2017 Awards
- 2017 GHSWPA All-Star Teams (D1/2/3/Girls)
- 2017 GHSWPA All-State Teams (D1/2/3/Girls)
- 2017 Boys State Champion: Wildcats A
- 2017 Girls State Champion: Eagles
- 2017 Division 1 Player of the Year: Jake Gleeson
- 2017 Division 1 Goalie of the Year: Anton Gudiswitz
- 2017 Division 1 Coach of the Year: Owen Sweitzer
- 2017 Division 2 Player of the Year: Andrew Jenkins
- 2017 Division 2 Goalie of the Year: Kyle Shudark
- 2017 Division 2 Coach of the Year: Whitney Foster
- 2017 Division 3 Player of the Year: Joshua Pingel
- 2017 Division 3 Goalie of the Year: Dawson Welsh
- 2017 Division 3 Coach of the Year: Brian Lee
- 2017 Girls Player of the Year: Grace Sherman
- 2017 Girls Goalie of the Year: Kaitlyn Kasper
- 2017 Girls Coach of the Year: Kevin Hughes
- 2017 Referee of the Year: Tim Watson
2017 Standings – Division 1 (final)
| Final Standing | Regular Season | Team | Regular Season Record | Overall GHSWPA Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Wildcats A | 12 – 2 (0.857) | 16 – 2 |
| 2 | T4 | Norcross Blue Devils A | 7 – 7 (0.500) | 10 – 8 |
| 3 | 1 | SPX Golden Lions A | 13 – 1 (0.929) | 16 – 2 |
| 4 | 3 | Southern Crescent | 10 – 4 (0.714) | 12 – 6 |
| 5 | 6 | Lakeside Vikings A | 5 – 9 (0.357) | 9 – 10 |
| 6 | T4 | APS Knights A | 7 – 7 (0.500) | 10 – 9 |
| T9 | 7 | Collins Hill Eagles A | 2 – 12 (0.143) | 3 – 14 |
| T9 | 8 | GAC Spartans | 0 – 14 (0.000) | 1 – 16 |
2017 Standings – Division 2 (final)
| Final Standing | Regular Season | Team | Regular Season Record | Overall GHSWPA Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T7 | 1 | Forsyth A | 14 – 0 (1.000) | 16 – 2 |
| T7 | 5 | North Springs Spartans | 7 – 7 (0.500) | 9 – 9 |
| T9 | 2 | Norcross Blue Devils B | 10 – 4 (0.714) | 11 – 6 |
| T9 | 3 | Pace Academy Knights | 9 – 5 (0.643) | 10 – 7 |
| T13 | 4 | SPX Golden Lions B | 8 – 6 (0.571) | 8 – 8 |
| T13 | 6 | Wildcats B | 4 – 10 (0.286) | 4 – 12 |
| T13 | T7 | Wesleyan Wolves | 2 – 12 (0.143) | 2 – 14 |
| T13 | T7 | Calhoun Yellow Jackets | 2 – 12 (0.143) | 2 – 14 |
2017 Standings – Division 3 (final)
| Final Standing | Regular Season | Team | Overall GHSWPA Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Dalton Catamounts | 14 – 0 (1.000) |
| 2 | T3 | Cambridge Bears | 10 – 4 (0.714) |
| 3 | T3 | Lakeside Vikings B | 11 – 4 (0.733) |
| 4 | 2 | Collins Hill Eagles B | 12 – 3 (0.800) |
| T5 | T6 | APS Knights B | 8 – 8 (0.500) |
| T5 | T8 | Lovett Lions | 7 – 9 (0.438) |
| T7 | 5 | Forsyth B | 10 – 5 (0.667) |
| T7 | T6 | SPX Golden Lions C | 7 – 8 (0.467) |
| T9 | T8 | Wildcats C | 4 – 9 (0.308) |
| T9 | 10 | Forsyth C | 3 – 10 (0.231) |
| T9 | 11 | Lakeside Vikings C | 1 – 12 (0.077) |
| T9 | 12 | APS Knights C | 0 – 13 (0.000) |
2017 Standings – Girls (final)
| Final Standing | Regular Season | Team | Overall GHSWPA Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | T3 | Collins Hill Lady Eagles A | 11 – 4 (0.733) |
| 2 | T3 | Lakeside | 10 – 5 (0.667) |
| 3 | 1 | Wildcats | 13 – 2 (0.867) |
| 4 | 2 | APS Knights | 11 – 5 (0.688) |
| T5 | T5 | Greyhound | 4 – 11 (0.267) |
| T5 | T5 | Forsyth | 3 – 11 (0.214) |
| 7 | 7 | Collins Hill Lady Eagles B | 0 – 14 (0.000) |
2017 Results
2017 News
10/18/17: Reminder: It’s not too late to register for the 2017-2018 USA Water Polo Olympic Development Program Camp! The Southeastern Zone, Atlanta-area’s boys and girls camp will be October 28th and 29th at Dynamo.
