SEPTEMBER NEWS LETTER

Hello HAWPC,

We hope everyone is excited to be going back to school and getting back in the water. This email is our September Newsletter. This is part and parcel to our new communication strategy. This year (after this one we promise) we are hoping to keep emails short and sweet with targeted messaging sent out to teams via Team managers. All long form messaging like this will be uploaded to the website.

We encourage you and your athlete to familiarize yourselves with and visit our website. This month’s long form Newsletter includes information about the schedule changes made for the 2024/2025 season, further information about communication and new player information.

For those new to our Club this season, I would like to say welcome. For those returning, welcome back we could not be more excited to begin the 2024/2025 season.

We are currently working with our website provider in relation to updating our online google calendar. In the meantime, we have prepared a short schedule below which captures practices and key events for the fall. Practices begin Monday September 9th, 2024

Please note this will be the second to last email sent to the 2023/2024 group. If you are joining us in 2024/2025, please follow our 2 step registration process embedded in the Website.

Team Snap (Free) - For Communication and updates. TEAM

RAMP Registration - For Club fees and WPC Insurance.

High School Intro/Swim and Play Ball/ Splashball

Swim and Play Ball and Splashball sessions will begin the week of September 13th and will conclude the week of November 10th.

High School Intro Fall Session will run until Monday December 16th.

All you need to bring is a swimsuit and towel (goggles and water bottle recommended but not necessary.) See below for first week instructions.

Thursday - 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Pinky Lewis

Saturday - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Jimmy Thompson****

Thursday - 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Pinky Lewis Pool

Saturday - 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Jimmy Thompson Pool

Monday - 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM Kanetskare

Thursday - 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM Pinky Lewis

Many programs will be extremely similar to previous years. Please note that with the ages changing this year to even years, we have a brand new age category in OPL which will be 10U COED. Along with 10U, we now have a modified 16U NCL program. 16U athletes will also participate in certain OPL events as well.

Format, size of playing field, duration of games and tournament format are all in the process of being finalized. Once the information is available it will be shared with the club. It should be lots of fun though:).

Game Day - October 26th - Wayne Gretzky – 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Paul Taylor Tournament November 22 - 24th, * (Friday TBD)

KW Classic November 30th - Dec 1st

Monday - 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Jimmy Thompson - Hammerhead Swim (Begins Oct)

Or

Wednesday - 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Pinky Lewis - Hammerhead Swim (Begins Oct)

Thursday - 6:00PM - 7:30 PM Pinky Lewis

Saturday - 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM Jimmy Thompson

Sunday - 10U will be brought into Sunday Practices as the Season Progresses

Game Day - September 28th - Wayne Gretzky – 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Performance Clinic - October 19th Wayne Gretzky Optional (Additional Fee TBD)

Paul Taylor Tournament - Etobicoke November 22-24th

KW Classic Tournament - KW November 31st - Dec 1st

12U COED Practice Schedule

Monday - 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Jimmy Thompson - Hammerhead Swim (Begins Oct)

Or

Wednesday - 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Pinky Lewis - Hammerhead Swim (Begins Oct)

Thursday - 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Pinky Lewis

Saturday - 9:30 PM - 12:00 PM Jimmy Thompson

Sunday - 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Wayne Gretzky Centre

Please note some tournament organizers may decide to have COED teams. We will attempt, where practical, to put in a separate boys team and separate girls team. The plan for Game Days will be to bring a club to scrimmage who has a boys and girls squad.

Clinic - October 5th - Wayne Gretzky (Optional, Additional Fee TBD)

Game Day - November 9th - Wayne Gretzky - 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Paul Taylor Tournament - Etobicoke November 22-24th

KW Classic Tournament - KW November 31st - Dec 1st

Monday - 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM - Kanetskare

Wednesday - 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM - Wayne Gretzky

Thursday - 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM - Pinky Lewis

Sunday - 3:30PM - 5:00 PM - Wayne Gretzky

Please note, this season we will be doing an Evaluation Day in September. The goal of the evaluation will be so the athletes and coaches can chart athlete improvement throughout the season. Evaluation Day will also allow us to have a players meeting, swimsuit sizing and other housekeeping items. Evaluation day will involve 1 objective test (5 x 100m on 3-minute pace) along with some individual ball and leg work. We are hoping to have University of Guelph attend a scrimmage for the Women and McMaster on the Men’s side for the second half of the 3 hour practice.

