FAQ's

What is USA water polo insurance and age verification?

USA Water Polo insurance and age verification is required for all members of SHAQ. It provides insurance coverage during practices and games.

- Bronze level membership is acceptable for practice participation. To participate in any JO qualifying tournaments and the JO tournament, athletes must have the Gold level membership.

How do I make sure I am registered (affiliated) with SHAQ?

In order to compete with SHAQ in the summer you must be affiliated with Sleepy Hollow Aquatics (18329) on your USA water polo membership by May 9th. To change your affiliation go to “Member Area” after logging in to USA water polo and click on “change club affiliation.”

What are Junior Olympics (JO’s) and the Junior Olympic Qualifying (Quals) tournaments?

Junior Olympics is an end of the summer national tournament. The qualifying tournaments take place in June in the Bay Area. Athletes must have the Gold level USA water polo insurance membership to participate in JO's.

Does everyone compete at Junior Olympics?

No, not all athletes will compete at JO’s or JO Quals. SHAQ will field an A team for all age groups. 12-15 athletes will be chosen from each age group to fill the A team JO roster. SHAQ is a very competitive club and having been chosen for previous JO’s or having had attended a travel tournament does not guarantee a JO roster spot. If we have 12-15 more players in a certain age group we will field a B team as well. Not all SHAQ teams will qualify for JO’s. If you have any questions regarding JO selection, please contact Matt Swanson directly at sleepyhollowaquatics@gmail.com.

Is Junior Olympics the main focus of the summer?

No, SHAQ practices and philosophies are geared toward improving all players’ abilities. All players, regardless of whether or not they are chosen to participate at JO’s, receive the same coaching and involvement in practice.

How do you choose JO teams?

Choosing JO teams is a very tough process, especially for a club with as many competitive athletes as we have. We look at many factors including; will the athlete get playing time on a certain team? Which team is a better fit for the athlete? Does the athlete show a strong work ethic everyday in practice? How has the athlete's practice attendance been?

We like to put kids on teams where they will have a chance to be involved and "get the ball in their hands". Being the 13-15th player on a roster and barely seeing the pool in games, or being a top 4 player on another roster and getting a lot of playing time and meaningful minutes is important to player development. As much as possible, we want kids in the water competing.

How do I order SHAQ gear and suits?

SHAQ gear is available to order in the beginning of the Summer and Winter sessions. It is strongly recommended to try on a suit before you order as water polo suits run very differently from each other. It usually takes 3-4 weeks to arrive. All gear will be distributed at practice when they arrive.

Are there fees for weekend tournaments?

Yes, in order to keep our tuition prices down, we charge a daily fee for weekend games. The daily fee is usually $25-40 and goes towards tournament entry fees and coaches stipend. There will also be fees for the JO qualifying and JO tournament.

Can I practice with SHAQ and another water polo club at the same time?

In fairness to our other athletes and coaches we do not allow athletes to be registered for a SHAQ session and practice with other clubs at the same time. This also creates a logistics issue for our coaching staff.