Dynamo Water Polo Club - Atlanta, GA - Operating proudly since 1990

7/31/11 - Team A.K. 47s held off Javy’s Jomies, 9-8, to win the gold medal match of the Georgia State Games water polo tournament on Sunday, July 31st. In the bronze medal game, the Atlanta Chiefs dominated Team 4 13-8. Dynamo Swim Center in Chamblee, Georgia hosted both games.

The four teams faced off in round-robin play over the two prior weekends to determine seeding for the medal round games. Each team included players of all experience levels, from former NCAA Division I varsity athletes to 14-year old players with just a handful of days of experience. Dynamo Water Polo Club, one of the strongest programs in the Southeast United States, led the creation of the month-long event.

"60-plus athletes from Dynamo, Atlanta Rainbow Trout, Georgia Tech, Emory and a number of the 17 metro-area high school clubs combined to create four mixed teams," explained Kasi David, DWPC athlete and Georgia State Games water polo tournament director. "This tournament gave high school players a chance to mix it up with experienced players and gain an edge going into the fall high school season."

"Dynamo Water Polo Club continues to invest in the growth of this great sport across the state." shared Georgia State Games executive director Eric Pfeifer. "The Georgia State Games appreciates their effort to organize this competition and we look forward to a great future for water polo in our annual Olympic sports festival." Pfeifer was on hand to give medals to members of the top three teams.

The Georgia State Games, started in 1989 as part of the effort to win the bid to host the 1996 Olympic Games. The Georgia States Games centers on an Olympic style multi-sports festival that holds events and tournaments in about 42 different sports events, each held at a different venue. The purpose of the Georgia State Games Championships is to provide Georgians with a program of physical activity, by encouraging involvement in amateur sports. 2011 GA State Games

4/17/11 - Dynamo went 1 - 3 at the UGA Spring Invitational, earning a win over Binghamton. DWP Tops Binghamton

4/10/11 - Final results from the 2011 Turbo Masters Eastern Championships have been posted. Masters Easterns Results

3/27/11 - Auburn University hosted the 15th annual Chris Young Memorial Invitational March 26-27, 2011. The ten-team field include seven collegiate club team, an Auburn alumni team, a "hodge podge" team coached by St. Pius X (Atlanta) High School coach Fr. Dan Rogaczewski and, last but not least, Dynamo WPC.

Dynamo lined up first against the Volunteers of the University of Tennessee. While a large lead took longer than expected to develop, Dynamo took early control of the game and made sure to keep its decade-plus long record against the Vols pristine with an 11-3 win.

The second, final, round-robin game came against the UCF Knights. An experienced, deep and tall team, the Knights looked almost as good in their Turbo water polo suits as Dynamo...but not quite. Dynamo expected a stiff challenge in this game, as the Knights beat them by a goal earlier this year. From that game and scouting done earlier in the day, Dynamo knew to expect a 2M-dominated UCF offense and pressure defense everywhere. Dynamo planned accordingly.

Led by 2M defender Ryan Wade, Dynamo made life miserable for the Knights primary sets, the catalyst of their offense. Steven "Kiwi" Price unleashed his trademark spinning backhands from the Dynamo hole and, a bit surprisingly, the rout was on. Dynamo cruised 15-8 to claim first in their 3-team group and advance to play the UF Gators to determine which team advanced to the championship match on Sunday.

Because of the odd format and strange seeding of the tournament, the "cross-over" match between UF and Dynamo brought together the two best teams before the championship match. Everyone at the tournament knew this was the de facto title bout, so the stands held the largest crowd of the weekend. The two teams, friendly yet intense rivals, did not disappoint as they delivered another in a series of classic matches.

Both teams scored initial goals quickly, but then the Gators appeared to take control a nd enjoyed a 3-1 lead. Benny Twynham and Stu Sheldon combined to work the "lefty" side of the Dynamo offense to perfection, reeling off four straight goals and exposing huge gaps in the UF defense. Blink and you missed it; Dynamo led 5-3.

Momentum swing back and forth for the majority of the game, but Dynamo held a two goal lead with two minutes to go in the "run time clock" game. An unusual "contra" whistle led to a mid-pool Dynamo turnover on the counter and the Gators charged down the tank and immediately lasered a skip shot in the high corner of the Dynamo goal. Dynamo held a slim one goal lead with the "run time" game clock ticking towards 60 seconds in the game. Dynamo tried to consume as much time as possible on the restart, in an veteran effort to finish the game with the ball. Fairly, the referees allowed only so much and Dynamo went to offense with just over a minute to play. Possession ended quickly, however, as UF blocked a Dynamo shot and came down the pool and tied the game wi th the running clock passing below ten seconds. Overtime, same as the last time the two faced off, in the championship game of the 2010 PowerBar Cup at Dynamo.