16U Competitive will be a combination of a condensed NCL Schedule consisting of 2 Tournaments and Eastern Nationals. 16U will also compete in various OPL Events. 18U will run the same as last season. Athletes this season have the option to be in the water with HAWPC 4x or 5x per week.

Girls Evaluation Day/Scrimmage - September 14th 4:00 - 7:00 PM Wayne Gretzky

Boys Evaluation Day/Scrimmage - September 21st 4:00-7:00 PM Wayne Gretzky

Mavericks Cup Tournament Etobicoke - October 24-26th

Andrew Watson High School Tournament - Guelph Nov 1st

Paul Taylor (OPL) - Etobicoke November 22 - 24th

NCL Event 1 - Markham December 6-8th

Girls Evaluation Day/Scrimmage - September 14th 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Wayne Gretzky

Mavericks Cup Tournament Etobicoke - October 24-26th

Andrew Watson High School Tournament: Guelph Nov 1st

NCL Event 1 - Pointe Claire December 13-15th

Monday - 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM - Kanetskare

Tuesday - 8:15 PM - 9:45 PM - Jimmy Thompson

Wednesday - 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM - Wayne Gretzky

Thursday - 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM - Pinky Lewis (Non 18U NCL Athletes)

Thursday - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Wayne Gretzky (18U NCL Athletes)

Sunday - HAMMERHEAD SWIM TIME TBD (October)

Sunday - 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM - Wayne Gretzky

We hope to have the Google Calendar sorted as soon as possible, in the meantime enjoy your last week out of the water until December.

This season we will be relying more heavily on Team Communication versus Full Club Communication. The Head Coach with the support of the Board will create full Newsletters which will be available on our website. These are designed to include all Club information. These newsletters will come out monthly. Team Managers will read over the information and send the pertinent information directly to their Teams. We will utilize TeamSnap for team communication, similar to last season.

For 18U, 16U, and 14U Team Captains will be named and before Monday and Tuesday practices they will be empowered (and assisted at first) with providing pertinent communication to their teammates.

As we always say we learn so much more than just water polo in this club.

Sometimes pools have malfunctions, it's frustrating, however it will happen. In the event of a cancellation, we will immediately put out an Instagram Post indicating the closure. Second, we will put out emails both through RAMP and TeamSnap. Finally, Team Managers will send out text messages through the Team Snap App.

In the event of weather closures, we make the decision to close by 4:00 PM. With such a large region we are very cautious with the weather. Always read cancellation notices carefully, as we have various programs running at multiple facilities.

For those taking the plunge for the first time, we could not be more excited for your Water Polo Journey to begin.

What should I bring?

The only item that is mandatory is a swimsuit. Goggles, towel, and a water bottle are all encouraged. We provide all the equipment.

What will the first practice be like?

Week 1 all athletes begin with a swim test. From there we start with a warm-up. Each week as athletes arrive, we ask that they bring their bags and valuables out of the changeroom and on deck.

We start with a width wise warm-up for the first 5 minutes. After warm-up we go into swimming skills. Each week we work to build on our water polo capacity with swimming skills and leg drills. We conclude the first part of practice with a fun game which helps to emphasize the skills we have learned.

BREAK - At 45 minutes we do a water and bathroom break.

After the break we do some ball skills followed by games of low organization.

The swimming can seem overwhelming to some at first, but the athletes slowly build their endurance and learn to swim efficiently.

We can hardly wait to see everyone week one of the season September 12th 6:00 PM Pinky

Lewis Pool.

The increase in fees represents an overall increase in pool costs across the board. For the younger ages, who are seeing the highest increase, it is to help pay for Hammerheads which costs an additional $3000.00 -$3500.00 per year. Based on the turnout and performance we know that our 10U and 12U athletes really benefit from the focussed swim practices.

Thank you,

HAWPC