Water Polo Teams Head to Florida

Water Polo Teams Head to Florida

by | Nov 20, 2016 | News, Water Polo

The Barbados Water Polo Club will be heading off to Florida next Thursday, November 24th, to compete in the annual Julie Zurek Ardila Thanksgiving Tournament, hosted by the Miami Riptides Aquatics Club, November 25th to 28th. Competition this year promises to be exciting and challenging. with 30 teams participating from across five divisions in the USA and internationally. Competition is open to all age groups from 12 yrs and under to Seniors.

Barbados will be fielding a Junior (Flying Fish) team and a Senior (Sharks) team. This will be the second year that Barbados will be participating. Team members are looking forward to this competition. They have been training five times a week and view this as preparation for Carifta Championships in The Bahamas next year. Twenty players will represent Barbados in the two divisions. The teams will be managed by Mrs Songee Beckles.

The Head Coach, Ryan Forde who is also Captain of the senior team says…”we are excited to be travelling to Miami to test our level of play ahead of Carifta and CCCAN in 2017. Both teams have been training well, especially the Juniors. They have been gaining strength, flexibility and discipline through our dry-land sessions over the last two and a half months, and have mixed that with their game fitness. The seniors are going with a younger squad this year because they are in a state of transition. However it is our push to qualify for CAC 2018. This weekend will be a great test for both teams as they play against the better equipped American teams. I believe the Juniors are on the right path for Carifta. They have been working to bridge the gap in the region for the last two years and aim to make it to the Final. After that…it is our fight for the gold.”

The Barbados Water Polo Club will continue to prepare for Carifta when the Junior team heads off to the Trinidad and Tobago Nationals, December 15th to 18th at the new National Aquatic Centre in Couva, Trinidad. At that time the Girls’ team will participate and Barbados will present a mixed team. Last year Barbados won the silver medals and they will be seeking the gold this year. Team Managers for the Trinidad tournament will be Mrs Juliet Springer and Dr Leo Brewster. Coach will be Miss Natalia Parris.

3rd Annual Barbados Open Invitational Water Polo Tournament begins

3rd Annual Barbados Open Invitational Water Polo Tournament begins

by | Aug 12, 2016 | Blog, Water Polo

Competition water polo splashes off at the Aquatic Centre on Friday 12th August at 8:15 a.m. when the 3rd Annual Barbados Open Invitational Water Polo Tournament begins. The Barbados Sharks will start the excitement as they clash with Army West Point. This should be an interesting battle between the warm-water sharks and the military from the north.

Three games will be played in the morning session. The Asphalt Green from New York will challenge the Utah Water Polo Club and the Dynamo/Titanes , a combined team from New York and Columbia, will clash with Army West Point. Games will continue in the afternoon starting at 5:30 p.m. The Official Opening Ceremony will take place at 6:30p.m. at the Aquatic Centre.

Seven games will be played on Saturday with the morning session starting at 9:30 a.m. and the evening session at 5:30 p.m. Medal games will be played on Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. The Grand finale of the tournament will be an All Star beach game at the Barbados Cruising Club. This beach game is considered the highlight for the visiting teams since they do not normally play water polo in the sea. It is a novel idea and one that caps the end of each tournament. For the locals this area, north of The Radisson’s jetty is the birthplace of water polo in Barbados.

Asphalt Green played in the tournament last year and immediately confirmed their intent to return. This is the first visit for the Utah Water Polo Club, the Army West Point and the Dynamo/Titanes. This year two FINA accredited referees will run the tournament, Mr Valeriy Vasilchikov and Mr. Has Ortega. The tournament is expected to be very competitive and entertaining. A donation of at least $5 per session or $20 for the weekend would be appreciated. Awards will take place immediately after the beach game.