ODP can’t be all thing to all people and I disagree with you. Many have played together and against each other and the coaches do know them. The regionals is evidence of that. The idea of mixing them up seems borne solely from a hope that weaker players can play on a winning team.
Illiesm, really?
I think it depends on which zone we are talking about. Yes they play against each other, as do players outside of the zone so that is not zone specific. With each other? Maybe some and in a particular zone, but taking a national point of view I do not believe so.
I am not sure what you mean by llliesm so can’t speak to that.
I still go back to USAWP seeking feedback to see if there is an opportunity to be better, whatever that looks like.
Regarding feedback, I believe WPEX has the potential to make a greater impact on the sport than it currently does. Jeff and his team have created an online community that connects what seem to be the most passionate and possibly the most informed independent observers and participants in the sport.
I know a handful of USAWP board members and have suggested that they follow the site, even pointing them to specific topics I thought would be beneficial. That said, I’m not sure whether USAWP follows the site as closely as they should.
In theory, WPEX could facilitate surveys, collect feedback, provide education, and share insights with both the community and USAWP. This would be a way of “giving back” to the sport and supporting USAWP with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers. It also wouldn’t be overly time-consuming. For instance, the entire ODP discussion could be processed through ChatGPT to generate an “ODP wiki page,” and so on.
WPEX might require some editorial oversight, but given the number of active participants on the forum, managing it shouldn’t be too demanding.
Below are the final ODP Boys placings over the past three years with indicators showing the zone’s recent improvement.
A longer-term perspective (roughly a decade) and an attempt to ‘smooth the data’ using the available data on the USA WP site.
Observations:
I assume this trend mirrors JO results.
PSW Youth has traditionally not retained all of the top athletes through the final years of ODP, unfortunately. Many quit after the Cadet level if they don’t make NTSC or Academy, and zone performance is directly related to participation. It’s unfortunate because there are a lot of strong youth athletes in the zone.
I think you will see an improvement in PSW Youth performance over the next couple of years because of the number of Academy and NT kids at the current Cadet level.
Rod Bowen does an excellent job as the zone head coach, getting the best performance he can out of the participants every year.
Jack Davis (Del Mar/Cathedral Catholic/2028) on PSW Red made a lot happen for them on both sides of the pool. He was a major catalyst in their winning ways.
I agree with the Nick Johnson award. I want to give a shoutout to one of our athletes that received the Nick Johnson award Braylen Ward from the Pacific section. He is from the suburbs, part of Lamorinda Brentwood (a branch of Lamorinda Waterpolo that is in a more underprivileged community). He was chosen by a coach at a tournament to attend ODP by invite only (he did not attend a camp…he scored like 9 goals on the teams coach the second time we played them). He scored 10 goals at ODP championship (NorCal) had steals, assists and had the most positive attitude a kid could have. He called all his coaches to thank them. He always has a smile on his face, supported the other athletes and he has only been playing for a little over a year and is 13 years old.
What makes the best part of all this, is he did this during black history month, and was the only black athlete on the team.
More of this!! Great to see.
Awesome to see, and thank you for sharing!
also, thanks to the coach who recognizes talent. thanks for making our sport better
Has anyone seen the Roster for the U17 (Youth/Cadet hybrid?) team heading to Medellin, Columbia for the PanAm Games starting on the 19th?
Havent seen anything on USAWP.
Team Canada appears to have several Americans and SoCal club affiliated Canadians on their team.
2025 Pan-American Team
Does anyone have the Cadet girls roster? Not sure to post in girls club or to start girls ODP thread
They may be playing with team Canada since USA is only sending 2010’s or younger to the u17 PanAm Games.
anyone seen boys development june camp roster?
Just wondering if cadet is 2010-2011 for this upcoming 2025-2026 year?
2008/2009 Youth
2010/2011 Cadets
2012/2013 Development
When and where our 2026 national championships for boys and girls?
You can probably write to ODP@usawaterpolo.org and ask this question.
