Water Polo

Continuing Swimming World's exclusive interview with Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo, the conversation picks up with USAWP's executive director discussing financial challenges due to the cancellation of a majority of the organization's premier events—including the Junior Olympics, the worl...

Monmouth College (Ill.) announced Tuesday that it will discontinue its men’s and women’s water polo programs at the end of the 2020-21 season. Both programs were started in the last decade, with the men in 2012 and women in 2013. In a university statement, athletic director Roger Haynes cited, “a de...

At a time when perhaps being USA Water Polo CEO is not so desirable, Christopher Ramsey plans to stay put—in spite of critics clamoring for his removal and a raging pandemic that has brought the sport to a virtual standstill. A petition launched two weeks ago by former Olympians, past national team ...

During a moment of extreme disruption in American society, including unrest due to continued racial discrimination and violence, Clarke Weatherspoon and USA Water Polo’s Racial Equity & Reform Task Force seek to open up swimming and water polo to all, regardless of race or gender. It is no surprise ...

Ryder Wade, a freshman on Concordia University’s men’s water polo team, died Jan. 15 in an auto accident near campus. Wade was 18 years old. Wade was killed after leaving practice at the Woollett Aquatics Center. The motorcycle he was riding collided with a car in Irvine around 8:15 on Friday mornin...

Amidst a plethora of petitions regarding swimming and water polo in the U.S., add an effort by a pair of California parents urging public officials to reopen public pools despite COVID-19. Sean Plotkin, a parent whose life-long love of all things aquatics includes swimming, scuba diving and water po...

SPECIAL REPORT: When Water Polo Play Becomes Sexual Abuse “This is the sort of thing that has the potential to wreck lives,” said Therese Langan, an authority on the treatment of sexually abused teens. Langan was referring to the downstream effects of sexual assault on the young players under the tu...

In response to the petition launched Wednesday calling for the resignation of USA Water Polo CEO Christopher Ramsey and Board Chair Michael Graff, late Wednesday night the organization released a statement. It alleges that one of the USAWP's staff members is listed as a supporter without their conse...

In an extraordinary action, select members of the American water polo community have set up a petition demanding that Christopher Ramsey, USA Water Polo CEO, and Michael Graff, USAWP Board Chair, step down. [Water Polo Olympians Start Petition Demanding Removal of USA Water Polo CEO, Board Chairman]...

More than 10 Olympic water polo players as well as former U.S. national team members, coaches and officials have joined forces to call for the removal of USA Water Polo CEO Christopher Ramsey and USA Water Polo board chairman Michael Graff. The group of players, coaches and officials is part of more...

In what is a very optimistic outlook for NCAA men’s water polo, earlier this week the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) released a Top 20 Preseason Poll—albeit one with a number of caveats. The biggest being: will anyone be playing? "Due to the fluid nature of the season, the Preseason Polls ...

Passages: A Tribute to Who Was Lost in the Swimming World in 2020: Part 2 (July-December) The world of swimming endured a number of notable passages in 2020, individuals who enriched the sport in the pool and on deck. In 2020, we lost some of the sports coaching pioneers around the globe. Many of th...

Swimmers Tim Peterson and Andy Ritchie and water polo player Con Kudaba were among the recipients of the 2020 OLY Canada Legacy Grants, announced Sunday by the Canadian Olympic Committee. The COC bestowed 10 grants of $5,000 each to Team Canada Legacy Olympians working on specific projects to advanc...

Thursday night USA Water Polo’s Racial Equity & Reform Task Force held the second of two virtual town hall discussions about the recently-formed group’s mission to create more inclusion and equity in a sport that—by almost all appearances—is predominantly populated by white, and often affluent, part...

On Wednesday, December 9, USA Water Polo feted its 2020 Hall of Fame inductees in a virtual ceremony streamed on YouTube. It was a much-needed uplift for the sport in the U.S., which has been effectively brought to a standstill by the coronavirus pandemic. [2020 USA Water Polo Hall of Fame Ceremony ...

In a potential death knell to the 2020-21 men’s water polo season in California, the Big West Conference, which numbers Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara among its members, has announced the cancellation of all fall sports due to the rising COVID-19 infection rates in the Go...

Last night, after a four month delay due to COVID-19, USA Water Polo feted its 2020 Hall of Fame class of honorees. It was worth the wait as new inductees Gavin Arroyo, Kelly Rulon, Gary Robinett, Elsie Windes and Bruce Wigo, along with previous Hall of Fame honorees, were recognized in an online ce...

In a moment when water polo can use any positive news regarding COVID-19, a detailed report out of Idaho suggests that—when played in proper conditions—polo may be one of the safest indoor contact sports available to age group athletes. Mark Collingham, a former polo player for Washington State Univ...

An incident last weekend in St. Petersburg, Florida exposed a flash point in a contentious legal battle involving USA Water Polo and former SOPAC Zone coach Bahram Hojreh, the subject of criminal and civil charges for alleged abuse of his players. Pictures of Hojreh with members of the Jacksonville ...

COVID-19 and Environmental Considerations for Aquatic Sports The following paper is by Mark Collingham, M.S. Chemical Engineering, and head coach of Kroc/CDA Water Polo Club in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He may be reached at mark.collingham@gmail.com The coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 or covid-19) pandemic of ...