Kroc joins forces with Cd'A water polo club
The Coeur d’Alene Water Polo Club has recently integrated with the Salvation Army’s Kroc facility to create the Kroc/CDA Water Polo Club.
The new club has several teams, including a Masters group for 18 and over players, a high school team and a newer Junior Water Polo group for players ages 7-13.
Water polo has been steadily growing in the Coeur d’Alene area over the last several years, helped along by the deep water in the competition pool and assistance of Kroc aquatics department. Water polo classes were started soon after the Kroc opened in 2009. Since then, Mark Collingham (Kroc/CDA water polo head coach) worked with the Kroc and Coeur d’Alene High School to pull together the first high school team to play at the Kroc in 2012. That team, consisting of 11 players, worked through the season and went down to Boise for the Idaho state water polo tournament and upset reigning state champion Bishop Kelly to win the championship.
The Coeur d’Alene High School team continued to grow over the next several years and by 2016 had 25 students playing. The team began talks with Kroc management about integrating its program with the Kroc facility in 2017. The integration process was completed in 2018 as the club experienced further growth. The high school team had 35 students last year and is looking for even more players in the upcoming season.
In addition, the club has a strong masters group consisting of about 15 players who have played in high school, college and with other clubs in California and other states. The club also started a Junior Water Polo program in the last year to allow players ages 7-13 to begin learning the sport. In addition to playing other Idaho high schools, the high school group (along with the Masters team) often plays against local universities. Previous opponents include the University of Idaho, WSU, Seattle U., Boise State and several Montana clubs.
Collingham noted that while the high school team can’t match up in size, they often have as much experience and speed and can be competitive with the college teams. The high school group also benefits by practicing with the Masters players, who they can learn quickly from. In addition to the masters, the club has a number of excellent coaches with extensive water polo backgrounds, including Peter Neirinckx, Doug Keese and Katelyn Smith, all of whom have 20 years or more of water polo playing and coaching experience. The high school team has won the Idaho state championships five years in a row and hopes to do so again during the upcoming season, which runs from November through the end of January. Beyond the high school season, the club is considering other tournaments in Oregon and Washington.
Many of the high school players go on to play at the college level, with former players joining teams at University of Idaho, University of Washington, TCU, BYU, Arizona State, Chapman and one player (Danielle Chastain) recruited to play at Fresno Pacific, a Division II program. One player from the original 2012 team (Dyson Savage), went on to both play for and coach the University of Idaho club for four years.
The partnership with the Kroc provides a number of new opportunities for the club. By no longer being associated with just one local high school, the team encourages students from all local high schools to consider playing with the club. The Kroc has offered many of its resources to help support and grow the team, from use of its transportation equipment, pool time and other training facilities, support of the team’s coaches, and assistance with the club’s fundraising activities to support trips to Seattle and other tournaments. The club also helps support the Kroc by participating in activities such as collecting donations for the Salvation Army’s “Red Kettles” drive to raise money to help families at Christmas.