Thread to discuss the girls side of Quicksilver
Quarterfinals are set at Fullerton College
| E1(1stA)- MID VALLEY | E4(2ndD)- MISSION | |
|---|---|---|
| F2(2ndA)- LEGACY | F3(1stD)- 680 | |
| F1(1stB)- SD SHORES | F4(2ndC)- SEASIDE | |
| E2(2ndB)- RANCHO TSUNAMI | E3(1stC)- LB VIKING |
Are my eyes deceiving me? Is this 2026? Did the first place 18u boys receive a $5000 check and the 1st place 18u girls received one for $2000? And 3rd place boys received a check for $1750 and girls $850? What am I missing besides gender bias?? I see 16 boys’ 18u teams entered and 12 girls’ teams. Even if you take 4 extra fees into consideration, you can’t justify that differential. Can you? Is there an obvious explanation I am missing?
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This is absolutely unacceptable.
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Not defending it, but just wanting to make sure facts are out there. The girls division, all age groups, had 23 teams. The boys side had 56 teams. That is only relevant if the prize money was funded by all age groups not just the 18U teams, which I do not know. Base on that it was a 2:1 difference in teams and a 2.5:1 payout difference. What I don’t know is total entry fees collected by group. Again, not defending it just getting the numbers updated.
I understand your mathematical logic. However, I think the only relevant differential might be between 18u boys (16 teams) and 18u girls (12 teams). Because why would a 12u boy’s fee go towards an 18u boy’s victory check any more than it might go towards his 18u big sister’s?
Regardless, the optics are baaaaaad. Pooling the prize money much like the U.S. men’s and women’s national soccer teams makes more sense and might have the added bonus of enticing more teams on the girls’ side to enter next year!
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I have no idea. Was just sharing the numbers by gender as they “may” have done it that way. Not defending it to be super clear, just sharing the total numbers. I am sure the organizers didn’t just use the 18U money to fund it, but who knows.
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In today’s day and age with all of the bias we all have seen in water polo benefiting the boys I think it’s unconscionable to have lower payouts for girls. Not to mention Title IV that is out there you would think a company like Quiksilver would be MUCH more sensitive to paying girls less than boys!!!
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The difference in prize money was due to the differences in the event between the boys and girls at the 18u level. There were fewer 18u girls teams (12 girls, 16 boys), they only played 5 games over 3 days instead of 6 over 4 like the boys (at the request of the participating girls teams), and paid a lower entry fee. The difference in prize money is reflective of those factors. There is no slight here or unfairness. Were the number of teams and games the same, the prize money would reflect that.
The Quiksilver tournament has worked hard to provide something unique and special. Along with the sponsorship from a recognized worldwide brand, the tournament:
- limits the number of teams
- schedules the game on longer timeframes to stay on time and give adequate warmup
- schedules breaks so that teams as well as table workers and officials get adequate rest
- has semifinals and finals on different days
- does not have multiple courses at a single pool (except for 10u)
- endeavors to keep age groups at pools in close proximity
- many other things I’m sure I’m forgetting
AND
- offers prize money (unlike any other event)
Whether the prize is important to the teams or not, there is no other tournament that is trying to enhance the water polo tournament experience for the players and clubs involved more than Quiksilver. I would hope that we can appreciate the tournament for what it is trying to do instead of finding offense when the reason behind the difference is due to the differences in participation and format.
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I think Quiksilver is very much appreciated by all polo players, coaches & clubs. As I recall it was first held just for boys at Wollett and was wildly successful. Girls were added later and I understand the need to see how well received it would be. I’m hopefully that at some point the girls will be treated as well as the boys not just in prize money but also game location, etc. All things can be improved, and we appreciate Quiksilver and hope to see many more years of polo games.
Agree it was a high quality tournament and is doing positive things for the sport! As with many successful and positive endeavors, there is always room for improvement. May I ask what the fee difference was between 18u boys and 18u girls?
Who got the awards at the end of the tournament for the 14u, 16u, and 18u girls?