NO MCMASTER PRACTICE FRI SEPT 17 AS POOL IS BEING REPAIRED

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We hope everyone has had an amazing summer and enjoyed a well-deserved break — hopefully with a refreshing change of pace from the September-to-June grind!

We’re excited to kick off our 2025–2026 competitive season starting the week of September 8th, and we’re looking forward to building on the success of last year.

In true Hamilton fashion, we are already dealing with a facility closure at McMaster, which has thrown a few wrenches into the schedule — but we wouldn’t have it any other way .

The website has been updated for the new season.

The training schedule is accurate and live on our Google Calendar.

Thursday Brantford pool times are still being finalized, so please expect some small changes as things are confirmed.

We’ll once again be using RAMP and TeamSnap for communication and administration. These systems were very effective last year for managing closures and last-minute updates.

Registration is up and operational.  Please feel free to visit our website

LEASE NOTE: A $20.00 donation to Water Polo Canada is automatically selected (YES by default).

If you do not wish to donate, please be sure to select NO before completing your registration.

This year's tournament schedule is lighter than usual, due to a few cancellations and shifts in dates. We’re currently planning for travel out west in 2026 for 14U, 16U, and 18U teams.

Competitive Season (10U–18U) Begins: September 8th

10-Week Splashball & Swim and Play Ball Programs Begin: Week of September 16th

All program details and updates are posted on the HAWPC Calendar.

We are asking returning players to register with TeamSnap as soon as possible so we can begin organizing teams.

If any parents are interested in volunteering as Team Managers, please reach out — we’d love to get that organized early.

Moving equipment after Week 1 to Pinky Lewis, Brewster, and Jimmy Thompson pools.

Ball pump crew for Week 2 of Swim and Play Ball (Pro tip: never blow up balls in Week 1 — this is a lesson we only learn once!)

On Sunday, September 21st, we’ll be hosting two scrimmages with the McMaster Men’s and Women’s teams. We’d love to see our younger athletes attend, cheer on the teams, and be inspired.

This is shaping up to be a very exciting year! Patrick and I have spent the summer developing a high-quality training schedule, and we truly believe this season will be one of growth, fun, and strong development for all our athletes.

HAWPC is ready to go for the 2025-2026 Season.  

WELCOME TO THE 2025-2026 Season

As our summer water polo season comes to a close, we want to recognize the incredible effort, teamwork, and growth shown by all our athletes aged 6–14. From learning the fundamentals to building confidence in the pool, every player brought energy, determination, and great sportsmanship.

This season was about more than just competition—it was about making friends, developing skills, and enjoying the game together. A big thank you goes out to our coaches, parents, and volunteers who made the league possible and supported our players every step of the way.

We’re proud of how far each of our athletes has come and we look forward to seeing everyone back in the pool next season!

Outdoor Season 9 in the books we cannot wait for season 10

SUMMER SEASON CONCLUDED

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Welcome to February! We've had a fantastic start to 2025, and all of our athletes are working extremely hard. The coaches are very pleased with the progress we have made, and we feel well-prepared for the next phase of the season.

Just a reminder that in the event of a cancellation, coaches will make every effort to notify everyone by 4:00 PM. We will communicate cancellations via TeamSnap, email, Instagram, and a notice on the front page of our website.

As always, if you do not feel safe driving, please take the night off.

Our winter session is off to a great start! Any missed days will be made up at the end of the session.

Attention Grade 3 & 4 Athletes: If you are interested, we have several upcoming 10U tournaments see details below! If you'd like to participate, please email ancasterwaterpolo@gmail.com.

Family Day weekend marks the beginning of our final push toward Provincials and Nationals! We have several tournaments coming up, all listed on our website under the Calendar section. Here are 4 key events to note:

Divisions: 10U Coed, 12U Coed, 14U Boys/Girls, 16U Boys/Girls

Cost: 10U - $25 | All other divisions - $75

Payment: E-transfer to admin@hamiltonwaterpolo.ca

Please mark off your availability on Team Snap.

Have a great week please pay attention to your emails when the weather is questionable.

Information on upcoming tournaments and weather cancellation procedure

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

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Too much going on so apologies for the long read several SCHEDULE DISRUPTIONS AND TOURNAMENT highlighted immediately below.  

NO CLUB PRACTICES WEDNESDAY OCT 30th AT WAYNE GRETZKY or THURSDAY ANYWHERE HAPPY HALLOWEEN PLEASE BE SAFE.

NO PRACTICES SUNDAY NOVEMBER 3rd BECAUSE OF SWIM MEET AT WAYNE GRETZKY

PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO HIGH SCHOOL BOYS DIVISION THIS WEEKEND AT ANDREW WATSON.

They will instead run the High School Girls Division and are attempting to run a 12U Coed division.  Please mark off availability if you are able to attend.    

WHY DO TOURNAMENTS SEEM SO CHALLENGING THIS YEAR? 

As a result of several issues (pool closures in Quebec, Unexpected CEO change at Water Polo Canada, and age changes impacting all tournament formats) tournament organization has been challenging.

We appreciate your patience as we navigate the situation. We recognize how challenging it is for all involved including the coaches.  

We have listed the remaining Tournaments and ages for the 2024 calendar year below.  We will be updating the calendar this weekend to reflect any changes. 

ANDREW WATSON - NOV 2nd 12U COED and High School GIrls

SHADOW CUP - Nov, 15-17 - 12U COED, 14U Boys, 14U Girls, 

PAUL TAYLOR - Nov 22-24th - 12U COED, 14U Boys, 14U Girls, 

KW CLASSIC - Nov 30- Dec 2nd - 12U COED, 14U Boys, 14U Girls, 16U Men, 16U Women - Etobicoke

16U NCL - Dec 6-8 - Markham Pan AM Center

Please See the following message below from Board member Robert Johnson.  Any questions can be directed to him at 416-725-0662 or at rjohnsonum2@gmail.com.