The Olympic Development Program exists to identify and prepare athletes to represent USAWP in international competition; while exposing, educating, engaging and developing all USAWP athletes, coaches and referees to the vision of our Men’s and Women’s Senior National Team Coaches. The goal is to identify and develop athletes at the USAWP club level and then integrate them into national team pipeline via the Olympic Development Program.
10/17/17: Reminder: 2017 PostSeason Meeting, Sunday, October 22nd at 9:00a, at Pace, Knights Hall, 5th floor; Required for Coaches and Team Representatives; Meeting agenda to be emailed ahead of time
10/16/17: Congratulations to those student-athletes named to the All-State Teams for the 2017 GHSWPA season! Also, congratulations to those named as Players, Goalies and Coaches of the Year for their respective Divisions!
10/14/17: Congratulations again to the 2017 GHSWPA All-Stars !
10/10/17: Congratulations to those student-athletes named as an All-Star for the 2017 GHSWPA season! We look forward to watching you in the water at the All-Star games this Saturday!
The All-Star games are the league’s annual celebration for completing another successful season. Please join us this Saturday, October 14th, at Wesleyan, to cheer on the All-Stars and to reflect on another fun season!
10/9/17: The final standings for the 2017 season have been posted. Thank you to all who submitted scores to GaPolo.com this season!
10/8/17: Congratulations Wildcats A, winners of the 2017 GHSWPA State Championship ! Norcross A finished as the runner-up, and SPX A took 3rd.
10/4/17: GHSWPA Action Co-Photos of the Week: [submit other action photos]
with a field block attempt; Photo credit: Erin E. Carton
from Sam Carton, Norcross #13; Photo credit: Erin E. Carton
10/3/17: The brackets, seedings and game schedules for this weekend’s 2017 GHSWPA State Championship are now available. Good luck to all participants!
10/2/17: Game scores and updated league standings through October 2nd have been posted.
10/2/17: Reminder: The GHSWPA is selling one shirt-design for our 2017 championship tournaments, with all GHSWPA teams listed on the back! We have short-sleeve and long-sleeve t-shirt options, as well as the very popular hoodie-sweatshirt. We will have some apparel for sale at our championship tournaments for cash only while supplies last.
10/1/17: Congratulations Collins Hill, winners of the 2017 GHSWPA Girls Championship ! Lakeside finished as the runner-up, with the Wildcats taking 3rd. [article via Gwinnett Prep Sports]
9/30/17: Congratulations Dalton, winners of the 2017 GHSWPA Division 3 Championship ! The Cambridge Bears completed an excellent run to second place, while Lakeside B finished 3rd. [article via The Daily Citizen]
9/29/17: Congratulations to the 2017 GHSWPA Regular Season Division Champions!
Division 1: SPX Golden Lions A
Division 2: Forsyth A
Division 3: Dalton Catamounts
Girls: Wildcats
9/27/17: The brackets, seedings and game schedules for this weekend’s 2017 GHSWPA Division 3 and Girls State Championships are now available. Good luck to all participants!
9/27/17: GHSWPA Action Photo of the Week: [submit other action photos]
Jaime Matherson (APS Knights, #8); Photo credit: Lori Thomas
9/26/17: Game scores and updated league standings through September 24th have been posted.
9/20/17: GHSWPA Action Quad-Photos of the Week: [submit other action photos]
Photo credit: Carol Milliron
Photo credit: Shari Wright
9/19/17: Game scores and updated league standings through September 17th have been posted.
9/13/17: GHSWPA Action Photo of the Week: [submit other action photos]
Southern Crescent edged out the Knights with a final score of 11 – 8; Photo credit: Brian Schermerhorn
9/12/17: Game scores and updated league standings through September 10th have been posted.
9/8/17: GHSWPA Action Co-Photos of the Week: [submit other action photos]
Pace; Wildcats A won the contest 10 – 5; Photo credit: Jeff Kent
9/7/17: Congratulations to the student-athletes from Georgia named as a 2016-17 American Water Polo Scholar Athlete!. In order to be named, student-athletes must meet the following criteria:
- Student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) or 87/100
- Athletes must have played in an AWP event, league (like the GHSWPA) or tournament
- Athletes of any age are eligible
Each year, GHSWPA teams are encouraged to submit their eligible student-athletes for recognition. The deadline to submit nominations this year was June 30th, 2017.
