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Coach Max’s Birthday Post

To help celebrate our 3rd birthday (tomorrow!!) Coach Max shared his thoughts on the club today! He is not only one of our Head Coaches, but also a parent of one of our athletes, and reflects upon both below.

“I joined Gator Water Polo as head coach of the 10/12U team in 2014, about a year after John and David founded the club. I have a unique perspective because I am both a coach and an athlete’s parent. One of the first things I noticed once coming aboard was the deep love and experience that John and David have for our sport. I have played from the age of 9 through high school and college in California and beyond, so I’ve been exposed to a great deal of different water polo philosophies and traditions. Gator Water Polo’s coaches bring all of those philosophies together in a youth club that has tremendous potential.

I never pushed my son into the sport because I didn’t want to be ‘that kind of dad’, but he knew that I coached. When he was 9, he asked if he could try water polo. I said sure. So, we went to the pool, and he froze up and didn’t want to get in the water – just wanted to watch from the deck. I walked over to John and had a quiet, discreet chat, asking him to go over and talk to Max. He agreed and after about 5 minutes, Max was in the pool and being taught technique by John and David. He was hooked from that day on and plays for both the 12U and 14U teams today. To this day, I don’t know what John told my son, but I am thankful for it.

Perhaps the most meaningful aspect of coaching is seeing the development of our young athletes. It’s very rewarding to see the progression of our kids as athletes and people. It’s great to see them work hard every week, get better, deal with bad days, see them laugh and also get frustrated. But probably the best thing is to see them have fun.

As a non-profit organization, we have made great inroads into our future development. From David and my trips to Tallahassee to lobby for pool funding, to grant writing, and to laying the foundation for the expansion of water polo as a varsity sport in our local high schools, our future is very bright. We have an outstanding core of athletes and families and I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays to come!”

Coach Max

Gator Water Polo, Gainesville Florida

Gator Water Polo, Gainesville Florida

Coach John’s Birthday Post

To celebrate our birthday week, we’re having some of our coaches share their thoughts on Gator Water Polo. First up is one of our Co-Founders, John Trimble!

“Water polo isn’t a sport to me, it’s a passion. I fell in love with it when I went to my first practice in 9th grade. I could barely swim a lap, let alone tread water, but somehow, I was excited, not discouraged, by my initial failings. I’ve now played for 8 years, swimming and treading are no longer a challenge, and every year my love for water polo has only grown. It helped me take a break from the homework in high school, immediately find a place among 50,000 students at UF, and stay active and healthy throughout my life. I can’t accurately describe what water polo means to me, other than to say it is what I live for. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I had grown up in Gainesville, without the opportunity to discover water polo.

GWP has given me the opportunity to bring that sport that I love to the next generation in Gainesville. Three years ago, when David and I started the club, we had a goal of making water polo accessible to every kid in Gainesville who wanted to play, and I’m very proud to say that no athlete has ever been turned away. To me, that is our single biggest accomplishment. It overwhelms me with pride to know that no kid growing up in Gainesville will ever miss out on the opportunity to discover water polo because there isn’t a team, they don’t have any swimming experience, they can’t afford the costs, or any other reason we can affect.

GWP’s future is very bright. As we continue to grow we will be able to offer better opportunities for the next generation of water polo players, and be able to compete, not just in Florida, but nationally, and even internationally one day. My vision for the next 3 years includes boys and girls’ varsity water polo teams at multiple schools in Gainesville, and competitive teams in every age group from 10U to 18U playing in national tournaments.

It has been a fantastic 3 years so far, and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next 3!

Happy birthday Gator Water Polo!”

-Coach John

Picture of Coach John on deck in 2014.

Gator Water Polo, Gainesville Florida

Gator Water Polo, Gainesville Florida

GHS in the Gainesville Sun

Gainesville High to get water polo team By Larry Savage Staff writer Published: Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 7:28 p.m. Last Modified: Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 7:28 p.m. After three years getting a club team going in Gainesville with Gator Water Polo, David Huelsman, one of the club’s co-founders, says it is ready to take the next step. “We… Read more →