Modesto-Stanislaus Water Polo was founded in 1977 when a group of 7 local high school players decided to prepare for their high school season by organizing themselves into a summer program. Their first year this young group traveled to Hawaii and placed second in the prestigious Hawaiian Invitational. The spark has since grown into a major force in water polo in the United States. The club membership stands today at over 200 girls and boys ranging in age from 9 all the way to early 20s, with a broad level of skills from the very new to the seasoned veterans.
Current and former Modesto-Stanislaus players can be found at virtually ALL levels of United States Water Polo. Over the years the club has produced SEVERAL junior and senior, as well as youth group, national team members. There have been numerous U.S. Water Polo All-American players, Division 1,2,3 level players, etc. etc., who can attribute some of their success to their involvement in Modesto-Stanislaus Water Polo. Perhaps one of the highest achievements for a female water polo player would be involvement in the Olympics – and even there Modesto-Stanislaus can boast that at least THREE members of the 2000 and 2004 teams have played for at least 3 years, at some point in their careers, for Modesto-Stanislaus. Those three players being Courtney Young, Heather Moody (who was team captain in 2004), and Margie Dingeldein. Please see our Notable Past Members page for more.
As far as team achievements go, Modesto-Stanislaus has a very storied history, having been featured on more than on occasion in Scoreboard magazine, EIGHTEEN national team championships, FORTY-FOUR top three finishes in national championships. Few teams can come close to this mark of excellence. National championships include:
- Junior Olympics – 16-Under – 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992
- Junior Nationals – 20-Under – 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994
- Senior Nationals – Open Age Group – 1994, 1997
We pride ourselves on this club’s ability to bring all sorts of different players from throughout the area and have them compete as one team throughout the summer. Of the over 200 members, there are FIFTEEN different high schools represented, and some junior highs as well as elementary schools. Our coaches are from at least FIVE DIFFERENT high schools, as well as former Modesto-Stanislaus players.
Written by Brent Bohlender, founder of Modesto-Stanislaus, 1977.