Agoura High School: Home to Olympic Water Polo Hopefuls

In the domain of reigning high school sports it is, for the most part, football that scores the greatest number of participants, the highest community support, and the most recognition. Quite simply, it is football that most appreciably assists schools in reaching their fundraising goals. So, it is quite rare to find a public high school where water polo takes the strong side and finishes first in the hearts and minds of so many. And, it is rarer still to find a public high school where equal emphasis on academic excellence, hard work, perseverance and high collaborative standards flow through its every athletic and educational program – high standards that hold just as much water for teachers, administration, coaching staff and student athletes alike. But, Agoura High School is that rare gem. And, its water polo program is home to an ever-growing number of Olympic Development National Team scholar-athletes.

Agoura High School’s water polo teams are, undeniably, champions. It’s a fact! And, one easily evidenced by both the boys’ and girls’ team statistics and the universities to which these athletes are accepted.

Their collective Marmonte League and California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championship wins total 24 years. The girls team has conquered the Marmonte League every year - save two - since their 1998 inaugural season. The boys team has led the Marmonte League every year since 2006, with additional wins in 1994, 1998 and 2002. Both teams earned CIF championships in the same year, 2007; the boys’ team scored their second CIF championship just this past 2010 season.

The Olympic Development Program is taking notice of Agoura High School students, too.

Just this summer, in fact, four AHS students were chosen from among the most elite players of their respective age groups in the region to represent the United States on various Olympic Development National Teams. In the coming weeks, these athletes will train and compete in a number of international venues, including Hungary, Italy and Puerto Rico. Congratulations go out to:

India Forster - USA Women's Youth Team

Aley Vilches - USA Women's Cadet Team

Danny McClintick - USA Men's Youth Team 

Dom Beaudine - USA Men's Cadet Team

And, the following five incoming AHS freshmen featured in the attached photo are still soaking up their Gold medal win at the United States Club Championships this past weekend and currently preparing for Junior Olympics competitions July 30-August 2:

Evan Conway

Spencer Farrar

Ben Flyer

Will McClintick

Tyler Minich

Agoura High School’s water polo program has just about everything it needs to continue its winning tradition. Everything, that is, but a championship level pool…But, there are plans underway to change that. 

The Agoura Water Polo Foundation (AWPF) is embarking on a major collaboration with the student body, alumni and local community to positively affect the quality of life in Agoura Hills by renovating and expanding the pool facility. Please learn more about this plan at the attached AWPF brochure. (Above right under photo). And, please consider supporting at any level a newly refurbished AHS pool, which will be designed to serve the entire Agoura Hills community by extending programs to the currently under-served youth and senior community.

Raising the funds to expand and renovate the AHS pool is no easy feat in this economic climate. Nevertheless, it is entirely necessary as an ever-growing number of student athletes train in overlapping, time-constrained practice schedules the nearly 40-year-old pool’s size and condition can no longer support.

Agoura Hills is home to the number one water polo team in its league, and the area's oldest and smallest high school swimming pool. It is simply too small to adequately serve the community, or train its growing number of student athletes. Modernization is required to help mitigate increasingly heavier demands on student athletes' study time and to meet current energy efficiency standards.

Despite their training conditions, AHS water polo athletes excel both in the water and out - a testament to their hard work, drive, commitment and coaching leadership. Agoura Hills and its championship water polo teams deserve a championship level pool.