playing and progressing like he is, he will be a member of the National team in the future. Congratulations to Wyatt and the 12 & U boys’ HBWP team on a successful Cal Cup season!

May 2012
Player Spotlight:  Celeste Wijnbelt of SOCAL WPC
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For Celeste Wijnbelt of the Socal 10 & U team, water polo is genetic. Celeste’s grandparents played water polo and currently coach in Holland. Celeste’s mother began playing water polo at the age of twelve while growing up in Holland as well. Noelle, Celeste’s older sister is a starter on the Socal 12 & U girls’ team.  When asking Celeste what her favorite thing about water polo is she simply said, “I was made to play water polo, I love to swim”.
Celeste thinks that the fact that her entire family has played water polo is “cool” because they can teach her new things. Coach Shayla Wilcox stated that Celeste is a relentless player at practice, always asking questions and wanting to perfect each skill. Coach Wilcox said that Celeste is always smiling and is simply a pleasure to have on the team.
When Celeste is not playing water polo she finds herself in the pool with her sister Noelle playing around; even their mom will throw the ball around once and a while.

May 2012
Player Spotlight: Gage Stroman of LAWPC
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Gage Stroman is an instrumental playmaker for the LAWPC 16 & U boys’ team. Coach Jordan Watson describes Gage as being an intelligent player with one of the best shots in the pool.  In addition to being a proven scorer on offense, Gage is also a very strong defender having the ability to guard any player in the pool. Coach Watson believes that one of Gage’s strongest weapons is the fact that he knows how to use his body to set up his teammates. Gage, being a left-handed player, can control his team’s offense and effectively attack a zone defense.  Gage led his team to a perfect 2-0 record this past weekend of Cal Cup play.
Good luck to the LAWPC 16 & U boys’ team!

April 2012
Player Spotlight: Tristan Reinhardt of Elite WPC:
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            Tristan Reinhardt is an outstanding two-meter player for Elite’s 18 & U boys’ team. Tristan is only a sophomore at Murrieta Valley and plays for both of Elite’s 16 U and 18 U teams. Coach Bryan Lynton describes Tristan as a very unselfish and dedicated member of his program.  On top of being a phenomenal water polo player, Tristan gives back to his program by volunteering to coach the 10 & U team for Elite and help out with their “Healthy 2 Our Kids leadership team”. Tristan understands what it takes to be a successful student-athlete maintaining a 3.5 GPA.
According to Coach Lynton, Tristan is a three-year member of the Olympic Development Program and he has been invited to ‘play up’ with the USA Youth team this year. In addition to balancing water polo and academics, Tristan enjoys surfing in his spare time.
Elite hopes to finish in the top eight this Cal Cup season.
Best of luck to Tristan and the Elite 18 & U boys’ team.

April 2012
Player Spotlight: Amy Inkrott of CHAWP
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Amy Inkrott is a standout 2-meter defender for the CHAWP 14 & U girls’ team. Coach Adam Grisham describes Amy as the teams “go to” defensive player. Amy can consistently defend the best center on the opposing team and is an excellent defensive quarterback while pressing the perimeter.
On top of being a force to reckon with defensively, Amy is also a hardworking attacker on the offensive side of the ball. Coach Grisham believes that she has the possibility to be a team captain in the future. Amy has a very strong work ethic and Coach Grisham finds her to be a pleasure to have on his team.

March/April 2012
Player Spotlight: Tommy Higginson of San Diego Shores
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Tommy Higginson is a standout utility player for the San Diego Shores 16 & U boys’ team and also a sophomore at The Bishops School in La Jolla.  Tommy is a diverse player with the ability to play every position in the pool extremely well.  Tommy is a proven scorer for his team being able to shoot and score as soon as the ball touches his hand.  Coach Rod Bowen stated that Tommy’s teammates look to him as a leader for their team as well.
When asked what the team’s goals are for this Cal Cup season, Coach Bowen said the team wants to improve in every game they play and ultimately win the Cal Cup title.
Good luck to the San Diego Shores 16 & U boys’ team this season!

March 2012
Player Spotlight: Max Weber of Inter WPC
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 Max Weber is a standout utility player who has led the Inter 14 & U boys’ team to a perfect 7-0 record in Cal Cup play this season. Standing at 5’11” as a freshman at Servite high school, he is a threat as soon as he touches the water. Max has a dynamic shot with the ability to score from any position in the pool. Coach Bahram Hojerh considers Max to be an aggressive, all-around player who plays with the ‘smarts’ of two age groups ahead of him.  In addition to being a phenomenal water polo player, Max is also an outstanding team leader who respects his teammates.
Coach Bahram stated that Max is a player that every coach would like to have on his or her team.

