Frequently Asked Questions
What is the league?
The league started about 15 years ago to bring the exciting sport of water polo to the Seattle area. It is comprised of teams from both the northern and southern sections of the Seattle summer swim league. The emphasis of the league is strictly on having fun, teaching skills and providing opportunities for enjoyable competition.
Who is eligible to play?
Each team sets its own membership rules. Some restrict players to pool members only, while others are open to those who are not members of the pool.
The league requires that any player that belongs to a club in the Seattle Summer Swim League or the Midlakes Summer League that offers water polo, must play with that pool’s team. You cannot belong to one club that offers the sport but play with another club.
If, however, a player is a member of a Seattle or Midlakes club that does not offer water polo, that player can play during the regular season with any club that allows him to join. HOWEVER, to play in playoffs or championships, any players in this category must apply to the league for permission by August 15th. Each year, those players must reapply as permission is only valid for one season.
This limitation exists to provide an incentive for the development of water polo programs at all the summer league pools.
How old do you have to be to play?
Again, each team decides how young the players can start. The age for determining a player’s age group is their age as of June 15th. That means that June 15th is the worst possible birthday, while June 16th is the best.
On the older end, the league is open to all players through the summer after they graduate from high school as long as they are not older than 19.
Do the regular season games determine who makes playoffs?
No, playoffs are open to all teams. The only requirement is that each team must compete at least twice during the regular season. To meet this requirement, a team fielded in a division (10 & unders, 12 & unders, etc.) must have at least six players for the game. Fewer players will count as a forfeit and will not be counted towards the two-game requirement. The purpose of this rule is to encourage participation and prevent the entry into the championships of teams that have not really been a part of the league. A forfeit, however, does not mean the game will not be played. Usually, players from other teams fill the holes so that everyone gets a chance to compete.
The regular season record in the North Division will be used to determine seeding in the playoffs. The South Division seeding is determined by the order of finish in the Southern Championships.
What age groups can a player compete in?
Because numbers are sometimes low, many players end up playing in their own age group and sometimes in the older groups as well (for example, a 10-year-old playing in the 12 & under or even 14 & unders). Unfortunately, this is often necessary so that games can be played. The league encourages players to only play up one division, but recognizes that sometimes this is impossible. During championship week, however, this is a requirement. This is not to punish younger players but to improve the quality of the play for the older age groups and to make sure that smaller, younger players are not hurt.
What divisions are there?
Currently, there are coed divisions for 10 & unders, 12 & unders, 14 & unders and 18 & unders. There are also girls-only divisions for all of these except the 10 & unders. We do, however, play a limited number of games for the 8 & unders and 10 & under girls.
Is there an All City Champion or other awards?
Individual medals go to the winner and runner-up of each division. Additionally, there is a large, rotating trophy for the winner of each division and for the All City Champion. This will be determined by assigning points to the first through fourth place teams in each division (kind of like a swim meet). Then, we will total them up and crown a champion. First place gets five points, second three points, third two points and fourth one point.
How are the games officiated?
First off, realize that the game of water polo is probably the most difficult game on the planet to referee because it is a contact sport in which nearly all the contact takes place below the surface of the water. That said, we do our best to create a safe, controlled game. We are slowly moving to having a qualified pool of certified USA Water Polo referees. However due to our schedule sometimes we have coaches or former players referee some of the games with younger players.
The league started about 15 years ago to bring the exciting sport of water polo to the Seattle area. It is comprised of teams from both the northern and southern sections of the Seattle summer swim league. The emphasis of the league is strictly on having fun, teaching skills and providing opportunities for enjoyable competition.
Who is eligible to play?
Each team sets its own membership rules. Some restrict players to pool members only, while others are open to those who are not members of the pool.
The league requires that any player that belongs to a club in the Seattle Summer Swim League or the Midlakes Summer League that offers water polo, must play with that pool’s team. You cannot belong to one club that offers the sport but play with another club.
If, however, a player is a member of a Seattle or Midlakes club that does not offer water polo, that player can play during the regular season with any club that allows him to join. HOWEVER, to play in playoffs or championships, any players in this category must apply to the league for permission by August 15th. Each year, those players must reapply as permission is only valid for one season.
This limitation exists to provide an incentive for the development of water polo programs at all the summer league pools.
How old do you have to be to play?
Again, each team decides how young the players can start. The age for determining a player’s age group is their age as of June 15th. That means that June 15th is the worst possible birthday, while June 16th is the best.
On the older end, the league is open to all players through the summer after they graduate from high school as long as they are not older than 19.
Do the regular season games determine who makes playoffs?
No, playoffs are open to all teams. The only requirement is that each team must compete at least twice during the regular season. To meet this requirement, a team fielded in a division (10 & unders, 12 & unders, etc.) must have at least six players for the game. Fewer players will count as a forfeit and will not be counted towards the two-game requirement. The purpose of this rule is to encourage participation and prevent the entry into the championships of teams that have not really been a part of the league. A forfeit, however, does not mean the game will not be played. Usually, players from other teams fill the holes so that everyone gets a chance to compete.
The regular season record in the North Division will be used to determine seeding in the playoffs. The South Division seeding is determined by the order of finish in the Southern Championships.
What age groups can a player compete in?
Because numbers are sometimes low, many players end up playing in their own age group and sometimes in the older groups as well (for example, a 10-year-old playing in the 12 & under or even 14 & unders). Unfortunately, this is often necessary so that games can be played. The league encourages players to only play up one division, but recognizes that sometimes this is impossible. During championship week, however, this is a requirement. This is not to punish younger players but to improve the quality of the play for the older age groups and to make sure that smaller, younger players are not hurt.
What divisions are there?
Currently, there are coed divisions for 10 & unders, 12 & unders, 14 & unders and 18 & unders. There are also girls-only divisions for all of these except the 10 & unders. We do, however, play a limited number of games for the 8 & unders and 10 & under girls.
Is there an All City Champion or other awards?
Individual medals go to the winner and runner-up of each division. Additionally, there is a large, rotating trophy for the winner of each division and for the All City Champion. This will be determined by assigning points to the first through fourth place teams in each division (kind of like a swim meet). Then, we will total them up and crown a champion. First place gets five points, second three points, third two points and fourth one point.
How are the games officiated?
First off, realize that the game of water polo is probably the most difficult game on the planet to referee because it is a contact sport in which nearly all the contact takes place below the surface of the water. That said, we do our best to create a safe, controlled game. We are slowly moving to having a qualified pool of certified USA Water Polo referees. However due to our schedule sometimes we have coaches or former players referee some of the games with younger players.