Congratulations and keep up the good work!
9/5/17: Game scores and updated league standings through September 3rd have been posted.
8/29/17: GHSWPA Action Photo of the Week: [submit other action photos]
8/28/17: Game scores and updated league standings through August 27th have been posted.
8/23/17: GHSWPA Action Co-Photos of the Week: [submit other action photos]
perimeter against the Wildcats on Aug 20th
at Mountain View; Wildcat won the close
game 14 – 12; Photo credit: Jeff Wheeler
at Mountain View; Southern Crescent finished on top 7 – 4;
Photo credit: Brian Schermerhorn
8/22/17: Game scores and updated league standings through August 20th have been posted.
8/16/17: GHSWPA Action Co-Photos of the Week: [submit other action photos]
defense; Southern Crescent won the contest 12 – 5;
Photo credit: Brian Schermerhorn
Lakeside A prevailed 13 – 10; Photo credit: Bruno Cardot
8/15/17: Game scores and updated league standings through August 13th have been posted.
8/13/17: This past July, Dynamo Water Polo Club 16U Girls, including athletes from three different GHSWPA teams, played seven matches in three different pools over four days. They logged over 500 miles in “Peaches” their rental van during the 2017 USAWP Junior Olympic National Championship Tournament in Orange County, CA. [Full recap]
8/13/17: Reminder: The GHSWPA Action Photo of the Week is back for the 2017 season! Simply take a photo of a GHSWPA student-athlete or team, submit the photo to GAPolo.com with caption, and maybe your photo will get picked for the week! Photos will be released on the website mid-week during the season!
8/11/17: GHSWPA Action Photo of the Week: [submit other action photos]
of Tennessee; The tournament included Wildcat A and B, Norcross Blue Devils, Bluff City A and B, and host Knoxville;
Wildcat A went undefeated to unofficially claim the title; Photo courtesy of Brian Schneiderman
7/18/17: Reminder: The GHSWPA Board has approved a referee development program pulling from the league’s current and alumni players. The basics of this new feeder program is modeled after Florida’s program:
7/7/17: ICYMI: The 2017 GHSWPA League Schedule has been posted online. Competitions get underway during the week of August 7th and conclude with the annual All-Star Games on October 14th.
Highlights of the timeline include the 2017 GHSWPA Division 3, Girls and State Championship Tournaments, occuring on September 30th, October 1st and 7th/8th respectively. The State Championship will once again be played at the Cumming Aquatic Center.
All known meetings, trainings, clinics and weather make-up slots are included in the posted schedule. A new instant-search feature by team name has been added to the website’s schedule page for easier access to a specific team’s schedule and results.
Team reps, coaches, parents, players, referees and adminstrators are encouraged to review the schedule and begin planning ahead. If you have questions, please contact our Scheduling Coordinators.
6/30/17: Reminder: The popular Kap7 Clinic, organized by the Dynamo Water Polo Club, is returning in 2017! Registration is now open and Dynamo expects the clinic to sell out again.
The Clinic features the top collegiate, club, and international coaches and is structured to expose athletes to new techniques that can be put to use right away. All of the skills necessary to reach the next level will be addressed, from 6v5, to 5v6, to transition to counter, and more. Don’t miss this excellent chance to dramatically improve your level of play in one weekend!
The clinic will occur on August 5th and 6th, and will take place at the Cumming Aquatic Center beginning Saturday morning and concluding Sunday afternoon. The cost per athlete is $295. Sign up early, as space is limited. The 2014, 2015 and 2016 clinics sold out, and Dynamo expects the 2017 clinic to be sold out by June-end.
Please refer to the clinic website for additional information and to register.
6/7/17: Reminder: American Water Polo is accepting nominations for the 2016-17 American Water Polo Scholar Athlete Award. They are honoring any AWP athlete who qualifies under these set of criteria:
- Student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) or comparable on another grading scale
- Athletes must have played in an AWP event, league (like the GHSWPA) or tournament
- Athlete must present his or her report card or transcripts in one of following ways:
- Email: member@americanwaterpolo.org (PDF, screen capture image, direct link)
- Fax: 610-277-7382
- Mail: 129 West 4th Street, Bridgeport, PA 19405
Each year, GHSWPA teams are encouraged to submit their eligible student-athletes for recognition. The deadline to submit nominations for this year’s award is June 30th, 2017.
5/22/17: Reminder: water polo camp at Pace this coming June for rising 4th through 8th graders. Learn the basic skills needed to play splash ball and water polo. Each session, players will work on swimming and ball handling skills, as well as positions and basic formations.
Campers should have advanced swimming skills and the ability to work for long periods of time without touching the bottom of the pool.