March 2012
Team Spotlight: SBWPC 14 & U Girls’ Team
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The Santa Barbara 14 & U girls’ water polo team has gone undefeated in Cal Cup play this season with a record of 6-0. There are many factors that go into this team’s success. When asking 14 year-old Hailey Gellert what made her team successful, she said that every girl has a special quality that adds to the team and they are all best friends, in and out of the water. Hailey believes that because all of her teammates are best friends it helps their team connect and play better together. This shows in the team’s play. The team constantly praises each other and keeps a very positive mindset.
Coach Cathy Neushul believes that her team’s success is because they play as a group and there is not one star on the team.
With Santa Barbara’s all around stellar team play, this team has an extremely bright future.

February 2012
Player Spotlight:  Shelby Kraft of Foothill Club
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Shelby Kraft is a center defender for the Foothill 14 & U girls’ team. Over the weekend Shelby helped Foothill defeat International WPC.
Coach Kristin McKown describes Shelby as a leader through her actions in and out of the pool. Shelby has been a key part in helping her team achieve the goal of playing together throughout the Cal Cup season. Coach McKown considers Shelby to be one of the hardest workers in the pool during practice and games. Shelby works well with her teammates and leads by example in everything she does.
Good luck to the Foothill 14 & U girls’ team this season!

February 2012
Player Spotlight: Madison Stamen of Riverside Water Polo
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Madison Stamen is a key player on the Riverside Water Polo 12 & U girls team. Madison helped her team to a 2-2 finish this past Saturday in Cal Cup competition. Madison is 12 years old and she has been playing water polo for three years. 
Coach Sam Greenawalt stated that Madison is a member of the Olympic Development Program where she has traveled to Colorado Springs to train. Madison is a threat on offense with a very strong and accurate shot.
On top of being a proven scorer for her team, Madison also does an excellent job directing her team on defense. In her third game on Saturday against CHAWP, Madison had two goals and played excellent defense in a hard-fought game.
Best of luck to the Riverside 12 & U girls water polo team! 

January/February 2012
Player Spotlight: Alex Wolf of Huntington Beach WP
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At the height of 6’4” Alex Wolf has a strong presence in the goal for the 16 & U boys Huntington Beach WP club. Coach Mark Canner said that, “Alex can be defined by his competitive drive and will to win.” Alex’s will to win led his team to wins over CHAWP Blue, Xtreme, and Kahuna in the first week of 16 & U Cal Cup play at Riverside Community College.
Alex is 14 years old and has been playing water polo since age 10. Coach Canner describes Alex as an extremely well rounded athlete. In addition to being a phenomenal goalie, Alex is also a starter on the freshmen basketball team for Huntington Beach High School. Not only is Alex a two-sport athlete, he is also an AP honors student.
The sky is the limit for this multi-talented goalie.

January 2012
Player Spotlight: David Albers of CHAWP
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David Albers is a driving force behind CHAWP’s 14 & U team. David quarterbacked the team to a perfect 3-0 finish this past Sunday in the second week of the Cal Cup season. CHAWP defeated teams from South Bay United, Elite
and Kahuna.
David is 14 years old and is already displaying strong characteristics of a leader in and outside of the pool. In an interview with David’s coach, Vince Makuch, David is described as a phenomenal player whom the team looks up to. Coach Vince said that David has grown into the role of the leader on the team by attending extra workouts and helping the younger boys at practices.
Coach Vince was concise when asked how David played this past Sunday by simply saying,
“David played phenomenally, he is a machine”.

January 2012
Player Spotlight: Adam Florman of SOCAL
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Adam Florman is a member of SOCAL’s 12 & U team. Adam is only ten years old but is one of the most intelligent, fundamentally sound boys in the water. Watching Adam play you would have no idea he was two years younger than most of the boys in the pool. Adam has excellent pool vision, awareness, and ball handling skills.
When asking Adam what his favorite thing about water polo is he responded with “I like it because it is rough”. You can tell that his statement is true when you watch him play.
Not only is Adam a great water polo player, he is also an impressive swimmer. Adam was the youngest finisher in the 9^th annual Alcatraz Swim last year. He finished the mile-and-a-half race with a time of 47.20 minutes. Read more about Adam’s Alcatraz swim on http://www.ocjewishlife.com/site/a-hug-high-five-and-alcatraz/.
Best of luck to Adam and the 12 & U SOCAL boys team.