VivaPop: Greenwich Aquatics Water Polo Team

Join the fun and excitement of Water Polo,

a fast growing Olympic sport!

This year-round program operates under the auspices of USA Water Polo (the United States Olympic National Governing Body) employing the latest instructional and training techniques used by the USA National Teams. Beginners are warmly welcome! No prior water polo experience is required, although some swimming skills are needed. All participants must be YMCA members and USA Water Polo members.

Please Note: Team Session dates differ from the Greenwich Family YMCA Summer Program Schedule

2010 Summer Water Polo Season: May 24- August 1, 2010

2010 Fall Water Polo Season: August 30- November 21, 2010

Noodle/Splash Water Polo

Co-ed 5-7 Fee: $250

Noodle Water Polo aims to introduce juniors to the sport of water polo by providing an enjoyable and challenging interactive game, which will encourage them to pursue the sport and go on to play water polo. Players will be using noodles to stay afloat so strong swimming skills are not necessary. This makes noodle water polo accessible for all children. Through participation, skills that are required for water polo can be learned with greater ease, as well as, the development of water confidence and water skills in a team environment. Noodle Water Polo is an ideal all year round sport option. Practice is 1 time per week for 45 minutes.

Novice/ Junior Water Polo

Co-ed Age 8-14 Fee: $400

Novice/Junior Water Polo is an opportunity for new and younger players to get in the water, have fun and learn the sport of water polo with their peers. Children will be introduced to the basic skills of water polo in a fun and encouraging environment. No previous water polo experience required but kids should be able to swim a few laps. Water polo swimming, ball handling, eggbeater, passing and shooting will be the main skills taught. Some players will have the opportunity to play other local teams. Practice will be 2-3 times per week.

Youth Water Polo House League

Co-ed Age 8-14 $400

The Greenwich Aquatics House League will be offered in the Fall 2010. The House League is an opportunity for players of all abilities to get in the water, have fun and compete against their peers. Children will be introduced to the basic skills of water polo in a fun and encouraging environment. Players will be divided evenly onto teams that they will play/train with for the entire season. All players will get equal playing time. Practice will be 1 day during the week and Sundays will be dedicated to competing against the other in-house league teams. Exact practice schedules will be determined once all players are divided into teams by skill level. There will be a final in-house tournament at the end of the season. Parent volunteers are highly encouraged to join the fun. No previous water polo experience required.

Senior II Water Polo

Co-ed Age 10-14 $480 + travel fees

The Senior II Water Polo group will consist of most of the 14U & 12U travel teams who have had some water polo instruction. Coaches will focus on the basic water polo skills such as ball handling, eggbeater, shooting and passing. Additionally, the emphasis will be on teamwork and positioning. We will send teams to numerous local tournaments as well as participate in the American Water Polo Main Line League and USA Water Polo events. Practice will be 4 times per week plus dryland.

Senior I Water Polo

Co-ed age 14-18 $480 + travel fees

Our Senior Water Polo group will consist on our high school age boy’s and girl’s travel team. Although the team practices co-ed, most of the games and tournaments will be divided by gender. Training will consist of swimming, drills, ball-handling skills, shooting, team plays, etc. Our coaches will be focusing on building strong legs and working as a team. Strong swimming ability is highly encouraged. Practice will be 4 times per week plus dryland.

Masters (Post-College) Level Water Polo [Ages: 18+]

The Masters Level Water Polo Club is an opportunity for adults of all ages to continue their love for the sport in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. The Masters level water polo club is a year round program divided between three seasons: Fall (Sept – Dec), Spring (Jan – April) and Summer (May – Aug). Practice will consist of swim conditioning, balling handling, shooting and a lot of scrimmaging. During each season, players will have an opportunity to play local master teams as well as some national level tournaments. Some water polo experience is needed.

Fee: $300 for YMCA Members $400 for Non-Members

Practice Times

Wednesdays: 8:00-9:30pm

Sundays: 8:30-10:30am

For more information including practice times, please contact:

Kim Tierney Wang, Sr. Manager of Water Polo Operations

646-220-9792 or ktierney@gwymca.org.

ABOUT THE COACHES

Bill Smith, Head Coach

Greenwich Aquatics Head Coach Bill Smith is an All-American Captain of the US Junior National Team and has played internationally. He has coached at the University of Pennsylvania, Indiana University and Villanova and was Assistant Coach of the USA Cadet National Team at the 2002 World Championships in Serbia. At Greenwich High School, Coach Smith was Assistant Varsity Boys Coach for six years. He has coached numerous age group teams; Junior Olympics, 20 & Under and Nationals a NE Zone Head Coach including Junior, Youth and Cadet. Coach Smith has lead teams to many international competitions in Hungary, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Canada, Serbia and Montenegro. In 2005, Bill was named USA Water Polo Northeast Zone Developmental Coach of the Year. He initiated the first ever "Ivy League Water Polo Championship" and is the founder of the Indiana AAU Water Polo Association.

As founder and first President of Greenwich Water Polo, Bill developed all operating processes and ran day to day operations for seven years. With over 230 athletes and 40 volunteer coaches, it was the largest water polo club in the East at the time.

