Most other NGB’s are located in Colorado Springs, including USA Swimming and USA Basketball. In addition to its national team operations, USA Water Polo also provides club and membership services for more than 32,000 players, coaches and officials, sanctioning hundreds of youth and Masters tournaments each year as well as national championships.
“There is a wealth of water polo knowledge and tradition in California,” said Chris Ramsey, chief executive officer of USA Water Polo. “We wanted to be more directly connected to the bulk of our membership, and we wanted to develop ways to enlist their knowledge and skills to help build our sport in other parts of the country.”
USA Water Polo was founded in 1980 after the national team came into play in 1977 following the USA’s missed qualification for the 1976 Olympic Games. Since then the men’s team has medaled twice claiming silver in 1984 and 1988.
The women’s team came into existence in 1998 when it was announced women’s water polo would be an Olympic sport starting first at the 2000 games. Since that time the women’s team has netted two Olympic medals, silver in 2000, and a bronze in 2004. The USA women’s national team is the reigning world champion and favorite in the upcoming Beijing Olympics, led by Coach Guy Baker, who was recently named US Olympic Coach of the Year by the USOC.
USA Water Polo will formally name its Olympic teams for the 2008 games in June. Both men’s and women’s teams have already secured Olympic berths. Prior to the Olympic Games, USA Water Polo will host the S&R Sport Junior Olympics in Irvine, in what has become the world’s largest water polo tournament.
