A Closer Look: San Diego Shores Water Polo Club (April 2008)
Official Club Name:San Diego Shores Water Polo Club
Director:
Doug Peabody
Head Coach In Charge of Programs and Development:
Dan Way
On the Web: www.sandiegoshores.net
Age Groups and Genders:
18U, 16U, 14U, 12U Boys and Girls, 10U Coed, Masters
By the Numbers:
Numbers fluctuate from quarter to quarter. In Spring 2008 the club has 97 boys between ages 12 and 18, 77 girls between ages 12 and 18 and 25 coed players at 10 and under. Total = 199
Main Pool:
The club calls up to nine different pools home but the main spots are the Mission Valley YMCA, Bud Kearns Memorial Pool, Jewish Community Center, The Bishop's School, and the Clairemont Recreation Pool in the city of San Diego. The club is currently trying to raise money or obtain grants to build their own permanent facility.
Club Coaches:
18’s Boys: Doug Peabody, Caleb McCutcheon, Dan Way, James Stuart
18’s Girls: Caleb McCutcheon, Doug Peabody, James Stuart
16’s Boys: Dan Way, Clint McLaughlin
16’s Girls: Eric Gordon,Caleb McCutcheon
14’s Boys: Steve Traverso, Mike Pilgrim, Dan Way
14’s Girls: Ian Davidson, Doug Peabody
12’s Boys: Kenyon Tudor
12’s Girls: Brian Zeller
10’s Coed: Jim Fales/Travis Hill
Masters: Mike Gerrity
Other Coaches: Christy Medigovich, Scott Stearns, and Greg Ormsby
Volunteer Coaches: Al Zemke, Bart Sardo, and Chris Pulido
How They Got Started:
San Diego Shores was founded in 1992 as a place for kids who did not have a year-round high school team to play with. It evovled into a program for 14 and under players to learn fundamentals and to hone their skills with the goal of raising the overall level of play across San Diego County. The formation of the club also gave athletes the chance to compete in the larger more prestigious tournaments.
San Diego Shores took part in the very first Speedo Cup in the fall of 1993 taking third place. In addition the club took part in Junior Olympics that year and has been invovled in the tournament for the last 15 years straight bringing multiple teams each year. In 2001 and 2007 the club brought 13 teams to the Junior Olympics.
Where Do They Practice:
Practices are held at a variety of a pools throughout the area
Not Done Growing:
San Diego Shores works on growing their club in a vareity of ways. They sponsor free clinics at a variety of pools including facilities they don't practice in just to spread the water polo fever. In addition the club offers a two week trial sign up free of charge for players to try out water polo. Parents of the athletes in the club are also a huge help as they promote the club in the area schools and finally they use word of mouth between friends, neighbors, and anyone else that might be able to spread the news.
A Pool Of Their Own:
One of the major goals of the club lately is getting their own facility built. With that in mind one of the struggles for the club is the availability of various facilities. The club hopes to build their own place using donations or grants but that is still a work in progress. The club sites the facility in Commerce, California as an example of what they would hope to have one day.
Where Do They Play:
Junior Olympics and Speedo Cup aside the club is invovled in a wide variety of competition. They compete in the San Diego Grommet League, the Cal Cup League, and the California State Games. In addition they compete in Zone qualifications and tournaments hosted by other clubs in California. Shores attempts to compete in as many National Championships as possible with their oft jam packed schedule. One of the highlights of that schedule is the San Diego County Cup, an event the club hosts that is the largest 14 and under tournament in the nation now in it's 15th year.
Five Years Down The Road:
Along with getting a new facility the club would like to continue to offer quality water polo instruction and introduce the sport to all aquatics minded people in the area. They would also like to grow the sport in the area by a percentage comparable to youth soccer. Finally they want to continue to be one of the leading clubs in the nation in national championship points and overall fun.
