Megan Managan/Mercer Island Reporter

Rain City is excited to announce that Ryan Hall has joined the Rain City coaching staff for the 2012 summer session.

Ryan is a Bellevue native and graduate of Newport High School.  After being named the Washington State MVP in 2002 and 2003, Ryan attended University of Redlands and pulled off the rare feat of lettering in two-sports: water polo and basketball.  In the pool, Coach Hall earned numerous awards and accolades.  From 2004-2007, Ryan was recognized as a NCAA Division III First-Team All-American selection.  In 2006, Ryan was honored as the SCIAC Player of the Year.  Ryan left UR 3^rd on the programs all time scoring list, 4^th in steals and 4^th in ejections drawn.

Coach Hall has been teaching athletes since age of 17, starting with Midlakes Water Polo’s summer league water polo at Newport Hills in 2005.  Ryan has served as an assistant coach at the University of Redlands, helping to lead the Bulldogs to a SCIAC championship in 2009.  In 2010 Coach Hall was the head coach for Mercer Island High School and helped guide the men’s program to its 11^th straight state championship.  In 2012, Hall returned to MIHS, this time with the women’s program.  Ryan guided the Islanders to a 3^rd place finish at the state championships and was recognized as the Coach of the Year.

Rain City is privileged to add Ryan’s experience and water polo knowledge to the program.  Please join us in welcoming Ryan to the club!

There will be a summer session parent meeting on Monday May 14 at 7pm at the Mercer Island Country Club. All interested athletes and parents are encouraged to attend.

YOUTH PROGRAM

Rain City’s youth program is designed for athletes age 8-14 looking to develop their skills or learn a new sport. The goal of the spring program is to teach basic water polo fundamental skills such as dribbling, passing, shooting and body positioning in a fun, positive environment.  The summer session starts on Monday, May 14.  Summer athletes will have the option to work out twice a week (Mondays and Wednesdays) or four times a week (May 14-June 14: Monday-Thursday; June 18-26: Monday-Wednesday & Friday).  From May 14-June 14, practice will be held at MICC from 7:30-9:00pm.  Starting June 18, practice will shift to Woodridge Pool in Bellevue from 7:30-9:30pm.  The first half hour of these workouts will be dry land training.

The youth team will attend three tournaments and one training trip during the summer. On May 19 and 20, Rain City will compete at the Chehalem Water Polo Tournament in Newberg, OR. June 2 and 3, Rain City will attend the Junior Olympic Qualifiers in Beaverton, OR. June 29-July 1, Rain City’s 14u team will fly to Southern California to participate in the Left Coast Invitational in Commerce, CA. Coaches are planning a 5-day training trip with West Coast Aquatics in San Jose, CA, from July 23-27. The last event of the summer will be the 2012 Junior Olympics from July 28-31. The summer session promises to be full of fun water polo action!

HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM

Rain City’s high school programs will look to continue their rapid growth as the travel teams prepare for the 2012 Junior Olympics. The summer high school program focuses on water polo conditioning, individual skills (passing, shooting, body positing) and team concepts (counter attack, defensive and offensive schemes). The summer session starts on May 14 and ends on July 26. High school athletes have the option to work out twice a week or four times a week. From May 14-June 14, practices will be held at MICC on Monday-Thursday from 7:30-9:30pm. From June 18-July 26, the HS men will train Monday-Thursday from 6-8:00am at Woodridge Pool in Bellevue, while the HS women will train on Monday-Thursday from 7:30-9:30pm at Woodridge.

The HS teams will attend three tournaments and one training trip during the summer. On May 19 and 20, Rain City will compete at the Chehalem Water Polo Tournament in Newberg, OR. June 2 and 3, Rain City will attend the Junior Olympic Qualifiers in Beaverton, OR. June 29-July 1, Rain City’s 16u and 18u teams will fly to Southern California to participate in the Left Coast Invitational in Commerce, CA. Coaches are planning a 5-day training trip with West Coast Aquatics in San Jose, CA, from July 23-27. The last event of the summer will be the 2012 Junior Olympics from July 28-31 (boys) and August 2-5 (girls).