Recognizing that this was certainly the best-played game of the weekend, both teams quickly agreed to sudden-death play and lined up to determine to final outcome.

UF won the sprint, their first win since the first quarter. Dynamo turned the Gators offense away and set up their own opportunity. UF returned the favor, transitioned to offense and slammed home the game-winner, 11-10. It was all smiles as the teams shook hands on deck after and headed to the showers.

Dynamo closed out a great Saturday with a cook out at the Auburn home of team mate Matt Stuckwisch.

On Sunday, Dynamo and Emory University squared off to determine third place. Dynamo dominated from the first sprint and even shut down their counter at the half to finish off the Eagles 13-2 and finish third.

The championship game was as shocki ng as the NCAA Elite Eight basketball games over the weekend. The Florida Gators trailed the University of Georgia Bulldogs by as many as five goals. Florida never panicked, however, and used the entire second half to draw to a 9-9 tie with a minute left in the game. The teams traded counterattacks as time ran out; the Gators slammed home the championship goal with less than a second on the clock. Auburn Inv. Yields 3rd

2/23/11 - Those of us at practice last night witnessed a special moment in the history of our Dynamo Water Polo Club and water polo in Georgia.

Dynamo Swim Club coach Matt Zachan and Father Dan Rogaczewski, coach of the mutiple-time state champion St. Pius X High School water polo team, held the first practice for our year-round youth team.

20+ young players from across the city jumped in to get it all started. I recognized most from the Fall 2010 high school season but saw a number I'd never seen before. I know Father Dan and Matt have great plans to grow this team and can't wait to see it happen.

For some of us crustier DWPC Dynamo-saurs, this day was over a decade in the making. Thanks to all who played a role. A special thanks to Dynamo Swim Club CEO Jason Turcotte for his vision and willingness to take action to make it happen.

Finally, look for an explosion in the number of USAWP-registered athletes from our club. - Stuart Sheldon, DWPC DWP Youth Movement

2/20/11 - Dynamo Water Polo played an unbelievable seven games in 26 hours to finish second at the 2011 Mardi Gras Invitational, hosted by Tulane University.

If you saw the brackets, you’d say this tournament structure was interesting to say the least. With an odd number of teams (eleven) in the field, the schedule offered first-round “bye” games for a number of squads. Despite strong performance at past Mardi Gras tournaments and a good seed, Dynamo WPC was not included in this list.

Saturday DWPC honed our newly-installed motion offense against fresh competition. This allowed for a Dynamo onslaught of inside water, middle of the cage drives that ended with goals. Rice (13-4) and Tulane B (19-2) were no match. Denver, however, was in a class of its own with plenty of California players from UCLA, Berkeley, USC, etc. They were a very well-disciplined team and strongly tested the usually stout Dynamo defense. Denver did not have a dominant hole set or any particular player that ran away with the show but demonstrated the power of crisp, dry passes and movement away from the ball. Denver took advantage of every inch Dynamo gave them and they put DWPC into the losers bracket with a 7-13 defeat.

Sunday morning against Washington DC was a rough 9-8 win. Dynamo needed a 4-0 3rd quarter run plus a smart 4th quarter to hold on. Next up a very talented Houston team just two hours later. Dynamo began to rediscover their Saturday energy in the game, while a tired and beat down Houston played their 3rd Sunday game and it was barely lunchtime! A hard-fought first quarter ended with Dynamo up 2-1. By half Houston ran out of gas and DWPC led 7-3. Dynamo shut down its trademark counter in the second half to conserve energy and advanced their record to 4-1 with a 13-4 final. Dynamo’s next opponent, Texas A&M, lost two of its best players to a brutality in their earlier game against Denver but they still had lots of talent. Too much Dynamo pressure, however, and the Aggies gigged themselves with mistake after mistake. DWPC capitalized and, with a 17-4 win, advanced out of the losers bracket to face Denver WP for the championship.

