FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Getting Started
Yes. We offer a 2-week free trial at any point in the year, for all athlete levels. Athletes must register for the trial through our website, and 10U/12U/14U athletes must have a parks swim test on file at the aquatic center.
Splashball athletes do not need to have passed a swim test because they will be in the shallow end of the pool. The rest of our athletes aged 14 and under need to have successfully completed a swim test with the aquatic center so they can practice in deeper water.
Girls should wear a one-piece swimsuit. Boys can wear shorts, jammers, or a speedo. Most boys start out wearing jammers and then move to a speedo. If your child is nervous about this, feel free to stop by a practice to see what other kids are wearing.
We recommend having goggles for kids beginning in 10U for swimming laps.
Yes. Just ask your coach or your team's parent rep where to sit. In Nakata there are a few locations where parents are not allowed to sit, for safety reasons.
Yes. When you register for our free trials or any of our programs, you must provide a USA Water Polo membership number which can purchase from USAWaterpolo.com. (The 2-week trial membership is free.) There are different membership types, depending on whether you plan to participate in ODP and JO's. Memberships must be renewed each year. Membership types can be viewed here.
Yes! We have many ways you can get involved, whether it's becoming a team parent rep, coaching, joining the board, or driving the van. Please reach out to info@biwaterpolo.com and we'll find a role for you!
Membership Updates
Starting September 2025, our club is moving from a seasonal registration and billing system to a monthly membership model. This means:
- Families only register once each year (except a separate high school competitive registration).
- Billing is monthly, quarterly, or annual—your choice.
- Membership can be canceled at any time with notice.
- Billing runs September–July (with no billing in August).
Registration will open each year around August 1 through TeamSnap, our new registration and communication platform.
If an athlete moves up to a Competition Team mid-year, a prorated tournament fee adjustment will apply.
To cancel your membership, you need to submit a Change of Billing form by the 20th of the month before you wish billing to end.
Yes. Submit a Change of Billing form by the 20th of the month before you wish billing to pause. You can select to pause for up to 3 months. If you are participating in a Competition Team and plan to compete in JO’s you will continue to be assessed for just the JO’s tournament fees during the pause.
Practice Groups
Bainbridge Water Polo Club offers several training groups based on age and commitment level:
- Splashball (ages 6–10): Introductory group focused on fundamentals, in the shallow beach area of Nakata, 2x per week
- 10U Recreation: 2x per week + local league play
- 10U Competition: 3x per week + local league play + local and travel tournaments including JOs ????
- 12U Recreation: 2x per week + local league play
- 12U Competition: 3x per week + local league play + local and travel tournaments including Junior Olympics
- 14U Recreation: 2x per week + local league play
- 14U Competition: 3x per week + league games + local and travel tournaments including JOs
- High School: Offered year-round, with varying practice frequencies depending on the high school sports schedule. During HS swim season - 1x per week, HS club season - 3x per week, HS competitive season - 5x per week, plus additional add-on tournaments for invited athletes (due to the nature of this level of competition, some select tournaments exist for top-performing athletes)
This structure allows athletes to start with the appropriate level of commitment and move up as they develop skills and interest.
- Families only register once each year (except a separate high school competitive registration).
- Billing is monthly, quarterly, or annual—your choice.
- Membership can be canceled at any time with notice.
- Billing runs September–July (with no billing in August).
- Competition Teams practice 3x per week, attend tournaments regularly, and the monthly fees automatically include Junior Olympics (JO’s) qualifiers and JOs.
- Recreation Athletes practice 2x per week, compete in the local league, and attend fewer tournaments.
- Novice athletes can start in Rec and move up as their commitment and skills grow.
Promotions are evaluated twice annually (August and February) or at the discretion of the coaching staff.
We believe in and truly support our multisport athletes! Please reach out to Kristin (coach@biwaterpolo.com) to discuss your situation.
Costs & Billing
Monthly fees depend on group placement. Please talk with a coach if you’re unsure which group would be best for your athlete. Specific fees are listed on our Program & Pricing page.
Membership fees are auto-billed on the 2nd of each month through TeamSnap. If you join late in a month, your fee will be prorated.
