Cleveland Water Polo Club

Lake Erie Classic T-Shirt Presale, CWPC Player Signups

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Mon, 04 May 2026 20:16:00 +0000

LEC T-Shirt Presale (Open to All Teams)

Pre-order your 2026 Lake Erie Classic t-shirt over on our Merch page! See below for design (courtesy of Tyler P). Presale closes Sunday May 17th. Orders available for pickup at the tournament only.

Shirts are $20 each and available sizes are XS*, S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL*

We will have a limited number of shirts for sale on deck at the tournament as well.

*XS and XXXL available via presale only.

Player Signups Still Open for CWPC

Cleveland players, go to the Tournaments page to sign up for the LEC on May 30-31. $20 per player. Last day to sign up is Tuesday 5/19.

Please also take this survey about your volunteering availability/preferences. We need help from everyone!

Subscribe to our Google Group for Email Updates

Player Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 16:30:00 +0000

Introducing... Nico Pishnery!!!

It's high time we showcase everyone's favorite teacher! Even though he has no idea when he actually joined the team - he does know why he wanted to join. "I saw people beating people up in the pool at CSU and was all... I WANNA DO THAT!" What we can find evidence of - is that he has been a consistent member since 2012 after spending some time teaching in Peru. He still has held on to (and uses) a good bit of that Spanish learned - both personally and professionally.

When I first joined the team, they would buddy you up with a person on the opposing squad during a scrimmage and your partner would talk you through the game in real time. I was typically buddied with Nico or Preetha. Preetha would tell me what's going on in the game tell me who to pass the ball to and why, when to shoot, etc. Nico on the other hand would give me a detailed analysis about the latest Honey Boo Boo episode and sometimes other trash TV shows I didn't watched. It didn't help me learn the game, but it certainly kept me coming back!

His teaching degree (and friendship with Annie P.) allows for a pretty consistent travel schedule. As a member of CWPC - he has attended many travel tournaments even driving a pretty famous (and infamous) team van. What happened to that van according to Nico? "I had to retire the van after too many trips and back seat drivers complaining about the safe driving...." Those far away locations included UNC, Dayton, Atlanta, Cincinnati, just to name a few. But the tournament he really wants to go back to? The internationally hosted Gay Games! (for those that don't know - Cleveland hosted the Gay Games in 2014). He's already hopped in on a few international practices - including in Munich, Amsterdam, and Croatia.

Nico is a multi tasker. We were site seeing in a super remote area. Nico was driving and all of a sudden he swerved to the other side of the road. There were no potholes or other road obstructions so I inquired. Nico said it was because he was playing Pokémon GO and there was a super rare Pokémon in the road he needed to catch.

Nico has put his heart and soul into CWPC. And even occasionally his body. His eyebrow got split open at a tournament in Akron, pouring blood everywhere. He would often be the first one at practice - starting to set up the pool and bring out the goals by himself. Of course - he's always going to pop out a little early to get some nice hot wings at Merry Arts. When asked his favorite part of CWPC though? Its meeting new people and making new friendships.

Sometime last year, practice was eerily quiet and no one could figure out why until someone pointed out that Nico was missing. We were all so used to his constant screaming;"ooooohhhhs" and "ahhhs"; and general yelling/snarky commentary that it truly left a void.

In honor of those friendships made - here's just a small sampling of the friends made along the way. See if you can spot both the current and former CWPC members....

Thanks for your continued support for the team Nico. Congrats!

Sign Up for LEC, Take the Volunteer Survey, May Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:36:00 +0000

Lake Erie Classic Signups and Volunteer Survey

Cleveland players-- click here to sign up for this year's LEC on May 30-31! Entry is $20 per player.

Please also take this survey to indicate how you're willing to help with the tournament.

May Practice Schedule

Subscribe to our Google Group for Email Updates

Updated LEC Date, April Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:37:00 +0000

New Date for Lake Erie Classic

We had to pivot from the original LEC date due to unforeseen circumstances with the facility, but we are happy to say the new date of May 30th-31st is official!

Nashville Tournament Survey

Please continue to take the survey for the Nashville tournament May 16th-17th.

April Practice Schedule

Order Your Suits/Towels/Ponchos, March Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 17:05:00 +0000

Suits, Towels, and Ponchos for Sale

Go to our Merch Page for all the details!

Practice Schedule

March on over to the pool for practices every Sunday and Tuesday this month!

Player Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 01:28:00 +0000

Introducing.... Tyler Palma!

