2008 Summer Session
May 12 - July 20, 2008
(High School and Age Group)
June 2 - July 18, 2008
(Micros)

(updated 5/7)

Welcome to the 2008 Summer Session!  We at Stanford Water Polo Club are looking forward to what is sure to be another exciting summer.  We have been hard at work developing a program that will aid in the development of all of our athletes both in and out of the water.  Please carefully read the information below so you do not miss any important details. 

SUMMER REGISTRATION
Registration is now open!  Click here for Registration Form. The deadline for registration is Thursday, May 8th. Any registration materials postmarked after May 8th will incur a $30 late fee.  (Deadline for the Micro Group is Wednesday, May 28.) Once you have completed the online registration, you will be able to print out signature pages that must be submitted with your payment.  Please follow the directions carefully. If you need assistance, please email Dawn at stanfordwaterpoloclub@yahoo.com

Athletes who participated with our Club during the following sessions: Summer '07, Fall '07, Winter '07-'08, and Spring '08, will receive an E-mail by Friday, April 25th with their short-cut registration link. (Please e-mail Dawn at stanfordwaterpoloclub@yahoo.com if you do not receive your short-cut registration email by Monday, April 28th.) New athletes must register online using the link to the registration form above.

The cost of the summer session is $620 for the High School and Age Groups.  Additional siblings are $50 less than the regular fee for the High School I & II and Age Groups I & II.  The Micros cost is $300.  Micro athletes who have older siblings in the club may deduct $30 from their fee.

SUMMER SESSION KICK-OFF: INFORMATIONAL MEETING, DINNER*, AND RAFFLE

On Monday, May 12th, we will be having a mandatory informational meeting for athletes and parents. We will outline our plans and expectations for the summer at that time. Click here to view and print out Kick-Off Event Form. (Link to information sheet will be available April 24.) The RSVP page will also print out with the signature pages once you have submitted your online registration.

When: Monday, May 12th from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Where: Chuck Taylor Grove, located on the north side of the Avery Aquatic Center at Stanford University.

We encourage all families to attend the dinner preceding the mandatory informational meeting, as this is a great time to get to know the coaches and other Stanford Water Polo Club families.

The dinner is free for all athletes with completed registration (including dinner RSVP, signature pages, hard copy of USWP membership, and payment) received by Wednesday, May 8th. 

TEAM GEAR
We are offering several new items this session, so be sure to check out our online Team Shop! Team gear may be ordered online between April 24th through June 27th, or it may be purchased at the Kick-Off Event/Mandatory Informational Meeting on May 12th. The final date to order team gear is Friday, June 27th, after which the online Team Shop will close for the summer.  Please keep this in mind as you may need extra suits, towels or shirts throughout the season.  (We strongly recommend that all athletes wear our team suit and T-shirt to all games/tournaments.)  A Stanford Water Polo Club t-shirt is included in your registration, so be sure to indicate your size on the online registration form.

CALENDAR
Please see our Calendar (by clicking on the "Calendar" button to the left) for tournaments, practices and other important dates.  It is helpful to check the Calendar each week for any changes.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE
The table below shows the practice schedule for each group. This information can also be found on the Practice Groups and Schedule page.

Workout Group

(5/13-6/15)

(6/16-7/20)*

Elite**

For the Pre-Summer weeks the Elite Group will attend the HS I practices.

Mon, Tue, Thurs, Fri:
6:15-8:15 pm
at Stanford

HS I

Tue, Thurs: 6:15-8:15 pm;
Sunday: 11:00am-1:00 pm
at Stanford

Mon, Tue, Thurs, Fri:
1:00-3:00 pm
at Sacred Heart Prep

HS II

Mon, Wed: 6:15-8:15 pm;
Sunday: 11:00am-1:00 pm
at Stanford

Mon, Tue, Thurs, Fri:
1:00-3:00 pm
at Palo Alto High School

AG I

Mon, Wed: 5:30-7:30 pm,
at Sacred Heart Prep;
Sunday: 9:00-11:00 am
at Stanford

Monday -- Thursday:
5:30-7:30 pm
at Sacred Heart Prep

AG II

Mon, Wed: 5:30-7:30 pm,
at Sacred Heart Prep;
Sunday: 9:00-11:00 am
at Stanford

Monday -- Thursday:
11:00 am-1:00 pm
at Palo Alto High School

Micros***

Note: Micro Summer Session will begin Monday, June 2nd.

