HALIFAX   - The Nova Scotia Water Polo Association will host the 2010 National Club Championships for 18 and under boys from April 29 to May 1, 2010 at Dalplex pool in Halifax.  It is the first National Club Water Polo Championships in the Atlantic Canada region in over 20 years.

This marks the re-birth of water polo in this region.

The NS Water Polo Association is led by Guy Lavoie a long time volunteer for the sport and invaluable resource to the sport.

Water Polo Canada, Domestic Director, Jeffrey Lindell just recently returned from a tour of Nova Scotia and is extremely optimistic and excited about the current and future growth of the sport in the province.

“While conducting officials’ training and meeting with key stakeholders in Halifax it was quite evident that those currently involved are quite passionate for the sport, and are motivated to work hard to grow water polo at the grass roots and competitive levels,” said Lindell.

Former Nova Scotia water polo player, Heather Kaulbach will return to her homeland this weekend to work with and support various local water polo groups in the province. Ms Kaulbach’s greatest accomplishment as a Nova Scotia athlete was a silver medal finish at the 1981 Canada Summer Games (Thunder Bay, Ont.) where she captained Team Nova Scotia  to a shocking silver medal finish.

Team Nova Scotia  entered the event as the seventh seeded team but prevailed to make their province proud and bring home the province’s only  Canada Games water polo medal. Water polo was removed from the Canada Games list of sports after the 1983 Winter Games and is currently lobbying for acceptance back into the Games, which would be a huge boost for developing water polo communities such as Atlantic Canada.

Kaulbach returns to her home province after completing an 11-year national team career with Team Canada in 1994 and now as a Water Polo Canada staff member, where she hopes to assist in the revival of water polo in the Atlantic Region.

“ I am a proud Nova Scotian who calls this province home,” said Kaulbach.  “The Halifax Water Polo Club jump started my water polo career back in 1978 and I was fortunate enough to fulfill my water polo goal of representing Canada for a number of successful years. I hope to assist future Nova Scotia water polo players make their water polo dreams come true. It is a great team sport and one that I still compete in today at the Masters level with the Golden Girlz Water Polo Club.”

Water Polo Canada will also launch a new program, “I Love Water Polo” ,  which will be piloted in Atlantic Canada the months of January to March 2010 in the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. This Community Sport based program, that promotes fitness, sportsmanship and NON-STOP FUN & ACTION will offer FREE clinics at select facilities!

For additional details please refer to ilovewaterpoloNS@waterpolo.ca  or ilovewaterpoloNB@waterpolo.ca

For additional details on water polo in NS, please contact www.hfxh2o.ca

For additional details on water polo in NB, please contact www.waterpolonb.ca

For additional details on water polo in Canada, please contact www.waterpolo.ca