Tyler grew up in Pennsylvania and has had an impressive Water Polo resume before joining us here in Cleveland in 2024. Not only did he help get his little sister into the game (and keeps trying to get her to play); he was one of the founding members of his high school team and then created a team in college - just so he could keep playing! "When I moved to Cleveland in 2024 I had hope that a bigger city would have some polo going on. Little did I know I'd find the best possible club I could hope for!"

"Tyler is a friendly assassin. He will greet you with a smile of a hundred suns when you see him but can also rip a sneaky quick shot when he wants. Shoutout to an amazing teammate and person"

Even though we've added another engineer to the team - we've also added an artist. "I've been making art since I was really young. Now I do digital illustration and paint occasionally. Recently I got to do some commissioned art for some indie tabletop RPGs, which was really cool." Many of the best suggestions for both the Instagram page and the team swag has come from the mind of Tyler Palma. His art can also be seen on display at a Halloween party near you.

"There is a Tyler-made acorn necklace hanging in my bathroom....If you ever need a Sharpie tattoo on your chest - Tyler is your guy"

Speaking of tattoos - Tyler has quite the collection himself. But the real masterpiece is the first one he ever got. "My first tattoo is the one on my bicep of the Pioneer/Voyager disk pulsar map. I got it in college from a friend-of-a-friend who was doing an apprenticeship. I had no money for tattoos but they were only allowed to charge like $20, so I said sure why not?? It's admittedly not the best looking tattoo but it's special to me and the carefree context of getting it like that says something about how I aspire to live my life."

Tyler loves the competitive nature of Water Polo and being in the pool "feels like coming home". But what is most notable - is how much he loves being a friend both in and out of the pool. Some of his favorite memories are when he can enjoy the social side of Water Polo. Like drinking Ron Wine at Cinnamon Lake, meeting new friends at Quarry, and joining the socials at away tournaments. Always thinking ahead; Tyler brings proper club PPE, and his friends at the club some much needed water (even when it looks like beer).

"We liked Tyler so much we got another one"

The always fashionable and worldly Tyler never ceases to impress. He has seen several musicals - his favorites being Bridges of Madison County, Hello Dolly, Heathers, and Into the Woods. You can often find him listening to K-Pop on his way to practice and then walking on to the pool deck with the best trench coat on the team. He's going to continue to put us all to shame by learning a new language. "I've been taking Chinese classes for the past couple of months - because I think it's a cool language and because I really want to go back to China and spend some time traveling around in the future. I'm not very good...yet!! But as they say: 加油!"

Congrats Tyler! We are lucky to have you on the team.

Annual Meeting, Cincy, February Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 01:37:00 +0000

Annual Meeting/Board Elections

The 2026 CWPC Board will include the following members:

Charlie Oliva, Danielle Summers, Elisabeth (Bradley) Cannizzaro, Kasi David, Kyle Tepe, Ron Sermak, and Wade Weber

We look forward to serving the club!

Nutty Invite Registration Still Open

We still have open spots for Cincy 2/28-3/1 and could use a couple more people -- sign up now!

February Practice Schedule

NO POLO TONIGHT

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 19:27:00 +0000

Practice is cancelled for tonight due to a rescheduled LHS swim meet. See you Sunday at practice and the Annual Meeting at One Star Bar (side room, 12pm)

Save the Date for LEC, Pay Your Dues, Sign Up for Cincy

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 15:48:00 +0000

Lake Erie Classic Dates Announced

Save the weekend of ~~April 10th-12th~~ May 30th-31st for the LEC! We need help before, during, and after so please keep your schedule cleared if possible.

Pay Your Dues

Pay your dues here for 2026 if you haven't already-- you must be current on dues to vote in the 2/1 board election (and to attend practices and tournaments...)

Sign Up for Cincy

We still need more people for the Squirrels Nutty Invite on 2/28-3/1-- sign up here!

NO POLO TUESDAY 1/20

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 02:46:00 +0000

Practice is cancelled due to closure of Lakewood Schools for the day.

[Updated] Happy New Year! It's Dues Season, Sign up for Cincy

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 18:19:00 +0000

Updated Dues for 2026

In order to cover rising costs (particularly higher costs for pool time and additional practices at Garfield Heights), the board has determined that dues for 2026 should be increased. Below are the updated rates which will take effect in 2026:

Full Year (non-student) - $225
Full Year (student) - $150
Summer Only - $125
Monthly (non-student) - $30 per month
Monthly (student) - $20 per month

For those of you who have monthly Paypal subscriptions, no action needs to be taken (we will adjust the monthly fee in Paypal) - however, you will need to cancel your subscription if you wish to move to the Full Year options.