Travel commitments cost Dynamo three solid players before the championship tilt. Add that to the cumulative effort of six games in 24 hours (plus the Bourbon Street multiplier) and DWPC was TIRED! The fatigue showed as the 1st quarter ended 6-0 Denver. DWPC firmed up in the second quarter (scored 4, allowed 2) and driver Tim Hansen primed the familiar “Dynamo, Dyno-mite!” explosion in the 3rd quarter. Tim’s amazing intensity spread to the entire team; DWPC won the 3rd quarter swim off and utility player Jared Stentiford drilled an authoritative outside shot right away. The team energy level jumped up five notches and Dynamo played hard in all four facets of the game. DWPC allowed just one goal that quarter, in the closing seconds. Dynamo equalized, however, with just two seconds in the quarter to draw to 9-8 Denver. The 4th quarter started like the 3rd: Dynamo won the sprint and Jared drills an outside laser. The game was tied with just ten seconds gone in the fourth and Denver was in shock. Denver didn’t panic, however. Much more rested than Dynamo, Denver relied heavily on their experienced starters in the fourth and closed out the championship game 12-9. (It was Denver’s second game that day and Dynamo’s 4th.)

Dynamo team members easily awarded their MVP award to goalie Lawrence Edwards. His smart defense and shot blocking kept Dynamo in the tournament. Lawrence continued to play phenomenally even with a severely injured thumb that was caused during the first Denver game Saturday night. 2nd at Mardi Gras

11/7/10 - Dynamo WPC finished 10th (2-3) in a field of 16 teams at the third annual Halloween Invitational Tournament in Orlando, Florida Nov. 6-7. Originally seeded 15th, DWPC lost the 9th place game by one goal to the University of Central Florida. Scary Fun in Orlando

8/30/10 - The 2010 PowerBar Cup comes to a close with the Univ. of Florida defeating the host club Dynamo A in a double-overtime thriller to take home the Open Division title. St. Pius A tops Collins Hill A in the High School Division.

8/6/10 - Dynamo finishes 7th in the Midwest Open in Chicago.

5/9/10 - Results from Dynamo's appearance at the Cinco de Mayo Invitational in Tampa have been posted.

4/27/10 - Pictures from Dynamo's competitions at the 2010 Dogwood Invitational are available.

4/25/10 - The stormy weather cleared over Saturday night and Dynamo sprinted off against N.C. State under sunny, windy conditions Sunday morning. At stake: a spot in the 5th place game against the winners of the Florida Gators/Ohio Squirrels game.

True to form, DWPC started slowly against the Wolfpack. The second quarter started with the score tied at 3-3. Sean "Wild Berry" Fitzgerald won the sprint (he was 4-4 in the game). DWPC worked the ball to Stu Sheldon on the lefty wing while Chris "Hairy Spider" Sirras set strong-side 2meters. Stu put the ball right in and Chris efficiently finds the back of the net with just 15 seconds off the clock. Dynamo notched two more and held NCSU scoreless to finish the first half 6-3.

State capitalized on several Dynamo gaffs on defense to climb back into the game in the third but never got within 1. High school senior Alex "Baby Dynamo" Olbrych added great counter-attack swims to his good weekend of defense and score three of his four break-away shots in the second half. Paced by Olbrych, Dynamo pulled ahead by as many as five goals and prepared for the 5th place game.

On the other side of the tournament brackets, UF and the defense-minded Ohio Squirrels squared off to determine which team advanced to face Dynamo WPC. The Dynamo squad watched with great interest as they refueled with PowerBars and PowerBar Recovery drink.

With a former USA National Team-er in goal, the Squirrels held the score down until halftime. As much as the Ohio team tried to go nuts on offense, the Gators seemed always able to clamp down and took control in the third.

After their win over the Squirrels, UF informed tournament officials they would forfeit the 5th place game. UF started finals on Monday and the Gators had an 8 hour drive to complete. Dynamo left Knoxville 5th out of 14 teams, proud of their 1 loss, to Ohio University in round-robin play, in what may have been the best game of the tournament.

4/10/10 - Dynamo Water Polo Club continued a busy April travel schedule with the Spring in the Swamp tournament in Gainesville, FL. As always, the team looked forward to a weekend of sunshine in the Gators' outdoor pool in the shadow of "The Swamp," the UF football stadium.

Dynamo won its first two games against UF and the Tampa Thunder. The game against Thunder was a close one, with a number of lead changes as both teams searched for control of the match. Dynamo utility player Tim Hansen put away the winning goal in the final seconds of regulation time.

Dynamo lost 10-7 to the Central Florida Suns in the semis. In the third place game, Dynamo beat cross-town friends from Georgia Tech.

Dynamo closes out April at the Dogwood Invitational in Knoxville, TN in two weeks. The UT trip is the third away tournament of the month for DWPC.

4/4/10 - Dynamo Water Polo Club launched its official 2010 competition calendar in fine style as it won the first-annual Emory Easter Invitational.

