What is the Junior Olympics?

The USA Water Polo Junior Olympic Championships (JO's) is the largest age group water polo tournament in the Nation. Athletes and teams come from across the country to compete on the national stage. The Junior Olympics Tournament consists of two divisions, the Championship Division and the Classic Division. Teams compete over a 4-day period within their respective age category.

It is the culmination of a summer (and year) of practice and preparation for many clubs.

Where is Junior Olympics held?

Junior Olympics moves around the nation from year to year. Hundreds of teams participate, so dozens of pools in a region are used over the course of the tournament. In the summer of even years 2022, 2024, etc. Junior Olympics will be held in the SF Bay Area, typically around Stanford/San Jose. In the summer of odd years 2023, 2025, etc., it will be in Orange County.

When is Junior Olympics held?

JO Championships is held the over the last two weekends in July. One weekend for the girls, and one weekend for the boys. In 2023:
Season 1 (July 15 - 18): 12&U - 18&U Boys Junior Olympics 
Season 2 (July 20 - 23): 12&U - 18&U Girls; 10&U  coed, 10u girls Co-ed Junior Olympics 
See below for when the qualifying tournaments are held.

How do teams qualify?

The nation is broken into regions called zones. PVWPC is in the Coastal zone. Each zone has a zone qualifying tournament for every age group. Because there are many teams in the Coastal zone, our zone qualifiers are held over several weekends:
The JO Qualifying Tournaments, mandatory for all athletes selected for and wishing to attend JO's, are shown below for each age group.

Junior Olympic Qualifiers Dates:

The Coastal Zone Board has set the 2024 Junior Olympic Qualifier dates as follows:

• TBD – 10u Girls, 10u Mixed, 12u Girls, 12u Boys, 12u Mixed, 14u Girls and 14u Boys

• TBD – 16u Girls, 16u Boys, 18u Girls and 18u Boys

Location: LA/Orange County, CA

Junior Olympic Finals Dates:
Location: Northern California

Session 1: July 20-23 2024:

• Age groups: 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U boys

Session 2: July 25-28 2024:

• Age groups: 10U, 12U, 14U. 16U, 18u girls; and 10u Mixed​

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Age Group Divisions

• 10&U: born August 1, 2012 and later

• 12&U: born August 1, 2010 and later 

• 14&U: born August 1, 2008 and later 

• 16&U: born August 1, 2006 and later 

• 18&U: born August 1, 2004 and later

USA WATER POLO MEMBERSHIP

All athletes must be current members of USA Water Polo (Silver, Gold, or Seasonal Athlete Membership; Splashball membership is not applicable). To register or renew with USA WP, please visit www.usawaterpolo.org.

All athletes interested in participating at Junior Olympics must be Gold Athlete Members.

Important Note: Athletes wishing to be selected to a JO Team must be affiliated with our Club, "P.V. Water Polo Club (CA - 17088)" no later than 7 days prior to the commencement of the zone qualification tournament. USAWP is very strict on this, and there is no grace period. 

Age Verification
USAWP has an age verification requirement for all athletes participating in National Championship Events. For those who have never completed the age verification, this is a one-time-charge of $5.00 paid online through TC logiQ Secure Website. Gold athlete members must complete this process prior to participating in any National Championship Event, in particular the Regional Junior Olympic Qualifier, which is fast approaching. This process can take up to seven (7) days to receive results so we urge all athletes to complete the verification right away, to avoid delays as the qualifiers get closer. We will not be able to verify and submit rosters until all athletes' birth dates have been successfully verified in the USA WP system. We encourage all of our members who have the intention of participating on one of our Club JO teams to complete the verification process as described by USA WP as soon as possible. If you have any follow up questions regarding the verification process please feel free to Contact us.

What do you expect of an athlete?
Commitment. Going to JO's is a serious commitment-  to the team and to yourself, as an athlete. If you sign up to go to JO's, you must go.

What does it cost?
JO's is an additional cost to athletes. Expect to pay roughly $400 - $500 for tournament fees. There are also additional lodging and travel expenses.

What teams will PVWPC send?
PVWPC will send 10u coed; 12u, 14u, 16u, 18u girls; and 12u, 14u, 16u, 18u boys that qualify for the tournament.
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For more info see: http://www.usawaterpolo.org/juniorolympics/