- Program: Training and Learning the Basic Skills for Water Polo — Have fun developing skills, participating in drills and playing games
- Eligibility: Water Polo Camp for rising grades 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8
- Dates: June 5th, 6th and 7th
- Times: 9:00a – 12:00n, each day
- Cost: $250.00 per camper, includes a ball and t-shirt
- Sponsor: John Ague (Pace Water Polo Head Coach) and PaceAcademy.org
To learn more, please visit the Pace Summer Camps website. To register, visit the Pace Camp Registration website, create a new account if needed, and register for the Water Polo Camp. Please contact Pace Academy if you have any questions
5/19/17: Dynamo Swim Club head coach and CEO, Jason Turcotte, passed away very unexpectedly two weeks ago. He leaves a wife and three young children. Jason was 47.
From his first days at the Dynamo helm, Jason supported water polo and wanted Dynamo to remain a key part of water polo in the state of Georgia. Please consider a donation to the memorial fund in his name. The DSC family wants to get the amount to $200,000+ to provide a solid financial foundation for the kids:
— Love and Support for the Turcottes
From Mike Scott, GHSWPA President, on behalf of the GHSWPA, “The GHSWPA and every exciting moment we have shared with our student-athletes over the last 11 years have been supported by the Dynamo Swim Club, and now is a time to give back. Please consider the enormous benefits we have enjoyed in the past and will continue to enjoy because of Jason’s and Dynamo’s support. Please consider making a contribution to the Jason Turcotte Family Fund. Your GHSWPA Board thanks you for your thoughtfulness and generous assistance.”
Thank you in advance on behalf of his wife Heidi and their children Jack, Olivia, and Kaela, not to mention Jason.
5/1/17: Reminder: Free Coaches Clinic, Saturday, May 6th at Pace Academy! The event will be hosted by American Water Polo’s Damon Newman from 9a – 12n (morning session) and 1p – 4p (afternoon session), with lunch included! And, it is ok if coaches can only attend the morning or afternoon session.
We will be in The Garcia Family Middle School, Knights Hall (5th floor). Go down the hall to the right of the school (when facing the school) and park behind the building. Enter through the natatorium entrance and take elevator to the 5th floor. We will have signs up to direct everyone here as well.
The Clinic will provide a free, professional development opportunity for Georgia’s coaches. Topics to be discussed include 1) Season Plan and Implementation, 2) Defensive skills / tactics and 5-on-6, 3) Offensive skills / tactics and 6-on-5, and 4) Admin / recruiting / parents / booster clubs / officials.
Whether you are experienced or new to coaching water polo, there will be something for everyone. We hope each GHSWPA club will encourage all of its coaches to attend this free event!
3/29/17: The league’s Divisions for the upcoming 2017 season have been released and each Division has grown once again!
Division 1 (eight teams) has added one team, Wildcats A, who was the Division 2 Champion in 2016. Division 2 (eight teams) will see some shifting of teams, with Forsyth A, Calhoun, Norcross Blue Devil B and Wildcats B moving up from Division 3 while Dalton and Lakeside B will be moving down. The Girls Division (seven teams) is experiencing growth as well, with a split of the Collins Hill Lady Eagles squad in to A and B teams.
Division 3 (twelve teams) has added five new teams! APS Knights C, Forsyth B, Forsyth C and Wildcats C are being added due to their respective club expansions, and we are excited to welcome new GHSWPA-member The Lovett School (Atlanta, GA) to the league, who will also compete in Division 3 as new teams tend to do when first beginning. The GAC Spartans were hit hard by graduation so their B Team has been dissolved due to roster number concerns.
Overall, the GHSWPA will grow by six teams and one new club in 2017, while losing only one team from last year. 2017 competition scheduling is now underway based on the new Divisions.
3/6/17: Reminder: 2017 GHSWPA Spring Clinics
2/28/17: Congratulations to the following girls and boys from Georgia for earning roster spots on the 2017 USA Water Polo Olympic Development Program (ODP) Southeast Zone Teams!
Girls>>
2/22/17: Reminder: The 2017 GHSWPA Spring Meeting will be on Saturday, February 25th, at North Springs High School, at 10:00a. Coaches and Team Reps for the 2017 season should plan on attending. An agenda will be sent via email prior to the meeting.
10/24/16: The GHSWPA welcomes two new members to its Board, Annie Rizzo, the new Director of the Girls State Tournament, and Joe Gudiswitz, the new Director of the GHSWPA State Tournament. Annie and Joe replace outgoing Board members Susan Bagent and Kris Chatfield, who held the same positions respectively. Thank you Susan and Kris for your service to the GHSWPA and to your community!