Finale: Tuesday

Today HB was defeated in their final game by San Diego Shores. The score was 10 to 4.

The team ended up with a 10th place finish in the tournament.

The game was not without some controversy. The team captain, Sean Longdin, was called out by the refs at the start of the 2nd quarter. Someone on the opposing team had accused him of inflicting a scratch with fingernails that were too long. Both refs checked him out and said his nails were fine. In what was perhaps a mis-interpretation of the rules, the refs deferred to the opposing coach, and he opted to have Sean tossed out, without even examining his nails. So the boys played the remaining 3 quarters without their powerhouse team captain. It was a tough call.

Congratulations to the Huntington Beach Water Polo Team, as they finish 10th in the nation for boys 14 and Under.

Day Three: Monday

We had one game today at 2:00 PM against Greenwich. It was a very close battle, ending in a 5 to 5 tie. Sean made a critical goal at the end of the 4th quarter to make it 5 to 4, but Greenwich came back to tie it up. The game was settled by a shoot-out. We won, 10 to 8. Again, Brandon in the goal made many spectacular saves, especially when he stopped one of the shoot-out attempts.

Tomorrow, our final game is at 2:00 PM, and they will be playing for 9th place in the tournament. Not bad, considering there are 32 teams entered.

Then its a long car ride home to Huntington Beach.

NOTE: Please be sure to check out the videos to the right.

Day Two: Sunday

Game 1 against Davis ended with a 9 to 3 victory. The scoring was well distributed, and Brandon in goal kept things under control.

Game 2 today was a little different. We lost 5 to 4 against Newport. It was a tough loss. The guys just couldn't get their offense going.

Game 3 against Morgan hill was a close victory, coming down to a shoot-out. The whole game was a battle. Great to watch.

After the game everyone went out for a pasta dinner. Then the kids gathered in one of the rooms and watched a movie.

Elizabeth continues to get plenty of pool-time in between the games. She loves the pool, but is getting tire of going to the games. Allison is keeping busy back in Huntington Beach with the Schwenes. We are missing her.

Tomorrow we will be playing Greenwich Con. in the afternoon. Our guys are still in the top 16, and hoping for a good finish.

Day One: Saturday

Our first game of the tournament resulted in a 9 to 2 defeat against perhaps the best team, Stanford. Despite the ending score, HB's defense was pretty strong for the first half of the game, with Brandon as goalie making a lot of good saves. The score was 4 to 2 at the half. But a lack of offensive capability sealed our fate.

The second game, against Pacific ended with a 13 to 6 victory. The offense was back, with Sean and John each scoring 4 goals, and Brett with three, and Jordan with two.

Spirits are high for tomorrow. We will be playing Davis, and they look beatable.

The weather continues to be gorgeous. We get to do a lot of pool-side relaxing in between games. Tonight we are looking forward to a pasta dinner with the Longdins, after Jon Longdin and I toss down well-deserved martinis. This tournament stuff is harder on the parents, than it is on the players!

Travel Day

We hit the road early, starting out at 6:00 AM. Traffic was light getting out of LA. We made three short stops along the way, and arrived at about 1:30 PM. Along the way, we saw a pick-up truck pulling a small trailer with a port-a-potty on it, and we immediately thought of our friend Shannon, and dubbed it the Shannon-mobile (sorry...this is an inside joke). The scenery on highway 152, which we took to get from the 5 over to the 101 was spectacular.

The afternoon was spent by lounging pool-side. Prior to checking in, we relaxed by doing a little putting on the hotel's putting green. Later, Elizabeth made friends with two little girls at the pool. The Longdin family (Sean's family) arrived later in the afternoon and we had a nice dinner in our room. Heather had pre-prepared "Longdin Chicken", and they supplied the rice. Great dinner!

Tomorrow the team starts out by playing Stanford, which is perhaps the toughest team at the tournament.

Prologue

Today we are getting ready for the big trip. Heather has been working overtime to prepare some meals in advance so we can relax and have dinners in our hotel room. John started the week feeling pretty sick. He was taken to the doctor's and he was given an anti-biotic. He is feeling much better with every day.
The team members were issued some gear last night consisting of various t-shirts and board shorts thanks to the fund raising car wash, and some sponsorship money. They are very excited and ready to play!
We leave tomorrow. The drive is 375 miles, and we will be going up the 5, as opposed to the more scenic 101. The oil has been changed, and the tires rotated and check, so we are off!