It is that time of the year where we once again kick off the annual wine fundraiser with Fielding Wines. For every dollar raised, Fielding will give back 20%, which families can apply to club fees or tournaments.This year, Fielding is facilitating all fundraising online. A link and fundraising code are provided below.:

1. Collect all orders from friends and families

2. Once collected, enter all orders via the fundraising link

3. From the link, open the shopping cart and enter code hamiltonwpc prior to check out

4. Enter name and other relevant details to process order and receive credit for funds raised

A. The website does not except visa debit cards

B. There is a $100 min order, so we do encourage fundraisers to compile their friends and family orders before making a purchase and checking out

C. The wines on this fundraiser website are the ones that are available, there may be other options, but they might be low in inventory and not guaranteed by the time fundraiser is completed.  

D. There are gift cards (they are also 20% back to the team)

E. The flats of ciders are 10% back to the team, there is the option to do a mixed pack which is the Cherry Rose, Original apple and Hopped & Hazy.

F. Please make sure to use the https://fundraising.fieldingwines.com/ website, the fundraising code will only work here

G. Please see email for fundraising code ends on December 4, 2024

If there are any questions or clarification needed, please contact Robert Johnson at 416-725-0662 or at rjohnsonum2@gmail.com.

Details on pick up and distribution will be provided later.

We have worked out the kinks in relation to our long term Dryland Strategy.  Momentum will be providing a session on November 13th 6:30 in Brantford before Practice.  We will be moving forward from there.  Very exciting 

It is going to be a very busy next two months.  However all of the athletes have worked extremely hard this fall and our attendance has never been better.  Last season as a Club we were a Top 5 Club pretty much across the board.  This season the coaching staff believe that we can move into the top four bracket across multiple age groups. 

Though very busy the next two months it is a great opportunity to play several competitive games before the break.  Our coaches believe that this will really help us as we progress through the year and into Provincials and Nationals in March, April and May.

Schedule Changes, Dryland, Wine Fundraiser and more!!

November Newsletter

PLEASE NOTE: 14U NDC IS CANCELED THIS WEEKEND OCTOBER 5th WE WILL RESCHEDULE SOON.

Swim and Play Ball will be business as usual on October 12th at Jimmy Thompson.  After that No practices Saturday Afternoon Oct 12th, Sunday October 13th, or Monday Oct 14th. Please enjoy the weekend off.

We were thrilled with the annual General Meeting turnout.  Thanks to all who took the time to attend.  

October 7th is last day for swimsuit fitting and orders. If you are interested in purchasing a suit. Please provide your sizing to:

Kelly HARGREAVE (hargreave@hotmail.com) on the girls side.  

Michelle MUNDT (mcmundt@gmail.com) on the boys.  

Again big thanks to Michelle and Kelly for organizing. Also a huge shoutout to Kelly who has taken the lead designing and researching these amazing suits:)

Clothing order is just being finalized and will be available shortly.  As mentioned before it will be an online order with direct to customer shipping. 

This year we have several new additions on deck and we are thrilled to have them.  Please welcome Avery, Sam and Emma.  

The Club has invested in utilizing the Assistant Coach App for Organizing Practice Plans.  This app creates a real time accessible archive of drills with diagrams and embedded videos.  It also has the capacity to create PDF’s with diagrams which can be shared with other coaches.  This season you will see coaches accessing practice plans via cellphone.  Please reach out if you have questions or concerns.

We will be working with the Movement full time as our partner in dryland training and fitness.  We are just in the process of finalizing details and scheduling more to come.

Please note we are in the process of juggling some Saturdays at Gretzky we appreciate your patience.

October 19th 4:00-7:00 PM - TBD 14U: Event Wayne Gretzky

October 25th-27th MAVS CUP - 16U,18U,Senior Etobicoke

November 15th-17th Shadow Cup 10,12,14,18U Scarborough Pan Am

November 22-24th Paul Taylor 10,12,14,TBD Etobicoke

Congrats to our September Athletes of the Month

From Splashball Ruby Penman, and from our Competitive program Ben Adams, and Margarita Treitiakova.

Latest News From Hamilton Aquatic Water Polo For October 4th 2024
 


OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

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We are close to getting all calendars in line on the website so in the meantime here is a snapshot of a very busy weekend of Water Polo.

SPLASHBALL: -9:30-10:30 AM Jimmy Thompson Pool

10U Comp: 9:30 -1200 PM Jimmy Thompson Pool

Swim & Play Ball: 10:30- 12:00 PM Jimmy Thompson Pool

12U Comp 10:30 - 12:00 PM Jimmy Thompson Pool

14U (Optional),16U,18U Girls Evaluation 4-7:00 PM: Wayne Gretzky Center  

16U,18U Comp Girls (Optional) 3:30 -5:00 Wayne Gretzky

16U,18U Comp Boys EVALUATION 4:00-7:00 PM Wayne Gretzky

The effort and energy has been amazing to start the season and we appreciate everyone's patience while we work out the kinks.

Busy weekend for HAWPC, short update to help everyone stay organized.

Weekend Update Sept 14-15th

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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.

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

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)

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

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

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 

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

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 

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

***Boys Evaluation Day/Scrimmage - September 15th 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 

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

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.  

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

NO MCMASTER PRACTICE FRI SEPT 17 AS POOL IS BEING REPAIRED

Other News

WELCOME TO THE 2025-2026 Season

SUMMER SEASON CONCLUDED

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

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