Athletes interested in participating in the 2012 Junior Olympics are required to train four times per week and attend all summer tournaments. Athletes choosing to train two times per week are encouraged to attend all tournaments and the training trip, but must speak with the coaches about their eligibility to attend Junior Olympics. The coaches are looking forward to great summer full of lots of opportunity!

To register for Rain City’s summer session, please click here and follow the step by step instructions.  For more information about Rain City’s summer programs, please visit “Programs” section of our website or contact Coach John at 206.229.4830.

David Rudokas led Rain City's 18u squad at last weekend's Rose Cup

Last weekend, Rain City traveled to Beaverton, OR to compete at the 2012 Rose Cup.  Fielding three teams in the 18u, 16u and 14u boys age groups, Rain City saw some great competition and played several great water polo games.

The 18u team started and ended the tournament with decisive victories over Willamette Valley and Bend.  After a tough contest against T-Hills, Rain City played a fantastic game against eventual 4^th place finishers Chehalem.  While the Blue and Green ended up with a 7-9 loss, the team played strong defense and put together a solid offensive effort.  The defense was anchored by senior goal keeper Kenny Trowbridge and the offense was led by Tim Sherwood, David Rudokas, Bryce Mooney, Sam Peterson, Conrad Shabb and Sebastian Aron.  The 18u team improved throughout the tournament and finished with a 13-4 victory over Eugene for a 5^th place finish.

Rain City’s 16u team began the tournament hot with victories over Willamette Valley, Eugene and Lake Oswego.  On Sunday the team faced a tough opponent, T-Hills, and fell 12-8.  The team rebounded in the semi-finals with a resounding victory over Eugene to qualify for a re-match in the championship match with host club T-Hills.  Goalie Lamar Hendrikse led the way in the semi-final game with 12 saves and 1 assist while Ethan Mclean and Jack Larkin contributed a goal apiece.  The 16u championship game was close and exciting contest, and after four quarters of regulation play the game was tied at 7-7.  The teams moved to a shoot out where Rain City came up short 3-4.  Goalie Nathan Ives put together a great performance in the final with 13 saves and one 5m block during the shootout.  Throughout the tournament, the team was paced on defense by Harrison Clarke and Jordan Graham, while Topher Lacrampe, Shawyon Jaffarbhoy, Gabriel Andrews, Chris Merritt and Josh Rehder led the offensive group effort.

Not to be outdone by their older teammates, Rain City’s 14u team put together a solid weekend of play that resulted in a 2^nd place finish.  Round-robin play saw the 14u’s go 3-0 with wins over T-Hills A, Bainbridge and T-Hills B.  Nic Lacrampe scored the game-winning goal to move the team into the first place game while Cooper Matson led a great defensive effort from the goal.  Center-defender Ford Witman and Rain City veterans Dane Williams and Lucas Standaert played great all weekend, contributing multiple goals, steals and assists.  Armon Jaffarbhoy and Erik Raisys paced the team during the final game with Jaffarbhoy locking down the defensive effort and Raisys contributing two goals and two assists on offense.  Henry Mansfield put together a great weekend of play, including a first place finish in his “Battle of the Bands” contest!

All the athletes are congratulated on a fine weekend of water polo.  Rain City will be back in action May 19^th at the Chehalem Invitational in Newberg, Or.  For Rose Cup pictures and updates, check the Rain City Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rain-City-Water-Polo/122992631101124

Sophomore George French helped lead Rain City's 16u squad

Last weekend, Rain City traveled down I-5 to Federal Way to compete against some of best water polo programs in the Pacific Northwest. Fielding 18u, 16u and 14u men’s teams, Rain City had a memorable weekend filled with games, fun and Easter chocolate.

Led by seniors Kenny Trowbridge and Tim Sherwood, Rain City’s 18u team put together solid efforts against T-Hills, Shores, Fraser and Capitals. With Sebastian Aron, Bryce Mooney, Zach Williams and Marek Prussak in the field and David Rudokas’ shut-down efforts on defense, the team competed hard and finished Sunday with a close contest against San Jose Aquatics.

