News
2011 to Date: New Officers and New Blood
July 26, 2011
Now that we're well into summer 2011, we thought it might be time to announce the officers we elected way back in November 2010!
Our club officers for the year are:
- President: Julie Downall
- Treasurer: Betsy Reynolds
- Insurance Coordinator: Rebecca Sugarman
- Equipment Coordinator: Michael Buonaiuto
We were delighted to have our largest turnout to date during the 2010-2011 winter season. Much of the growth came from a large number of talented and enthusiastic new players.
Many NECP'ers contributed time and energy to recruiting, coordinating, and mentoring new players. We're thrilled to have so much fresh blood! (Er, not literally...well, at least not at most practices!).
Due to a combination of changing club demographics, consistent annual algae problems in Spy Pond, and the costs of goal construction and takedown, we decided not to build permanent goals on Spy Pond this year. Instead we've moved to the Charles River in Newton.
The Lasell College boathouse has been kind enough to allow us to launch off their dock, and the bridge next door is a very convenient place to hang a goal.
Meanwhile, dedicated club members John Corbett, Jason Kates, and Adam Kates have built us an additional floating goal, bringing our total to two. We've enjoyed a number of great full-court games on the Charles, and we expect the portable goals to save the club substantial time and money in building, maintaining, and taking down the permanent goals each year.
All in all, 2011 is off to a great start, and we're looking forward to finishing out the year in style: by sending at least two (and possibly 3) teams to the US Nationals in Omaha, NE in September!
Celebrating A Decade of Polo!
January 1, 2010
As we ring in the new year, it's amazing to reflect that NECP has been playing and promoting polo for over 10 years!
At our annual end-of-season celebration on December 13, NECP members had the opportunity to reflect on the past year's successes and plan for an even brighter year ahead.
We welcomed many new players in 2009, and the year was marked by enthusiastic turnouts and the opportunity for both new and experienced players to gain experience in practices, training camps, and tournaments.
Longtime member Cheryl Crawford was selected to coach the US Women's polo team, and we introduced a number of successful innovations, including several changes to the structure and facilities for our summer tournament and a brand new portable floating goal which will greatly improve our practice options next year. We enter 2010 with a record number of prospective players and great excitement for the new year!
We are delighted to welcome our officer corps for 2010. Nick Nagel leaves his position as Equipment Coordinator to take the reins as club President (or "El Presidente," as he prefers to be called). The club is very excited to benefit from Nick's expertise as one of our most experienced and dedicated club members.
Michael Buonaiuto, who earned our eternal gratitude in 2009 by allowing NECP to take over his garage for equipment storage, is making his role official by taking over as Equipment Coordinator.
Betsy Reynolds will continue on as club Treasurer, and Rebecca Sugarman will reprise her role as our Insurance Coordinator. Allison Corbett will continue as our Webmaster, and Luke Nagel will be pioneering a new position as our New Media Coordinator, where he will use his expertise in Facebook and other social networking sites to spread the word about NECP and kayak polo.
As we enter 2010, let's raise a glass to another decade of competition, camaraderie, learning, and above all fun!
Annual Summer Tournament a Smashing Success
NECP held its annual summer tournament on June 13-14, 2009. Teams from Boston, New York, Montreal, and North Carolina (plus guest players from several other locations) competed in a weekend of fun, camaraderie and competition.
We had beautiful weather on Saturday, and the new tournament accommodations at the Arlington Elks Lodge (which feature a large banquet room with windows onto the Pond and a beautiful patio and lawn overlooking the pitch) are destined to become a new tradition. The day was capped with a delicious BBQ dinner at the Elks Lodge.
Despite uncooperative (to say the least) weather on Sunday, the teams powered through, with the PC Sharks of Montreal at last emerging victorious. A special thanks to the other teams who helped us move the pitch back to its normal location after a long weekend of polo. Looking forward to next year!
NECP Member Selected to Coach US Women's Polo Team
April, 2009
We would like to extend our congratulations to NECP member (and former president) Cheryl Crawford, who was recently selected to coach the US Women's National Kayak Polo team.
