Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I join Elite Water Polo?

Our organization has more interest than performance in polo, we want to produce good humans. But, we do also provide the best water polo community and training opportunity in the valley. We have three coaches who played Division One water polo and the most comprehensive and most experienced coaching staff in the valley.

Why would I ever want my child to play water polo?

Water Polo is an Olympic Sport that is played all around the world. Arguably, Water Polo is the most comprehensive athletic discipline. Players must be able to swim long periods, shoot hard, pass with precision, and wrestle with opponents in the water. Water polo is a small sport with great opportunities in high school. There aren’t tons of 8th graders vying for limited training spots in high school their freshmen year like in other land sports. Despite it being a rather small sport, Water polo is an Olympic sport. Many colleges offer water polo, and it is growing in regard to college programs. Water polo is a great background for participating as a lifeguard at pools or the beach during summer. Water polo just produces athletes through the development of physical fitness and athletic skills. No one is better conditioned than water polo players. The games last 35-55 minutes. When the game is over, your athlete is clean, exhausted, and hungry. What other pastimes can make those claims? America’s other past times, where game times are longer, very sweaty, and sometimes not always active.

How do I join Elite Water Polo?

There are two basic steps, Register for USA Water Polo (governing body and insurance) and Elite Water Polo (club fees). In step one, you need to go to USAwaterpolo.org to register for one of the following levels of membership: Trial, Splashball, Bronze, Silver, or Gold. (Tournament and games fees are separate and occur about one time per month at approx $120.)
Step two, go to the Elitewaterpolo.com registration link found in the menu, which leads you to Active.com. You may pay on the Active.com registration link.

What is USA Water Polo and why do I have to join?

USA Water Polo is the national governing body of the sport of water polo. It is under the direction of the United States Olympic Committee. All athletes must be a member of USA Water Polo to practice or compete in tournaments. USA Water Polo membership provides important insurance in case of injury. Membership costs vary depending on the level and are annual from January 1 through December 31st.

All Athletes must have USA Water Polo memberships to be allowed in the water. Please register today if you have not already done so.

Club # 1396 Elite

Please register as a Gold Athlete if you plan on playing in all levels of competition.

Follow the link below or go to www.usawaterpolo.com

What are the seasons? (a.k.a. Sessions)

The seasons are divided into 4 quarters and range from 11-12 weeks: These seasons basically follow the school quarters. We take a few weeks off to recover after the Junior Olympics in late July into mid-August.
Fall—August to November
Winter—November to February
Spring—February to May
Summer—May to July

What is a typical training week and where do you train?

Practices are typically 2-3 times a week, between 1 or 2 hours long, depending on the level. Splashball is summer only and practices are 90 minutes, 3 times per week. All other age groups practice 2 hours, 3 times per week. Practices: All practices are currently being held in the Aquatic Complex at Murrieta Valley High School, 42200 Nighthawk Way, Murrieta, CA.

What are the age groups?

18 & Under Boys and Girls
16 & Under Boys and Girls
14 & Under Boys and Girls
12 & Under Boys and Girls
10 & Under Boys and Girls
Splashball—ages 6 to 8 Coed
MASTERS WATER POLO 20+ email for more info at info.elitewpc@gmail.com because Chris Boyer still wants to play.
Important~Agegroups for USA Water Polo are determined as of August 1st of a respective calendar year. Please sign up for the appropriate age group using this date. (For example, if you are 12 but turn 13 before August 1, 2022, you are considered a 14 Under. If you are 12 and turn 13 after August 1, 2022, you are considered a 12 Under.)

When can I join EliteWater Polo Club?

You may start at any time. We recommend the beginning of the session but will take anyone at any time, but the fees are not prorated throughout the session.

Do you offer a free trial?

Absolutely! We offer a week to try it out at no cost. You must have a current USA water polo membership or trial membership. Our free trial is for kids new to the sport or who are new to Elite.

What do I need for practice?

Winter months- warm clothes, a towel for after practice. Summer months always sunblock & Water.
Boys wear an Elite speedo (available at the Kap7 store, menu option), or a BLACK speedo. Younger or newer boys can wear a BLACK jammer until they are more comfortable. Wearing a Jammer is to help them get comfortable, and move on to wearing some form of speedo and eventually an Elite branded speedo. Girls are required to wear a BLACK, 1 piece suit swimming suit, or Elite competition suit (available at the Kap7 store, menu option). Specific water polo suits for women have been designed for a competitive game and scrimmage environments. These water polo specific suits have a zipper in the back, and they are made from more durable material to resist stretching and tearing.
Goggles for swimming, all athletes are required to put their goggles away after use. Coaches place all found things into a small lost and found tub near the entrance.
*Elite Water Polo is not responsible for lost items or items left on deck. Please remind your athletes to keep their items where they can see them & NOT in the locker/restroom. People from all over campus visit these restrooms and things will get stolen if left in there and Elite is not liable.

How much does it cost to join Elite Water Polo?

