USA Water Polo Announces Youth and Cadet National Team Coaches

LOS ALAMITOS, CALIF. May 5. USA Water Polo recently announced the Men's and Women's Youth and Cadet National Team Coaches for the 2006 season. For the U.S. Women's National Team Program, Arizona State University Head Coach Todd Clapper has accepted the Head Coach position for the Youth Team and Olympian Chris Oeding will take the helm of the Cadet Team. For the U.S. Men's National Team Program, Olympian Robert Lynn will coach the Youth Team and Jason Lynch will serve as head coach for the Cadet Team.

TODD CLAPPER (U.S. Women's Youth National Team Head Coach) Todd Clapper comes into the 2006 season with a wealth of coaching experience. In 2005, Clapper served as an assistant coach for the Women's Junior National Team and the video coach for the Senior National Team. In addition, the 2005-2006 collegiate season was Clapper's first as the Head Coach of the women's water polo team at Arizona State University. In his first season, the Sun Devils were consistently within the top ten teams of the Collegiate Water Polo Associations' Top 20 Poll. Previously, Clapper was the Head Coach for the Brown University men's and women's water polo teams for six and five years respectively.

"I was impressed with Todd's work assisting the Junior and Senior Teams last year," said Women's National Team Head Coach Guy Baker. "He also did a great job during his first year at ASU and he will be able to hit the ground running because he is already familiar with our system."

CHRIS OEDING (U.S. Women's Cadet National Team Head Coach) Chris Oeding is a two-time Olympian (1996, 2000) who has not only experienced major successes in the pool, but on the pool deck as well. In 2000, Oeding became the Head Water Polo Coach at Long Beach City College where he led the once mediocre program to become one of the premier community college teams in the state. In 2005, he was named the Women's Cadet National Team Coach for the program's inaugural season.

"He has an extremely successful program at Long Beach City College and he brings with him a wealth of international experience to the job," said Baker.

ROBERT LYNN (U.S. Men's Youth National Team Head Coach) Robert Lynn brings with him knowledge of water polo at the collegiate, national and international level. Lynn was on the 2000 Olympic Team, has played for professional teams in France, Italy and Croatia, and was a four-time All-American at USC. He now coaches a successful club program, Long Beach Shore Aquatics, in Long Beach, Calif.

"Robert came through the ranks of the National Team Program," said Men's National Team Head Coach Ricardo Azevedo. "He has endured a lot of adversity, but has always pulled through. He has tremendous knowledge and brings with him a very experienced staff."

JASON LYNCH: (U.S. Men's Cadet National Team Head Coach) Lynch began his coaching career at his alma mater, Marina High School. He went on to coach the water polo and swim teams at Costa Mesa High School, followed by a six-year coaching stint at Capistrano Valley High School also has National Team experience coaching the Youth Team and has served as the Cadet Coach for the last several years. He is currently the men's water polo coach and swim coach at Newport Harbor High School.

"Jason has been involved with the National Team for quite a few years now," said Azevedo. "He is very good at identifying talented athletes and the youth team will be a team with representation from across the country."

USA Water Polo, Inc. is a non-profit corporation organized for the purpose to serve as the national governing body for the sport of water polo in the United States under the auspices of the United States Olympic Committee
(USOC).

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