Welcome to week 4 of our splash-tastic summer season! Before we cannonball into this week's news, here are a few reminders:

• RSVP to Games

Don't be a mystery player! Please RSVP to games as soon as they hit the schedule. Last week, I had to send several reminders for the 12U and 14U games, and we still had some no RSVPs. It takes just a few seconds—check out this how-to article.

• Turn on Notifications

Let's stay connected! Ensure your notifications are on and you're reading our emails and messages. Here's a how-to guide. Also, keep an eye on your spam folder—spam filters can be sneaky. In the last two weeks, I felt like a detective hunting players down about their USA Water Polo requirements, and it was very time-consuming.

Need to add a guardian or athlete to the SE app? Email me their name and email, and I'll make it happen!

Now for this week's news:

• 12U and 14U Teams: They made a big splash in their first games on Saturday—check out the coaches' summaries below!
• 16U Teams: games on Saturday, June 8. The schedule isn't out yet, but we'll have it mid-week. Once the games are posted on the calendar and the app, you know what to do: RSVP!
• 18U Team:  games on Sunday, June 9. The schedule isn't out yet, but we'll have it mid-week. Once the games are posted on the calendar and the app, you know what to do: RSVP!
• 14U JO Team: They're diving into the JO Quals this weekend! The first game is on Friday, June 7, with more on Saturday and Sunday. The schedule is still a bit wavy, but we'll post it as soon as it's final. We got lucky with the pools—it looks like we'll be at Paly and Sacred Heart. This will be a tough competition, so let's send them some positive vibes and good luck! I'll share the schedule so you can cheer for your clubmates!
• No Practice: No practice for everyone on Friday, June 7. Enjoy your day off!
• This week, the 10U, 12U, and 14U will have an extra practice on Wednesday, June 5, at their regular time and location. 

T-shirts and Suits

Our amazing teamwear volunteer coordinators have received (or will soon receive) the team t-shirts. Every player and coach gets one. They'll post in the chat when they are ready to hand them out. If you need to know who the parent volunteer is, check your team's page at Team Pages (log into your SE account to see the page).

Team Store

Want to look stylish on the pool deck? Parents and fans can buy team wear at our Team Store (the link is in the Parent Portal menu).

12U and 16U White Team Parents

We need team parents for these two teams. The job is super easy and makes a big difference. The team parent keeps the communication flowing, posts game reminders and time changes in the chat, updates the game score on the SE app, coordinates snacks, and, if needed, a lunch spot. With a team parent, our coaches can focus on coaching.

Thanks for staying on top of these reminders and updates. Let's make a splash this week!

Saturday, June 1 West Valley League Recaps

12U—Coach Natasha

Game 1: Mid-Pen vs. Stanford B
Loss 7-10

Our first game of the 2024 summer season! With a handful of new players getting to experience a water polo game for the first time!

We started a little disjointed in the first half, allowing Stanford players to slip past our defense and make some panicked passes. But our second half looked much better with a more aware defense and an offense that set up and kept the ball moving!  

Game 2: Mid-Pen vs Euroskill
Loss 5-11

Back-to-back games are always challenging, but this one was even more of a challenge due to the physicality of the other team. They were unfortunately able to capitalize on the fact that our players were tired from the first game and our lack of communication on defense. Max (and Mason) were strong in goal but often faced very close one-on-one shots. The referee kept control of the game, giving us many five-on-four opportunities. The second half came with better defense and awareness, leading to safer passes and a few more goals.

Overall, I'm very proud of how our 12U team played this weekend, and I can't wait to see how they progress through the season!

14U—Coach Adam

Today, the 14Us had a great start to the season, winning both games.

Game 1: Euroskill
Win 14-13

Euroskill's goalie was out sick, so they had a field player play goalie for them, and we did a 5v5. Even with plenty of subs on our team, it was a challenging first half, and they turned into a back-and-forth goal after goal in the second half. We had the final goal and ran the clock with an overall score of 14-13. The highlight of the game was that Sydney scored half of those goals!

Game 2: Stanford B
Win 13-5

We won by a landslide, playing with outstanding defense and fabulous offense. We stayed up the entire time.