Families can choose:
- Monthly auto-billing
- Quarterly billing
- Annual pre-pay
Yes. Scholarships are available through the club and through Bainbridge Island’s YES Fund (Youth Experience Support Fund) - athletes grades PreK - 8th can request YES Fund support through Helpline House. High School students may request assistance through their online forum Frog Rock(grades PreK–8 via Helpline House),
Unfortunately, the fees do not cover all our costs because our goal is to keep fees accessible to families. Recruiting new athletes is the best way to close our budget gap, but we will still do fundraising events as needed. We encourage all our athletes to invite a friend to try our free 2-week trial.
Tournaments & Travel
Instead of tournaments being à la carte, most are now bundled in monthly fees. We’re doing this for several reasons. One is to make it easier for kids to compete early and often because that’s the best way to learn and love the sport. We are also bundling tournaments to help families have more predictable monthly expenses (vs lump sum tournament fees), promote stronger team participation, reduce administrative work for our coach and volunteers, and provide a better experience for athletes. Some high-level tournaments remain separate, additional add-ons.
There are different types of tournaments.
- Local Day Tournaments (Drive only, no overnight, such as Curtis High School or King County Aquatic Center)
- Local Travel Tournaments (Drive and overnight, such as tournaments in Portland, Oregon, or Spooktacular in Victoria, BC)
- Travel Tournaments (Require flight and hotel, such as Where’s the Air in Colorado)
Tournament expectations vary by age and team—details are outlined in program schedules.
For athletes on Competition Teams, tournaments are a core part of the program and participation is expected. Recreation athletes will still play in local tournaments/league games but will not attend overnight tournaments.
Tournament fees cover tournament registration, hotels, vans (if applicable), coaching, and hosted team meals. Airfare and personal food outside of hosted meals are not included.
- 14u and older: Team travel, parents are not responsible for traveling with their children.
- 12u & 10u: Families arrange travel individually but often coordinate and stay with the group.
- Local day tournaments: Van space is available to all players ($10 round trip).
Except JO’s, tournament fees are prepaid and not refundable. However, if the club cancels or reduces its planned tournaments, families will receive a credit.
For the Competition Teams, JOs are included in the monthly fee to help families spread out the expense throughout the year and to help our coaching staff plan ahead. However, families can opt out of JO’s by January 15, after which billing will be prorated downward starting that month.
We will either issue you a credit for your JO’s fee that will be reflected on your future month’s billings, or we will find you a team and pay to register your child on that team.
We will assess on a case-by-case basis if there is space on the roster. If a Rec Athlete does participate in a comp tournament, tournament fees would still need to be paid at the full rate vs the comp team pricing, which is slightly discounted.
Special Opportunities
ODP (Olympic Development Program) is a USA Water Polo training and identification pipeline. All competition athletes are encouraged to attend one or more fall ODP clinics because they are great learning opportunities. Selection can lead to regional and national team opportunities.
ODP (Olympic Development Program) is a development program run by USA Water Polo. Athletes are selected by USA Water Polo coaches to represent the Pacific Northwest against other regional teams from around the country. It is a pipeline program for USA Water Polo, culminating in the selection of national teams for each age group and gender that will represent the USA in international tournaments during the year. The program begins in the fall with three clinics held in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The next step is a regional tournament in Dallas in January, then a national tournament in March in locations such as Northern California, Chicago, and Salt Lake City, then a National Selection Training Camp (NTSC) in June, followed by the final selection of the national teams.
USA Water Polo’s Junior Olympics (JO’s) is the largest age-group water polo tournament in the country. Teams from around the country compete over four days in July in various divisions to crown national champions. Athletes and teams must first qualify for the event by competing in regional qualifying tournaments held earlier in the summer. JO’s is considered a highlight for athletes, providing an opportunity to compete at a national level, showcase talent to recruiters, and experience a major event that concludes the year’s water polo season. JO’s is held in Northern or Southern California. In 2026 it will be held in Southern California.
Every three years our club takes an international trip. This summer from July 6–13, 2026, high school athletes will have the opportunity to train in Camogli, Italy, home of Pro Recco. Cost is about $1500 per person (excluding flights). This is optional and not included in monthly fees.
Open Water is geared toward athletes ages 13 and up and is optional. It is widely considered our older athletes’ favorite tournament of the year, with group camping and competing in open water on a lake in Oregon in June. If enough athletes commit (10 boys, 10 girls minimum), we’ll attend. Interest determines whether we register.