(Beginning June 2nd)
Tues, Wed, Thurs:
5:45-7:00 pm
at Roble Pool on Stanford Campus

To ensure the highest quality for our program, we will be limiting the number of participants in each practice group.  Groups will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. We are expecting all groups to be full this summer, so please register at your earliest convenience to ensure a spot.

*JUNIOR OLYMPIC TEAMS
For athletes selected to J.O. teams which qualify for J.O.’s, their summer session will end July 29th. 

**ELITE GROUP
The Elite Group will be comprised of approximately 20 high school level athletes. Selection to this group will be made by the coaching staff upon the close of summer registration. Eligibility for this group includes, but is not limited to: an athlete's overall ability level, longevity with the Stanford Club and participation on one of our Junior Olympic Teams. Athletes in the Elite group may be given the opportunity to practice with Coach Vargas and the Stanford Varsity Team on a day-to-day basis. 

Please Note:  Athletes who are participating in Junior Olympics with another club will not be eligible to attend Elite Group workouts.

***MICRO GROUP
The Micro Group will begin their Summer Session on Monday, June 2nd. (Please make a note of this, as this is the only group that begins on this date.) This group is for athletes born in 1997 or later, however, if your child was born in 1996 and does not have 6 months of water polo experience, he may sign up for this group.

GROUP ASSIGNMENTS
Athletes will be placed into 1 of 6 workout groups. Due to the number of athletes and the level of tournament play in the summer session, athletes must practice with their assigned group.  Group assignments will be made by the coaching staff and posted on the Practice Groups and Schedule page of our web site by Friday, May 9th.

The division between the Age Groups and High School Groups will be based on birth date. Athletes born in 1994 and later will be assigned to either Age Group I or II, while athletes born from 1989 - 1993 will be assigned to one of the High School groups (HS I, HS II, or Elite). 

If you still have questions regarding which group your son should be in, please email Coach Barnea. Email

 STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (separate and optional add-on)
Stanford University Strength and Conditioning Coach Dan Ammon will once again be offering his strength and conditioning program to Stanford Club atheltes.  Dan currently trains both the Men’s and Women’s Water Polo Teams as well as working with varying Track and Field athletes at Stanford.  The program will be divided into two groups: 1) Beginner/Intermediate and 2) Advanced. 
The Beginner/Intermediate group is designed for athletes with little to no weight room experience, who are looking to develop strength in a supervised and controlled atmosphere.  The Advanced group is designed for athletes who have a solid background in strength training and who wish to pursue a challenging conditioning program.  Both groups will work out three times a week at Stanford University, using the same facilities as current Stanford athletes.  More details on these programs will be available in the coming weeks.

 SUMMER TOURNAMENTS
Below you will find a list of tournaments that are currently scheduled for the 2008 Summer Session.  We will be adding more local tournaments to the list as we get closer to summer, so please continue to check back for updates.

May 30-June 1:  Santa Barbara Tournament for select 12&U & 14&U
June 13-15:  Junior Olympic Qualifying for select 16&U
June 20-22:  Junior Olympic Qualifying for select 12&U, 14&U, & 18&U
June 27-29: US Club Championships (NorCal) for select 14&U, 16&U, and 18&U
July 11-13: Men’s 20&U National Championships (NorCal) for select 20&U
July 11-13:  San Diego Shores Tournament for select 16&U athletes
July 19-20:  680 Drivers Tournament (NorCal) for select 12&U, 14&U, 16&U, & 18&U
July 26-29:  Boys’ Junior Olympics (SoCal) for select 12&U, 14&U, 16&U, and 18&U

2008 NATIONAL JUNIOR OLYMPICS
This year, the National Junior Olympics will be held in Southern California, in and around the Irvine area. The boys' competition will be July 26th - July 29th.  In order to participate at the Junior Olympics, teams must first qualify through the zone-qualifying tournament (see dates above for each age group’s qualifying dates).  Selection to a Junior Olympic team is based on, but not limited to, the following criteria: overall ability level, practice attendance, work ethic, and longevity with the Stanford Club.   In addition, athletes must commit and declare themselves eligible by submitting the Junior Olympic Declaration of Commitment along with a $200 deposit no later than Friday, May 30th.  (The J.O. Declaration of Commitment form will print out with the signature pages once you submit your online registration.)  Athletes who are not selected to a J.O. team, or athletes selected to a team which does not qualify for J.O.’s, will have their deposit checks shredded.

Please check back soon for a link to Junior Olympics information, team travel and hotel accomodations.

Athletes selected for Junior Olympic teams will be posted by Wednesday, June 4th.

We are looking forward to a great summer!

Coach John Vargas and Coach Jon Barnea
Stanford Water Polo Club