Coach Smith is President and CEO of Renaissance Capital, LLC. He is a graduate of Villanova (BSEE in Electrical Engineering) and Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania (MBA in Finance).

A frequent contributor to Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Barron's and Forbes and guest on CNBC and Bloomberg TV, Coach Smith is also the author of Strategic Growth Through Mergers and Acquisitions, Prentice Hall, published in the US and Japan and IPOs for Everyone, John Wiley & Sons.

Coach Smith has been married for nearly 30 years to his wife Kathy. They have two children who are graduates of Greenwich High School and play water polo at Stanford and Harvard.

Ulmis Iordache, Age-Group Water Polo Coach

Coach Iordache began playing water polo at the age of 5 in Bucharest. From 1997 to 1999 he played for C.S. Steaua Bucharest and participated as a 1997 Romanian Cup '84-'85 Winner; 1998 National Championship '82-'83 Runner-up; 1999 Romanian Cup '84-'85 Winner; 1999 Winner of Tanaka Cup; and 1999 National Championahip '82-'83 Winner.

From 2000 to 2002, Ulmis played for LER Steaua. He was the 2000 Romanian Cup '83-'84 Winner; 2001 National Champion '84-'85 Third Place finisher; and 2002 National Championship '84-'85 Winner. On the Romanian National Team in 1999 to 2002 '83-'84, Ulmis played in the qualifying of the European Championship in Belgrad and was winner of the Belcan Cup in 2000. He also played for Sportul Stundentes c in 2002 to 2003. Ulmis was a swim instructor at "Butterfly" residential club and assistant coach at Sportu Studentesc.

Educated at Romania-Americana University/International Economy of Tourism, Ulmis lives in Fairfield County with his wife.

Andrew Heath, Volunteer Age-Group Coach

Andrew comes to Greenwich Aquatics with a wealth of water polo experience. He was a standout at Loomis Chaffee Prep School. He went on to get recruited to a top CA college, Occidental College. There he played all 4 years and was the Co-Captain of the Men’s Water Polo Team his senior year. He has been with Greenwich Aquatics for over a year and primarily works with the high school age girl’s team. He helped coach the 2008 16U Junior Olympic team that brought home the Gold medal. Andrew works in Old Greenwich for First Light Financial.

Alex Rousseau, Assistant Water Polo Coach

Alex Rousseau, Assistant Water Polo coach, is a two-time Olympian and competed in the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Games. He was a member of the USA National Team from 1989 until 1996 and a gold medalist in the 1995 Pan American games.

At UCLA (1986-1989) Coach Rousseau was a 4-year All American. He placed 2nd at the 1988 NCAAs, placed 3rd in the 1987 NCAAs, placed 3rd in 1986 NCAAs, and was a career goal leader. In addition, he competed in over 200 International matches including: 1995 World Cup, Atlanta GA; 1994 World Championships, Rome, Italy; 1994 Goodwill Games, St. Petersburg, Russia; 1993 World Cup, Athens, Greece; 1991 World University Games, Sheffield, England, gold medal; 1989 World Cup, Berlin, West Germany; 1987 World Junior Championships, San Paolo, Brazil; 1986 Junior Pan American Games, Ponce, Puerto Rico, gold medal; and 1985 World Junior Championships, Istanbul, Turkey.

For two years, Coach Rousseau played professionally with Lazio Roma in Italy. He also played professionally for three years with Cercles des Nageurs de Marseille in France. A 2005 US Water Polo Hall of Fame inductee, Alex won 15 USA National Club championships with the New York Athletic Club from 1991 to 2003.

Coach Rousseau has appeared in the covers of Life Magazine (March 1996) and Vanity Fair (May 1996). He was featured in a Gillette Commercial in 1995 and appeared on the television series Baywatch as an extra.

He lives in Old Greenwich with his wife and two sons and is a trader for Jones Trading in New York City.

Kim Tierney Wang, Director of Team Operations

Director of Team Operations, Kim Tierney Wang was an All-American at Bucknell University from 1995 to 1997. There she was Team Captain in 1996 and 1997 and was lead scorer all four years with a career total of over 500 goals.

At Columbia University, Kim was a member of the First Team New York Division All-Conference Team and the Collegiate All-Academic Team in 2002 and 2003. In 2003, she was named Most Valuable Player- New York Division. She was the highest scorer at 2003 Women's Club National, lead Columbia scorer at all tournaments, and named Assistant Coach in 2003. In 1994, Kim was a member of the USA Olympic Festival Team. She is the first and only female to join the boys' Greenwich High Water Polo Team. In 2006, she was inducted into Greenwich Aquatics Hall of Fame. Today, Kim is a water polo player and traveler for the New York Athletic Club, a position she has held since 2002.

Kim is a graduate of Bucknell (BA in Psychology) and Columbia University (MA & EdM in Psychological Counseling). She was a counselor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and at PAX-Program of Academic Exchange. She also has marketing and advertising experience with both Showtime Networks and The Media Edge. Personal. Kim lives in Greenwich with her husband and daughter.

For more information, please contact:

Kim Tierney Wang, Director of Water Polo Operations

646-220-9792 or ktierney@gwymca.org