JOs! | MBU Water Polo

Junior Olympics Summer 2022

Interested in participating in one of the best water polo experiences around?

Read the information below.

All athletes that would like to participate in the Junior Olympic Qualifier and the National Junior Olympics must complete and submit their commitment form via TeamSnap by Tuesday, May 24, and submit a $300 participation fee which covers BOTH tournaments (Note: $150 will be refunded if teams don't qualify for the National Junior Olympics). In the event that we do not have enough interest to enter a team, the $300 participation fee will be refunded in its entirety. The participation fee covers the tournament entry fees and coaches expenses.

IMPORTANT: Athletes must complete their USAWP Athlete Requirements by Wednesday, June 1.

What is Junior Olympics?

The USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics is the largest age group water polo tournament in the nation. Teams must qualify through a zone qualification process (see dates below) and each year, MBU Water Polo Foundation has been fortunate to send qualified teams to participate. This year the National Junior Olympics will be held in the Bay Area. Athletes that have participated in the past regularly comment that Junior Olympics provided their fondest memories of competing in the sport. It is a highly competitive and fun tournament that provides great camaraderie for the boys and girls. Based on our summer sign-ups, we hope to enter the following teams in the Junior Olympic Qualifier this year, and if they qualify, in the National Junior Olympics:

12-under boys

14-under boys

16-under boys

18-under boys

14-under girls

16-under girls

It is the culmination of a summer (and year) of practice and preparation for many clubs. Competing in this event is one of the best ways to take your water polo skills to the next level. With MBU Water Polo Foundation's expert coaches with 50+ total years of experience playing and coaching water polo athletes are in the best hands for preparation.

How teams qualify – Junior Olympic Qualifiers

The nation is broken into regions called "zones" with Monterey being in the Pacific zone. Each zone has a zone qualifying tournament for different age groups. Because there are many teams in the Pacific zone, some groups' zone qualifiers are held over two weekends. The JO Qualifying Tournaments are mandatory for all athletes in these age groups selected for and wishing to attend JO's and will be held at various high schools/aquatic centers in the Bay area. Locations and schedules are posted closer to the qualifying dates:

12-under boys, 14-under boys, & 14-under girls: June 10 - 12

16-under boys, 18-under boys, & 16-under girls: June 17 - 19

*Accommodations

Monterey Bay United Water Polo will secure a small block of rooms for select qualifying weekends at a hotel in the Bay Area for both weekends. We always attempt to book hotels that include made-to-order breakfast for all guests and access to the sport facilities! Once an athlete has committed to JOs, we will notify families of participants of all details.

Where and When are the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics held?
Junior Olympics moves around the nation from year to year. Hundreds of teams participate, so dozens of pools in a region are used over the course of the tournament. This summer, Junior Olympics will be held in Northern California (Bay Area locations).

JO Championships are held the over two weekends in July. One weekend for the girls, and one weekend for the boys. Depending on summer sign up and JO participation interest, we may field additional teams as well.

Session I:

12-under boys, 14-under boys, 16-under boys, & 18-under boys, July 16 - 19

Session II:

14-under girls & 16-under girls, July 21 - 24

(What group an athlete participates in depends on their age as of August 1, 2022.)

PARTICIPATION/ATHLETE REQUIREMENTS

USA Water Polo Membership and Affiliation with MBU Water Polo (MB United)
All athletes must be current members of USA Water Polo (Silver, Gold, or Seasonal Athlete Membership; Splashball membership is not applicable). To register or renew with USAWP, please visit www.usawaterpolo.org. All athletes interested in participating at Junior Olympics must be Gold Athlete Members.

Athletes wishing to be selected to a JO Team must be affiliated with our Monterey Bay United Water Polo (MB United), club #34089, Pacific Zone (#6) no later than 7 days prior to the commencement of the zone qualification tournament. USAWP is very strict on this and there is no grace period.

Age Verification
USA Water Polo has an age verification requirement for all athletes participating in National Championship Events. For those who have never completed the age verification, this is a one-time-charge of $5.00 paid online through TC logiQ Secure Website. Access by logging into the athlete's USAWP account and you will see a link to "Age Verification" on the right hand side; follow the steps from there.

Gold athlete members must complete this process prior to participating in any National Championship Event, in particular the Regional Junior Olympic Qualifier. This process can take up to seven (7) days to receive results so we urge all athletes to complete the verification right away, to avoid delays as the qualifiers get closer. We will not be able to verify and submit rosters until all athletes' birth dates have been successfully verified in the USAWP system. We encourage all of our members who have the intention of participating on one of our Club JO teams to complete the verification process as described by USAWP as soon as possible. If you have any follow up questions regarding the verification process please see USAWPs Age Eligibility FAQs or feel free to contact us.

COVID-19 Return to Play Waiver

ALL athletes must have a current USAWP COVID-19 Return to Play Waiver completed. The COVID-19 Return to Play Waiver can be accessed by logging into your USAWP account.

Click Here for help submitting a Covid-19 Waiver or DoB Verification

USA Water Polo Photo ID Requirements - two options

In order to be verified for tournament play, ALL athletes must either have a photo ID uploaded onto their USA Water Polo membership account (see photo requirements below) or have a passport, drivers license, or school ID with them for game check-in. Note: We strongly encourage athletes to upload a photo onto their USA Water Polo membership account in the event that the athlete forgets their passport, drivers license, or school ID.

Photo requirements

Allowed File Extensions: JPEG|jpeg|JPG|jpg|PNG|png

Max File size: 20Mb

Please upload a headshot required for identification and credentials (ex. Passport type photo)

Must have a plain background
Shoulders and head square to the camera
No group photos
No action shots

SafeSport Training

All 18+ year old athletes must complete SafeSport training. Participants required to take the training must login to their USA Water Polo membership account and select the "SafeSport Training'' option. The training is free for members and may be accessed from USA Water Water Polo's membership database. Once registered for the course, you may begin the course directly within the USA Water Polo database. You may finish the training at your own pace. You are not required to finish the course in a single sitting, however the entire course must be completed for full credit of the training. Upon completion of SafeSport training, the USA Water Polo National Office will receive a record of the course completion directly from the training platform and will record it within your membership account. We recommend the member also have a copy of the certificate of completion for their records. Failure to complete a required training will result in disqualification from participating in USA Water Polo practices and events.

JO Athlete Expectations
Commitment. Going to JO's is a serious commitment – to the team and to yourself, as an athlete. With MB United being a new club in the area, we understand that families may have made other summer plans. That being said, in order to field the most competitive team possible, the expectation is that athletes on this team should be planning to attend the vast majority of summer practices. If you sign up to go to JO's, you must go. Athletes that are interested in being considered for the JO team should expect to attend the qualifying weekend, most if not all summer practices, and all of JO's. In addition, Athletes who have summer conflicts, or those who prefer not to play in JO's, are of course more than welcome to still register for summer polo.

*Cost/Fees

JO's is an additional cost to athletes for expense such as tournament fees and coaching staff. There are also additional lodging and travel expenses paid by families independently.