On Saturday, DWPC rolled through their three group games with convincing double-digit wins against Auburn, Clemson and host club Emory. Clemson hung tough to the half and trailed just 6-5 as the ball dropped to start the third quarter. DWPC opened the second half with a 6-0 run in the first four minutes of play and it was all over from there.

The championship game featured Dynamo and Georgia Tech. DWPC built and held a several-goal lead. Unfortunately, Dynamo also racked up 18 ejections over the game. (Tech tallied just five. Hmmmmmm.) Four DWPC players earned three major fouls and sat the rest of the game.

Georgia Tech rallied to tie the game and send it to overtime. Dynamos combination of experience and speed was too much for the Yellow Jackets in the extra frames. DWPC toasted their 14-12 win with PowerBars and set their sights on upcoming trips to the University of Florida and University of Tennessee later in April.

10/4/09 - The 2009 Georgia High School Water Polo Association State Championships went very well this weekend. 13 “A” and 3 “B” teams competed for the championship. St. Pius won both the A and B championships, beating Collins Hill (2008 champion) in both games.

The championship game was closely contested and well-played. Despite trailing early, St. Pius used strong fundamentals, patience and excellent team effort in all three phases of the game to defeat Collins Hill 8-7. The MVP was St. Pius goalie Frankie Miller. His excellent positioning and anticipation turned away a barrage of second half shots and allowed just one Collins Hill goal in the final quarter.

Quality of play continues to increase across the league. We hope to see continued support from USA Water Polo and, specifically, the excellent efforts of Liz Grimes, as we build both the breadth and depth of high school water polo in Georgia. Winning St. Pius coach Dan Rogaczewski stood dripping wet, trophy in hand, deep in conversation with other coaches and parents about next year, so “Game On.”

Very big thank you's go to Dynamo Water Polo Club members John Testa, Stuart Sheldon and Tim Watson for reffing. And, to Watson for letting us know about Jonesboro's sweet pool just across the street from the Clayton County jail and about 15 minutes south of the Atlanta airport. With four floating and six wall mounted goals, this is an excellent facility for future clinics and tournaments (albeit 30 minutes from downtown Atlanta).

Thanks also to Richard Tavernaro (GHSWPA president), Mark Lefkow (GHSWPA technical director) and all the coaches, parents and hundreds of dedicated student athletes for their tireless efforts.

8/30/09 - Dynamo Green loses a tough semi-final game to the University of Florida, 8 - 9, and then rallies to defeat Georgia Tech Alumni 13 - 7 to finish the 2009 PowerBar Cup in 3rd place. Dynamo Silver and Dynamo Gold round out the weekend in 7th and 8th place respectively.

8/30/09 - The Patriots defeated the University of Florida in the finals of the 2009 PowerBar Cup.

Final results, standings and tournament photos have been posted.

8/12/09 - Afghanistan isn’t just choosing a new president this month. It’s also selecting a new Olympic team. The World’s Aaron Schachter spends time with some of Afghanistan’s would-be water polo Olympians...

Article courtesy of: theworld.com

6/17/09 - The USWP Masters National Championships has been announced for June 2011. The event will be hosted at the Georgia Tech Aquatics Center.

To learn more or to reserve your team's spot in the event, please contact Dynamo Water Polo club leaders.

4/20/09 - Dynamo WPC recovered from a horrible first game loss to Columbus, Ohio-based Central Ohio with dominating wins over the NIU Huskies and UVA Wahoos to advance to the fifth-place game verses the Ohio Squirrels.

DWPC used two early sniper goals from club alum and former Canadian National Teamer Keith Leggett to establish an outside game. The Squirrels, forced to press, could no longer consistently double down on DWPC two meter sets. Dynamo sets from the wings generated a raft of ejections and two five meter penalty shots. Mix in a healthy does of counter-attack pressure, ball control patience and team defense and the atrocious play of Saturday morning was firmly in the rear view mirror.

The Squirrels never stopped, however, and closed a four-goal deficit to one with just over 1:30 to go in the game. Dynamo used a strong press to generate two turnovers which led to a goal and a clock-killing two-man possession to end it all.

4/13/09 - TRINIDAD and Tobago water polo team earned the bronze medal at the Second FINA Men’s Waterpolo Development Trophy Tournament in Kuwait on Saturday.

They did so by beating the Phillipines 8-7 in the third place play-off.

Captain Christopher George came up big and fired home the winner with just over four minutes to go on the clock...