Cheryl has played on the US team for many years and served as the East Coach Regional coach before her selection as coach of the national team. Cheryl is taking on her new responsibility just in time to coach the team at the Pan-American games to be held in Edmonton, Canada in August.
Cheryl brings to the position a wealth of polo and other athletic experience. We are very excited that players around the country will have the opportunity to benefit from Cheryl's experience and her highly positive and practical coaching style.
RAM, DUNK, WHACK - Arlington Advocate Features NECP!
The Arlington Advocate ran a front-page piece about us on August 7, 2008. The online version includes a nifty interactive slideshow with pictures of the club. Read it here.
NECP Celebrates Successful 2008 Season and Looks Forward to 2009
January, 2009
NECP recently celebrated a successful 2008 season with our yearly end-of-season party. As usual members ate too much, told stories from the previous year, and celebrated another year of polo with awards and officer elections.
2008 was marked by extensive recruiting and team development. We are ending the year with nearly twice as many regular players as we began, and we are very excited to welcome so many enthusiastic and talented new players to our ranks. We played in 4 local tournaments and fielded teams in two divisions in the US National competition in Austin, TX.
We had two players, Cheryl Crawford and Eva Lau, play on the US Women's national team this year; Eva also serves as the team manager. We were honored to welcome several players from outside the greater Boston area to our teams, including US Women's team coach Karl Wall and US national player Alan Lamb.
Once again the team prospered under the strong leadership of a dedicated officer corps, including President Bill Schoolcraft, Treasurer Betsy Reynolds, Insurance Coordinator Cheryl Crawford, Equipment Coordinator Nick Nagel, and New Player Liaison Allison Corbett.
Leading the club for 2009 will be President Allison Corbett; Betsy Reynolds, returning as club Treasurer; Rebecca Sugarman, who is taking over as our Insurance Coordinator; and Nick Nagel, returning as Equipment Coordinator.
NECP Looks Forward to 2008
In early November NECP held its annual end-of-season party. Amid much laughter, ribbing and storytelling, we celebrated the past year of playing, handed out awards, elected officers for next year, and looked forward to another year of polo.
In 2008 Bill Schoolcraft will return for a second term as club president, and Betsy Reynolds will reprise her role as club secretary. Cheryl Crawford will continue to handle insurance and Nick Nagel holds the thankless (but critical) job of equipment and gear coordination. Allison Corbett will manage the Web site, coordinate recruiting and serve as new player liaison. K Trepanier is our new PR guru.
In 2007 we designed and constructed new goals for Spy Pond, founded a partnership with the Watertown Boys & Girls Club, launched a new Web site, and hosted a summer tournament. We welcomed guest players from places as nearby as New York and as far away as Israel. We competed in five tournaments and welcomed new players who are bringing fresh skills and perspectives — not to mention a lot of enthusiasm! — to the club. And somehow we found time to work and sleep...at least most of the time!
We're very excited about the challenges and opportunities that 2008 will bring. This year we'd like to expand our club and put in place a more structured new player training program. We're also seeking an outdoor training location that will offer more permanent boat and gear storage and allow us to train more effectively.
If you'd like to play with us — or if you'd like to help or participate in some other way — drop us a line!
Congrats to Cheryl and Eva!
Congrats to NECP players Cheryl Crawford and Eva Lau, who were selected to play on the US Women's National team under coach Karl Wall.
Cheryl, Eva and their teammates recently flew to Ireland to compete in the Irish Open competition. Flying out directly after US Nationals, the US team overcame fatigue, jet lag and chilly Irish weather to take first place in the women's division. Go US Women!
US National Championships 2007
On September 14-16, 2007 NECP competed in the US National competition in the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center in Charlotte, NC.
We sent 4 teams in all, competing in the A, B, Women's, and Open Divisions. Many of our players sharpened their skills by competing in more than one division. Our hard work this summer paid off when both our A division and women's teams took 3rd place in their respective divisions.