Our program is based on quarters:
Quarterly Fee $465.00. (Early Bird $435).
Quarterly Fee - 2nd Sibling (15% off)
Quarterly Fee - 3rd Sibling (27% off)
This fee pays for facilities, coaches, scrimmages, and maintenance. This fee does not cover fees for tournaments or USA Waterpolo memberships. *See game info below.
*Please note, although our sport follows a quarter system you can join any time however it is best to join at the beginning of the session with all other new athletes.

What skills do I need?

You need to feel comfortable in the water and be able to swim 100 yards and follow directions. Eggbeater and breaststroke kicks are important when you are in a vertical position. We will provide you the proper fundamentals to excel in the sport. If you are a novice, don't worry we teach you everything you need to know.

Do you teach kids to swim?

We do teach swimming during our water polo workouts for our more novice 10U athletes and Splashball players. If your athlete is over 10yr old and can not swim 100 Yards than it may be in your best interest to invest in a few swim lessons before you try water polo. This will make water polo more enjoyable for your athlete.

What is Splashball?

Splashball is a combination of learning swimming and water polo skills. It is conducted in a safe and fun environment. Athletes can use 2 hands, wear or use floatation devices, and wear caps. They practice swimming, learn water polo skills, and play games. It is basically an introduction to the sport for 6-10-year-old children.

Have you seen my goggles?

Sorry, I have not. Take a moment to look around and then check the lost and found bin.
*Elite Water Polo is not responsible for lost items or items left on deck. Please remind your athletes to keep their items where they can see them & NOT in the locker/restroom. People from all over campus visit these restrooms and things will get stolen if left in there and Elite is not liable.

How do I register for a tournament or league?

If you would like to participate in a tournament event, you will need to register for each event by each individual sign-up deadline and have the appropriate USA water polo membership. You can sign up on the Registration menu option (Active.com). Tournament fees vary from $85-130 for regular events depending on their cost to us. Our participation in Junior Olympics costs more, approx. $260, because the tournament cost is higher, and we ask you to also order suits and shirts (an additional approx. $120).

When are the best times to plan a vacation so I do not miss out on training and games?

Are we talking about a normal year? Thanksgiving week, the two-week school break during Christmas and New Year is excellent, 4th of July weekend, or basically just after Junior Olympics in late July until mid-August.

Is there a game policy?

Yes, to compete in games athletes must attend practice. If an athlete regularly misses practice they may not be placed on a game roster for that week.
*All athletes are expected to attend all free scrimmages, because these are for developmental purposes.
*Tournaments require to sign up as stated above. We are playing for a result at these events and playing time is solely at the discretion of the coaches. We encourage everyone to sign up to play as much as possible, this is the only way your athlete will get game experience. The more kids signed up to give more athletes the opportunity to play at different levels as we will enter more than one team per division.
*All athletes should arrive 60 minutes before game time for warm-up and leave time for games running ahead.

When do we get the GAME SCHEDULES?

Please note we normally don't receive game schedules until the Wednesday before a tournament. When we receive the schedule we will announce via all of our communication portals such as emails and social.

What is the Athlete and Parent Code of Conduct?

All athletes and parents are required to follow a strict Code of Conduct within our program along with USA Water polo.
*Upon membership to both, you will be required to sign off on your agreement to behave with good Character and Sportsmanship.
In the COD we stress the importance of the following:
*No Yelling at Officials on the deck or in a parking lot.
*No Yelling at Coaches on the deck or in a parking lot.
*Absolutely NO fighting with other parents/families on the pool deck, in the stands or in any parking lot.
*NO drinking on the pool deck.
*No encouraging an athlete to hurt another athlete.
*No discussing issues with a Coach after a game or anytime in front of athletes. There is an appropriate time and place for discussions. (give yourself a day for a cool-down period, then schedule an appropriate time to talk)
*Playing time is always at the discretion of the Coach, if this is a concern athletes are encouraged to discuss with the coach how they might improve.

How will I know if there is a schedule change or cancellation?

Pools heaters and pumps can break. Cancellations or changes do happen from time to time due to safety issues such as lightning, pool closures for maint /repairs, or school functions. If something happens to pool we will often find out at the last minute.

We will post all changes or cancellations to social and use the emails from Active.com registrations.

We thank you in advance for your patience and support in this matter.

We also email out any changes as well, so please check your email on a regular basis. All emails are generated out of the website (Active.com) database that you registered on and sent to all athletes registered for the current session.

The quickest way to ensure there haven't been any changes is to check social. You can also follow us on Twitter, and InstaGram.

InstaGram - @Elite_wpf

Twitter - EliteWaterPolo

Refund Policy

Injuries in sport happen, kids get sick, and adults lose their jobs. These are facts of life that cannot be changed or controlled. At Elite we have a NO refund policy.
This question is usually asked after a player is forced to quit the team due to unexpected circumstances, like an injury, illness or job relocation of the parent – even though the parent willingly committed to a non-refundable sports program.
The answer is really quite simple; water polo clubs try to keep their player fees as low as possible while still offering a solid comprehensive product. If our club offered refunds they would need to increase club fee’s up to 20% to cover the budget increase needed. Doing this would either remove other valuable offerings or make that club less competitive in the market, so most have a strict no-refund policy to ensure fees remain as low as possible.