Article courtesy of: newsday.co.tt

3/28/09 - DWPC takes 1st at the Chris Young Memorial Invitational hosted by the Tigers of Auburn Water Polo, including a 13 - 10 win over Georgia Tech in the championship game.

3/21/09 - Dynamo swept the field at the UGA Spring Invitational, including wins over Clemson and the Atlanta Trout.

3/17/09 - Water Polo continues to grow in Atlanta, Georgia as Dynamo Water Polo Club hosted a visit by members of the USA Water Polo Men's Senior National Team at the end of February. The team was in town February 25-28 en route to foreign competition in Germany and Hungary. Members of the 2008 Olympic Team were on the trip as well including Peter Hudnut, JW Krumpholz, Rick Merlo, Head Coach Terry Schroeder and Assistant Coaches Robert Lynn, Ryan Brown, and Rick McKee...

Article courtesy of: www.usawaterpolo.com

3/15/09 - The US Men's National Water Polo team visited Atlanta in February. While in town, the team, along with local Atlanta area water polo organizations, hosted a clinic and fundraiser.

Pictures and video highlights of the week's events are available.

2/14/09 - Dynamo loses its initial game 10 - 8 to Houston, therefore knocking them out of championship contention based on the bracket setup for the tournament. The team rallied though to win its remaining three games to finish 5th.

12/18/08 - Dynamo's Mark Lefkow was featured in a December 18th article in the Daily Report: "When he is not practicing civil litigation law at Nall & Miller, Mark D. Lefkow often can be found in a swimming pool, playing water polo..."

Article courtesy of: www.dailyreportonline.com - 3.28 Mbs

11/10/08 - The Dynamo Water Polo has launched its own website independent of the Dynamo Swim Club. While the two organizations remain forever linked, it was time for the water polo club to move away from the generous, free hosting of the swim club in order to better service its future internet needs.

11/5/08 - Dynamo wins all four at the UGA Fall Invitational, including victories over the host Georgia, rival Georgia Tech, southeastern foe Vanderbilt and visitor Chicago.

8/24/08 - The Loyola Athletic Club (Puerto Rico) swept the field on its way to the 2008 PowerBar Cup Championship, including a 6 -5 win over Dynamo Green in the tournament finals.

8/14/08 - The Dynamo Water Polo Club has set up a group through FaceBook.com. All current and past club members are encouraged to join to show your support. Fans of the club are also welcome.

Become a friend of Dynamo Water Polo today!

5/21/08 - Dynamo drops 4, wins 1 at Tampa Thunder Invitational.

5/20/08 - Dynamo Water Polo officially embraces the Masters Water Polo concept and the age brackets that come along with it.

4/13/08 - Dynamo runs through their bracket with wins over Washington, Charlotte and FSU, only to lose by one in the tournament final, 6-5, to Illinois at the 2008 Dogwood Invitational.

4/6/08 - The tournament's two best teams ended up in the same bracket and Florida International got the best of Dynamo in what the tournament referees called "...the best game of the weekend."

2/17/08 - The Dynamo Water Polo Club retained PowerBar as its primary sponsor for 2008 & 2009. The club started its relationship with PowerBar in 1992, so 2008 marks the 16th year of the mutually beneficial combination.

Over the newly inked two year committment, Dynamo will receive support in the form of PowerBar products, hats, shirts, banners, etc, plus the opportunity to generate extra club revenue when Dynamo helps to get the PowerBar name in front of others through media, online and athlete exposure.

Dynamo proudly looks forward to hosting the 10th Annual PowerBar Cup August 23rd and 24th at the Chamblee, Georgia home of the Dynamo Swim Club.

1/31/08 - The initial information for the 2008 PowerBar Cup has been posted. Keep checking the tournament page for additional updates and information up to, throughout and after the annual event.

1/31/08 - Dynamo takes 3rd place at the Mardi Gras Invitational with a 2-goal loss to Closers in the semi-final.

1/31/08 - The initial 2008 competition schedule has been posted. Updates to the schedule will be posted as more information becomes known.

11/27/07 - A practice and tournament calendar have been intergrated in to the website. Both will be updated by club leaders regularly.

11/27/07 - Pictures for the 2007 PowerBar Cup have been posted.

9/22/07 - The club released its new website, updated with a more modern interface for its fans and supporters. This is the third iteration of the site's design in its brief history.

Users will note that additional emphasis has been put towards promoting club sponors and towards helping fans keep up with the latest club headlines.

Thank you to the Dynamo Swim Club website administrators for allowing the water polo sub-website to operate since its inception in 1999.