Olympic Efforts:
Few clubs can boast some of the talented alumni that San Diego Shores can. With three Olympians already to their credit in Brett Ormsby, Jesse Smith, and Kelly Rulon along with another potential one in Moriah van Norman the club has a history of outstanding athletes at the national level.
College Scene:
While the names that have gone to the Olympics are quite impressive the amount of athletes that are playing water polo collegiately is staggering. San Diego Shores is well represented in the college game all over the United States. The club has seen two of the players win the water polo college version of the Heisman known as the Cutino Award as van Norman and Rulon both won it. In addition Ormsby, Smith, and Ty Lackey were nominated for the honor.
Gavin Fluhart, Air Force Academy
Bonnie Chapman, ASU
Sarah Glick, Brown
Lauren Presant, Brown
Josh Harris, Cal Babtist
Zack Bowman, Cal Babtist
Andrew Kushnir, Whittier
Marc Vacquier, Cal Berkeley
Joe Ouadah, Cal Berkeley
Daniel Orloff, Cal Berkeley
Cory Nasoff, Cal Berkeley
Phil Spann, Cal Maritime
Vivan Suri, Chapman
Tyler Rowe, Chapman
Carl Larson, Chapman
Cameron Lindroth, Chapman
Dana Nelsen, UC Davis
Lauren Machanis, UCI
Derrick Clair-Williams, UCI
Tyler Jemmett, UCLA
Katie Rulon, UCLA
Tanya Gandy, UCLA
Brittany Rowe, UCLA
Kaveh Bastani, LB State
Kelsie Emerick, LB State
Matt Farrington, LB State
Rochelle Denaro, LB State
Crisara Abrahms, LMU
Beto Vasquez, Occidental
Jake Wright, Occidental
Hector Lam, UOP
Graham Saber, Pepperdine
Sam Busby, Pepperdine
Mark Stemler, UCSD
Jeff Hunt, UCSD
Colin Gerber, UCSB
Ryen Flint, UCSB
Rick Wright, UCSB
Kelsie Arolla, UCSB
Justin Garver, UCSC
Wyatt Hinshaw, UCSC
Jaclyn Crosby, Siena
Anderson Clendenin, Santa Clara
Krystyna McCright, Colorado State
Katy Armstrong, Colorado State
Connor Matzinger, Connecticut College
Brennan Hartigan, Connecticut College
Sarah Hartigan, Connecticut College
Robert Newman, USA Naval Academy
Ariel Delgado, Harvard
Helen Meigs, Princeton
Lauren Sabb, Princeton
Christina Michel, Princeton
Jason Diggs, Princeton
Nick Orstad, UC-Santa Cruz
Tommy Corcoran, USC
Nico Sardo, USC
Andrey Artomonov, USC
Will Cherashore, USC
Sarah Van Norman, USC
Lindsay Urquarht, USC
Forel Davies, USC
Jessica Pace, SDSU
Jaclyn Crosby, Siena
Alex Pulido, Stanford
Koree Blyleven, Stanford
Allison Gerrity, Stanford
Chelsea Smith-Carmichael, Stanford
Kira Hillman Stanford
Megan May, Stanford
Eric Clapper, Stanford
Billy Hoelck, Wagner
Lauren Orth, Michigan
Kara Butler, Indiana
Why San Diego Shores:
First and foremost the club believes kids should come out and play because water polo is fun and a great way to get exercise as well as a great way to meet people and participate in a sport. In addition San Diego Shores has a long and proud history as one of the most successful clubs in the country; a tradition that they hope to continue for many years to come. Club Director Doug Peabody sums it up best, "Whether a child wants to join our Club just to have fun or for the chance to reach the highest levels of competition, all are welcome at San Diego Shores. We teach kids good sportsmanship; how to be competitive, yet play fair; to be winners, but never fear losing; to practice teamwork, but refine their own individual skills. We demand that they respect their coaches, fellow players, opponents, and most importantly, themselves."