Our B and Open teams put up a fierce fight in their divisions. We are particularly proud of our B division team, many of whom were new players. Several players stepped up to compete in the US Nationals as their first polo tournament.
Our teams were as follows:
Boston 1 (A Division): Heiko Cordt, Andy Gasparini, Andreas Knorr, Nick Nagel, Bill Schoolcraft, Scott Simpson, Karl Wall, and Oliver Will.
Lady Lobsters (Women's Division): Artemis Agelaridou, Rebecca Brumer, Allison Corbett, Cheryl Crawford, and Betsy Reynolds.
Boston Bees (B Division): Rebecca Brumer, Allison Corbett, John Corbett, Steph Koufman, Betsy Reynolds, and Jim Twohig.
Boston Freefall (Open Division): Rebecca Brumer, Allison Corbett, John Corbett, Andy Gasparini, Eva Lau, Nick Nagel, Betsy Reynolds, Bill Schoolcraft, Karl Wall, and Oliver Will.
Many thanks to the Carolina Kayak Polo Club for organizing a great competition!
Lobster Cup 2007
On June 28-19, 2007 NECP invited nearby teams to come to Boston to compete. Held in our own Spy Pond, the tournament provided teams with an opportunity to sharpen their skills for the upcoming National competition.
Six teams competed overall, battling each other (not to mention the weather!) for the title of Spy Pond champions.
Congrats to our own Boston 2 team, who took the tournament. The Manhattan Marauders and PC Chiefs won second and third places, respectively.
You can find more information on the tournament, including participating players and final rankings, here. You can find photos from the tournament here.
Thanks to everyone for a great tournament!
National Championships 2006
Congrats to our women's team, who won the National women's division for the second year running. Artemis Agelaridou, Christy Bertani, Rebecca Brumer, Allison Corbett, Cheryl Crawford, Rachel Lamb, and Betsy Reynolds fought the good fight to bring the trophy back to Boston.
National Championships 2005
New England Canoe Polo hosted the 2005 National Championships at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH. We hosted over 20 teams for three days of competition, New England seafood and fun. The event ended on a good note for us when our women's team won the women's division. Go lobsters!
National Championships 2004
Congratulations to the Mens Team of Nick Nagel, Dan Lanz, Bill Schoolcraft, Andy Gasparini, Dave Wright, Joe Mikulsky and Scott Simpson who regained the National Open Title at the National Championships in Austin, TX, bringing the Cambria Cup back to New England.
Our thanks also to the Austin organizing committee for putting on an excellent event.
World Championships 2004
Congratulations to Cheryl Crawford on her selection for the United States Womens team for the fifth World Championships in Miyoshi, Japan.
US National Championships 2003
The National Championships were held at Hansen Dam, Los Angeles from Saturday Oct 11th to Monday Oct 13th. Congratulations to all the New England players. Our teams were runners up in both the Mens and the Womens Championship Finals.
World Championships 2002
Congratulations to Mary Beth Connoly, Lisa Newman, Cheryl Crawford, Bill Schoolcraft, Andy Gasparini and Scott Simpson who were all selected to represent the United States in the fourth World Championships in Essen, Germany in September 2002.
US National Championships 2002
New England Canoe Polo hosted the US National Canoe Polo Championships at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in Durham, New Hampshire on June 7th to 9th 2002. The Men's Team retained their title for the third straight year.
Canadian National Championships 2002
The New England Polo Team competed in the 2002 Canadian National Championships in Edmonton, Alberta. After making it through the first round in second place, the team came back to beat the front runners, Edmonton Whitewater Paddlers (EWP) to take the open championship title.
US National Championships 2001
New England Canoe Polo retained their National Title in 2001 at the US National Championships in Sacramento.
World Championships 2000
Congratulations to Joe Mikulsky, Dave Wright and Scott Simpson on their selection for the US Team for the Third World Championships in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
US National Championships 2000
The "Spy Pond Pirates" of the New England Canoe Polo Club placed first in the 2nd annual USA Kayak Polo National Competition held in Fort Collins, Colorado
