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Water polo athletes at westerns and nationals

Three members of the Weyburn Hurricanes water polo club recently competed at the western and national finals. Nick Mass and Ruslan Edgerton competed with the under-16 boys team at the western and national championships.
water polo

Three members of the Weyburn Hurricanes water polo club recently competed at the western and national finals.
Nick Mass and Ruslan Edgerton competed with the under-16 boys team at the western and national championships. Rumina Edgerton competed with the under-16 western and national championships. The Team Sask. boys team won gold at western and nationals, while the girls team won silver.
Nick, Ruslan and Rumina were able to compete with their respective provincial teams in the national championships with the finals hosted in Montreal last May, after a long season which saw athletes traveling to Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Surrey and Saskatoon.
Team Sask. under-16 boys team had an undefeated season which gave them a clear entry to the finals and a gold medal finish in a heart stopping 25-26 win over the DDO Club from Montreal. The under-16 girls team finished with a silver medal against Fraser Valley’s club after one of the toughest games.
This past season is not the first time that the Hurricanes have had swimmers at the national level. Several of their past members who started out very young and just learning to swim have moved on to become athletes competing with the provincial and national teams and as well for water polo teams in the U.S.
The Hurricanes will start their new 2016-2017 season by looking to build upon last year’s successful program, when young athletes from Weyburn had a strong presence at the provincial level.
The sport of water polo has been growing in popularity for young swimmers who are looking for a demanding sport which has all the elements of mainstream team sports: teamwork, strength and cardio, swimming skills and game strategy. It has been described as one of the toughest sports there is.
Despite its oddities the provincial water polo program, which is followed by the Hurricanes Club, is one of the best ways for a young athlete to excel at swimming skills and game confidence.
The Hurricanes developed a mini’s program four years ago with the assistant of then head coach Mike Grieve, for swimmers as young as five years old. This program has grown into a successful pathway to develop athletes who will stay in the sport for years to come and has given the Hurricanes a solid base of young talent who move up through the age categories.
There are four age categories in the Hurricanes club for athletes, mini’s for Kindergarten to Grade 2, atom for under-12, bantam for under-14 and cadet for under-16. At the provincial level there is also an under-19 and adult/open.
The Hurricanes have a Prairie League that the atoms and bantams participate in throughout the months of October to March, competing against teams from Estevan, Regina and Saskatoon.
Dave Edgerton, the president of the Weyburn Hurricanes, has set the goal to continue giving young athletes every opportunity to become the best they can be at their sport. “One of the assets of the club is that it is volunteer run and coached by parents who are interested in sport development and dedicate a few hours a week at the Weyburn Leisure Centre.”
“These volunteers dedicate their time at some of the tournaments to assist in the officiating. Without these volunteers the whole provincial program would not be as successful as it is.”
“Water polo is an exciting, challenging and fun-filled sport,” said Edgerton. “It is a great form of exercise where team play is fuelled by passion and friendships formed that last a lifetime. It offers the opportunity to travel and create lasting memories.”
The Weyburn Hurricanes Water polo registration will be held on Thursday Sept. 15 at the Weyburn Leisure Centre from 7 to 9 p.m.
Any interested players who can’t make the evening can contact Dave Edgerton.