Rain City’s 16u squad fared a bit better with close games against T-Hills and Saanich.  Sophomore keeper Nathan Ives had several stand out games, including one game in which he blocked two consecutive 5m penalty shots. Supporting Ives in goal were sophomores George French and Shawyon Jaffarbhoy and freshmen Topher Lacrampe, Josh Rehder, Jordan Graham, Ethan McLean and Gabriel Andrews. The 16u’s showed constant improvement throughout the tournament. Saturday night’s contest against Shores was a 9-8 nail biter, which ended up in favor of Rain City’s green and blue.  Ives’ great defense and George French, Topher Lacrampe, Josh Rehder and Scott Bowers’ offense helped secure the victory.

Not to be outdone, Rain City’s 14u team posted solid wins over local clubs Big Foot and Shores.  Led by a motley crew talented athletes including CJ Davies, Nic Lacrampe, Armon Jaffarbhoy, Tomasz Prussak, Jacob Geudel, Henry Mansfield, Cameron Hayes, Jesse Hainze, Sam Nair, Cole Nielsen, Ford Witman and Nolan Manning, the team put together a solid weekend of water polo. The tournament started off rocky with a tough 16-11 loss to Saanich and a similar result against Fraser. But on Saturday, Rain City rebounded with a 13-10 win over Big Foot. On Sunday, Rain City managed to pull out a thrilling over-time victory against Shores. Henry Mansfield, Cameron Hayes, Jacob Geudel, Ford Witman and Nic Lacrampe all found the back of the net on offense while Sam Nair, Jesse Hainze and Nolan Manning were assist machines playing lock down defense.

Rain City returns to action in two weeks at the T-Hills Rose Cup, April 20-22, in Beaverton, Oregon.

1.) Where and when did you start playing water polo?

I started in my sophomore year of high school, playing for Mercer Island.

2.) Why did you choose to play water polo?

It seemed like a pretty intense and cool sport to do, and since I’d been on the swim team it seemed like a logical thing to do. Plus I had lots of friends on the team and they encouraged me to try it out, and I was curious, so I did.

3.) What have you learned training with Rain City?

It’s a tougher practice than high school ones usually, so I learned to work through it even if practices are hard. But mostly I learned that I’m capable of being really good if I keep at it. That’s my favorite lesson, I think.

4.) What has been your most memorable experience with Rain City?

Our trip to Canada for the Valentine’s Day tournament last spring was awesome. It was a crazy trip and the playing itself was fun. We were really pretty bad at that point, because we hadn’t really played together before and the team was just getting started. But we learned so much and actually felt like a team after that, so it was a great experience.

5.) What are your individual goals as a water polo player?

I’m a goalie, so: be a better one. Save all the shots and so on. I think having a shut-out game against a good opponent would be pretty awesome.

6.) You are currently competing in the girls high school water polo season.  What skills are you hoping to bring from Rain City to the high school season?

Generally improving my goal keeping skills, for the most part, but also being a better teammate and knowing more about the sport in general. I would also like to be in better shape so I can go into the season strong.

7.) What advice would you give to any other female athletes who are interested in picking up water polo?

Do it! If you like basically any other sport – basketball, soccer, wrestling, swimming – water polo has that, and so much more. It’s the most fun sport I’ve ever played and you also get in killer shape, so there’s no downside. Plus water polo players are super cool.

Competing against older competition in the Women’s open division, Rain City acquitted itself well, putting together solid performances against Saanich Water Polo School (Canada) and Tualatin Hills Water Polo Club (Oregon).  Goalies Darya Farivar and Dani Osman contributed numerous blocks and steals throughout the weekend while tending the cage for Rain City.  Rain City’s defensive effort was led by the solid work of center guard Ava Klein and perimeter defenders Mirei Yasuda and Olivia Menzer.  The offense showed steady improvement throughout the tournament with strong performances by Oliva Mullholand and Helena Klein at center. Drivers Sara Simpson, Lyndsey Greene and Christine Meegan provided outside shooting on the perimeter.

Overall, the trip was a great experience for Rain City’s women’s team, culminating in a third-place finish.  The women will look to continue their improvement when they attempt to qualify for the 2012 Junior Olympics on May 26^th-28^th in Federal Way.  Congratulations to all who participated this past weekend!

