The Water Polo Report

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in the run-up to the upcoming Blast off to Beijing event pitting the US women’s water polo team versus Australia’s women’s water polo team on July 10th. Great preview article on the event from Palo Alto Online.

Pre-ticket sales for the event have been wildly successful with close to 2000 tickets sold. Great story too about how Brenda and Tony Azevedo faced off years ago in the Speedo Cup.  Read more here

This article is interesting, it is  about two players from Australia who are going to the US to play in JOs…hum.

Read this because it is weird.

At the Olympic water polo exhibition versus Australia in San Diego, local favorite Moriah Van Norman scored a goal to the delite of the crowd. The partisan crowd was treated to an exciting, close game 12-11.

Read this and enjoy (:

La Canada has named a new boy high school water polo coach in German Lopez.  Lopez worked as an assistant under outgoing coach Larry Naeve.  Naeve was with La Canada for 21 years where he built a consistent winner that is coming off back-to-back CIF championships.  Meaning: Tough shoes to fill.

Read more

The new world of marketing! In a effort to continue to promote the Blastoff to Beijing event July 10 at Stanford University featuring the US Women’s National Team and the Australian Women’s water polo team. A Facebook page was created to promote the event and the national team players wrote on the funwall!!! Great publicity, check it out.

Check it out here.

In the midst of the numerous articles on the national team selections, ESPN.com put one up. (which is good)

Hi, read me

Water polo superstar Danilo Ikodinović is still on life support but there is hope.  No way he plays in the Olympics, but lets hope he lives.

Read this for god’s sake.

World #1 vs. World #2 Come to Stanford for Pre-Olympic Showdown before departing for Beijing and the Summer Olympics. On Thursday, July 10 at 6pm, at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center, the USA and Australia will faceoff.

the game will be filmed for telecast on MSNBC as part of their coverage of Olympic Trials. Three former Stanford players are returning home to play in team captain Brenda Villa, Alison Gregorka, and current junior Jessica Steffens. V

“It’s one of the best water polo arenas in the world, and to be able to come back and play in it is awesome,” said Gregorka, a 2007 Stanford grad. “I am very excited that we are getting to play our last pre-Olympic game in Avery.”

Support the Olympic team. Blastoff to Beijing tickets are available through www.blastofftobeijing.com. Admission is $10, free for children under 5. Game day tickets can be purchased at Avery Aquatic Center beginning at 4:00 p.m.; gates open at 5:00 p.m.

Great article on Tony in the LA Times.  US Men’s Olympic water polo publicity in the LA Times…good stuff.  Great quote, just like a real pro-athlete:

“We have been pushed around and ridiculed by the media and other people who don’t believe in us,” Azevedo said. “I think the team just realized that all we have is each other.”

Read this, quick.

Coaches Guy Baker and Terry Schroeder have named the 2008 USA Olympic teams. Veterans Brenda Villa and Tony Azevedo will lead the United States in quest of Olympic gold.

Here are links that include bios from nbcolympics.com

Women’s team | Men’s team

Central Coast excited about coach Terry Schroeder and Jeff Powers. Read this

Contra Costa Times excited about Heather Petri and Jessica Steffens Read this too

Orange County representing with JW Krumpholz, Brittany Hayes, Natalie Golda Read up

Honolulu in the House…Brandon Brooks Read

USA Today publicity.  Represent