Please fill out the 2023 player form

if you’re leaning toward joining or have already committed.

WATER POLO IS A UNIQUE SPORT AT SOUTH EUGENE HIGH SCHOOL. 

The Boys and Girls Varsity teams are made up of players of all grades at South Eugene, and playing time is available for players of all abilities.  South Eugene Water Polo (SEWP or South) is in the Southern League, and plays league games at Amazon Pool and throughout the Willamette Valley.  South Eugene is always competitive and in the running to win the league title, and works hard thus makes it into the State Playoffs most years.

Players from South Eugene have gone on to play college water polo at many D1 and D3 schools including USC, Pomona, Pepperdine, Bucknell, Redland, Occidental, MIT, Fordham and St. Francis/Brooklyn. Many South Eugene alumni also play on club teams in college including at the University of Oregon.

Water Polo at South Eugene is a club sport, and is administered and organized by a volunteer parent board.   Club sports are self funded through fees and fundraising, and does not receive financial support from the school.  This is common for almost all water polo teams in Oregon.

New players are always welcome, regardless of experience. Many players start playing water polo in high school (different from many high school sports and sometimes even after the season has already started) and SEWP does not require try-outs to join the team. Players do need to know how to swim and, at a minimum, should be able to do several laps without stopping.  

Committed? Interested? Come to a practice to watch or participate!

Contact southeugenewaterpolo@gmail.com (or ghvertulfo@gmail.com) for more information!

Water polo is a demanding sport, both physically and mentally.  The level of fitness required to play the sport is generally higher than a lot of athletes may have been a part of in the past.  Because of this, practices are required and attendance is expected at all practices to build fitness and cohesiveness as a team.  In addition, your athlete is expected to keep up with their schoolwork as that is their primary responsibility.  If there are reasons why they cannot attend practice, they are expected to notify Coach Hayes ahead of time.

Practices start the middle of August (“preseason” daily doubles); the regular season starts around when school starts and ends the middle of November. The team practices twice a day - before and after school - throughout the regular season at Amazon Pool (including dry land/weight training at the high school). Athletes need to be at practice 15 min ahead of time for stretching and warm/up to prevent injury. Players should bring a water bottle, goggles, swimsuit and towel to pool practice. For dry land, they should bring a water bottle, athletic clothes/shoes, a towel if they want it to lie on the grass and a face mask if we are using the weight room.

Games tend to be at 4pm and 5pm on weekdays (boys and girls teams are encouraged to watch their counterparts’ games) and there are also many weekend games and tournaments. SEWP is allowed to attend 3 tournaments each season. These are generally in Portland and require overnight stays. If an athlete is going to be out of town, PLEASE communicate with the coaches ASAP so that we can plan accordingly.  ***Important note: If a player contacts a coach via text or email, they should cc their parent as well.  For liability issues, we don’t want players contacting coaches without parents being aware. ***

Registration:

See the About > Registration page for links for registration. These will also be mailed to the team either from Coach Hayes Vertulfo or Eugene City Water Polo (ECWP; referred to as “club';” many of our players play ECWP in the off-season).  Online registration includes athlete and parent information, payment, and a concussion information waiver. As well, players must submit a doctor-signed physical exam form (required every two years by South Eugene High School) to Coach Hayes.

Fees:

We are a club sport for South Eugene High School, so we are funded through fees and fundraising.

Fees for the season: $500 per athlete (plus transportation via bus or van; hotel and meals for away tournaments (typically $50/day) and team water polo suit)

If you qualify for free or reduced lunch, please contact Hayes for 50% reduced club fees. If you have a second child in the program their fee is reduced by $50.

Payment can be by check or online registration to SEWP

For more information and/or to request a registration link, please contact southeugenewaterpolo@gmail.com.   

Hope to see you in the pool!!!