The camp, which runs from 2:45-4:00pm, starts Tuesday Feb. 21^st and ends Friday Feb. 24^th.  Each afternoon will involve a variety of water polo activities and will culminate in a scrimmage.

The winter water polo camp is the perfect opportunity for newcomers to try water polo in positive, safe and fun environment.  Open to all athletes regardless of skill level, the camp aims to introduce young athletes to the fun and exciting sport of water polo.

The camp is open to the public and does not require a USA Water Polo membership.  Cost is $35.

For more information please contact Ballard Pool at 206) 684-4094 or visit them online at http://www.seattle.gov/parks/aquatics/ballardp.htm

There will be a Spring Session Parent Meeting on Sunday, February 26th, at 7:00pm at Mercer Island Country Club.

YOUTH PROGRAM

Rain City’s youth program is designed for athletes age 8-14 looking to develop their skills or learn a new sport.  The goal of the spring program is to teach basic water polo fundamental skills such as dribbling, passing, shooting and body positioning in a fun, positive environment.  The spring session starts on Monday, February 27^th.  Spring athletes will have the option to work out twice a week (Mondays and Wednesdays) or four times a week (Monday through Thursday).  Monday and Wednesday practices will be held at the Mary Wayte pool on Mercer Island from 3:30-5:00pm.   Tuesday and Thursday practices will be held at MICC on Mercer Island from 7:30-9:00pm.  The youth team will travel to two tournaments during the spring.  On April 6-8, Rain City will compete at the Spring Siesta Tournament in Federal Way.  On April 20-22, Rain City will attend the Rose Cup Tournament in Tualatin Hills, Oregon.  On May 4-6, Rain City’s 14u team will attend the San Diego County Cup, one of the top 14u tournaments in the country.  On May 26-28, Rain City will attempt to qualify for the 2012 Junior Olympics at the JO Qualifier Tournament in Federal Way.

Rain City is excited to announce its first ever Sunday Spring League for youth athletes ages 14 and under.  Similar to Rain City’s Sunday Fall League, the Sunday Spring League is a series of games against local competition every Sunday morning between 9:00-11:00am at Newport Hills Swim and Tennis Club.  Whether you are a seasoned pro or have never played water polo before, all athletes are encouraged to attend and join in on the fun.

HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM

This spring, Rain City’s high school program looks to continue its rapid growth.  The spring high school program will focus on water polo conditioning, individual skills (passing, shooting, body positing) and team concepts (counter attack, defensive and offensive schemes).  The spring session starts on Monday, February 27^th.  High school athletes will have the option to work out twice a week or four times a week.  Practices are held Monday-Thursday at Mercer Island Country Club from 7:30-9:30pm.  The high school team will travel to up to four tournaments during the spring.  On March 15-18, Rain City will travel to Calgary, Canada, to participate in the Alberta Open.  On April 6-8, Rain City will compete at the Spring Siesta in Federal Way. On April 20-22, Rain City will attend the Rose Cup Tournament in Tualatin Hills, Oregon. On May 26-28, Rain City will attempt to qualify for the 2012 Junior Olympics at the JO Qualifier Tournament in Federal Way. High school women that do not have a high-school team and are welcomed to join our high school program.

The Spring session is the starting point for Rain City’s 2012 Junior Olympic Teams.  16u and 18u boys interested in participating at the 2012 Junior Olympics (July 28-31 in California) are required to practice 4 x week and attend all tournaments during the spring session.  Let’s get prepared early to make a big splash this summer!

To register for Rain City’s spring session, please click here and follow the step by step instructions.  For more information about Rain City’s Spring programs, please visit “Programs” section of our website or contact John at 206.229.4830.

Lailey Khatibloo (8) plays tough D against THills

TUALATIN HILLS, OR — This past weekend saw another round of firsts for the growing Rain City program as the club traveled to Tualatin Hills, Oregon, for the inaugural New Year’s Tournament.  Representing Rain City was a 14u coed team, 16u men’s team and first-ever masters team.

The 14u’s put together a strong showing with a 7-3 victory over Big Foot B and close 6-5 losses to both T-Hills A and Big Foot A.  Newcomers Jesse Hainze and Lailey Khatibloo played great in their first-ever tournament, collecting several steals and assists, while goalkeeper CJ Davies stepped up in his first travel tournament and led a strong defensive effort.  Rain City veterans Ford Witman, Zack Rossman, Dane Williams, Cameron Hayes, Lucas Standaert and AJ Rossman rounded out the 14u team with lock-down defense.

Rain City’s 16u team competed valiantly against the PNW ODP team and some of Oregon’s top club teams.  PNW ODP member Topher Lacrampe led Rain City along with veterans Matt Lasley, Shawyon Jaffarbhoy, Lucas Parker, Jordan Graham and Xander Lacrampe.  Leading the transition game and defensive efforts were goalkeepers Lamar Hendrikse and Nathan Ives.  Both goalies made numerous saves to keep the Blue and Green competitive and they (along with the rest of the team) came away from the weekend much improved.

Rain City’s first-ever masters team featured former collegiate players from the University of Redlands, University of California Santa Barbara, Loyola Marymount University and University of Washington.  Joining the ex-college players were 18u veterans Bryce Mooney and Jason Bonham and newcomer Sebastain Aron.  Alongside the young guns were Ivan Aron and Chris Standaert, two Rain City dads who brought their knowledge and experience to the pool.  The masters team finished the weekend 3-2 with victories over the Capitals, Bend and Seattle and losses to T-Hills (13-14) and Portland.  Roosevelt High School’s senior goalkeeper Andrew Burgess led the way in the cage with several impressive performances.

One of the trip highlights was the 3-on-3 water basketball tournament.  The Rain City trio of Bryce Mooney, Andrew Burgess and Jason Bonham narrowly fell in the semi-finals by 1 point, while the masters team comprised of Greg Trowbridge, Blake Vanhartesvelt and Tom Stowell lost on a last second buzzer beater in the championship game.

All three Rain City teams showed remarkable improvement from game to game, and the tournament was a great learning experience for all athletes.  Rain City will be back in action Feb. 16^th – 19^th at the Valentines Invitational in Victoria, BC, Canada.

L-R: Smith-Bronstein, Trowbridge, Hall, Sussman, Chong, Milligan, Massman, vanHartesvelt, Hummel, Fox

On Thursday evening, Rain City held the first of two Winter Break Clinics at Mercer Island Country Club.  Current Rain City athletes scrimmaged against and learned from twelve current and former college athletes from schools such as Loyola Marymount, UC Santa Barbara, Harvard, Brown and Claremont McKenna.  Athletes as young as 9 experienced top-notch competition and learned how water polo is played at the highest level.

Among the volunteers at the clinic were Tim Hummel (Bellevue HS/Loyola Marymount), Derek Milligan (Bellevue HS/Loyola Marymount), Evan Kaseguma (Bellevue HS/Harvard), Ryan Hall (Newport HS, Redlands), Brian Chong (Mercer Island HS/Claremont), Greg Trowbridge (Mercer Island HS/UC Santa Barbara), Adam Massman (Mercer Island HS/UC Santa Barbara), Mike Smith-Bronstein (Mercer Island HS/MIT), Henry Fox (Mercer Island HS/Brown), John Jacobson (Mercer Island HS/Whittier), Blake vanHartesvelt (Mercer Island HS/Redlands) and Sam Sussman (Mercer Island HS/University of Washington).

Clinic volunteers were some of the most accomplished players in Washington history.  Hummel was named Third-Team D1 All-American in 2008.  Milligan competed at four straight NCAA D1 Final Fours.  Chong was a two-time DIII National Player of the Year (2010 & 2011).  Hall was a DIII National Player of the Year (2007).  Fox won the 2011 CWPA Northern Rookie of the Year Award and was named Second-Team All-North .  vanHartesvelt was named 2011 First-Team All-SCIAC.  Smith-Bronstein was an All-Easterns selection and is the leading scorer in MIT history.

Rain City will be hosting the second of its Winter Break Clinics on Thursday, December 29, at 7:30pm at Mercer Island Country Club.  All athletes are encouraged to attend.