Please visit the membership page at your earliest convenience to pay. You will not be eligible to vote in the board elections if you have not paid by 2/1/26.

Please let Wade know if you need any Paypal assistance or if you have any questions (wade@clevelandwaterpolo.com).

Signups Open for Cincinnati Tournament Feb. 28 - Mar. 1

We have a confirmed spot in the Cincinnati tournament, please sign up here.

Wolverine, Board Elections, January Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Sun, 28 Dec 2025 19:52:00 +0000

Wolverine Tournament

Registration is still open for 1/17-1/18 in Detroit! Sign up here.

Take the Annual Meeting Poll

If you want to run for the board and/or register to vote online for board elections, fill out this form before 1/18. Your only other option for voting is in person at the Annual Meeting at 12pm on Sunday 2/1.

January Practice Schedule

Happy New Year!

Wolverine Registration Open, Annual Meeting Poll

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 21:49:00 +0000

Sign Up for the Wolverine Tournament

We are officially entered in the Wolverine Tournament January 17-18 in Birmingham, MI. Click here to pay your entry fee and secure your spot on the roster!

Annual Meeting 2/1/26

Our annual meeting of the members will be held on 2/1/26 to review the state of the club, vote on next year's board members, and have open questions/discussion.

Please submit this form to declare your board candidacy and/or register for online voting. The form will close two weeks before the annual meeting (1/18/26).

Subscribe to our Google Group for Email Updates

PRACTICE CANCELLED TODAY 12/2

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 16:27:00 +0000

Due to Lakewood Schools being closed today, practice tonight is cancelled.

Wolverine Poll, December Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 16:18:00 +0000

Wolverine Tournament Poll

Take the poll here to let us know your availability to attend the Wolverine tournament near Detroit on January 17th-18th.

December Practice Schedule

Subscribe to our Announcements Google Group

Important Dates to Save, November Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:09:00 +0000

DC Was Fun

Good job team for going 2-2 at the Monumental Tournament hosted by the DSeahorses. Every non-goalie who attended scored at least one goal!

Save the Date for Wolverine Tournament

Wolverine will be hosting their tournament on Jan. 17-18th. Poll and signups to come later this year.

Annual Meeting Update

Instead of polling everyone's availability for the Annual Meeting, we are giving you an early heads up that starting next year, we plan to hold the Annual Meeting on the Sunday prior to Super Bowl Sunday. So mark your calendars now for Sunday Feb. 1st after practice.

November Practice Schedule

Subscribe to our Announcements Google Group

DC Tournament, Fundraiser, October Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 20:47:00 +0000

DC Tournament

There are still some spots left to join the group traveling to the DC tournament October 12-13th. Sign up here.

Fundraiser on Saturday, October 4th

Join us for a bar crawl/scavenger hunt/fundraiser! Charge your phone, bring your friends, bring your cousin. Arrive to The BottleHouse in Lakewood between 2:30 and 3:00pm on 10/4 to check in. $20 entry fee to play, and it just might go towards some new practice caps.

October Practice Schedule

Sign Up for DC Tournament, September Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 16:20:00 +0000

We're going to DC! Visit the Tournaments page to officially register for your spot on the roster.

(No Toronto this year, FYI for those awaiting confirmation from the poll).

September Practice Schedule

A couple changes from August:

-No more Garfield Thursdays
-Avon Sundays are shifted 30 minutes later
-Tuesdays have moved to indoors at Lakewood High School and start 30 minutes later

UPDATED August Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 14:46:00 +0000

Player Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 23:03:00 +0000

Introducing.... Alex Cook!

Alex is one of our newest members who quickly became part of the CWPC family. His enthusiasm for the sport and for the team has not gone unnoticed. We feel blessed that his old friend Josh Cardin clued him in to our team and brought him in through the recruitment pyramid scheme started by Grant Kelly.

"Most improved player is an understatement... he went from newbie to family in an instant"

Some of Alex's favorite moments happen weekly after practice "I've always really enjoyed our post-polo Merry-Arts hangouts. We always have such great conversations and I knew from the first time I sat down at the table and everyone started eating everyone's fries that this was a great group"

He has gotten a ton of experience at practice and tournaments - becoming more knowledgeable about game play and strategy. But he has also gotten some experience with the more fun side of CWPC and tournaments. If the opportunity arises to join a dance floor - Alex will be on it. No matter the music - he'll be "bussin' down" - earplugs in tow. While he may not know most of the music from the 90's and 00's - he will still have a great time dancing - and really turn it on for Dua Lipa.

Outside of the dance floor - you can find Alex getting into all sorts of things. He is an engineer (no wonder he fits right in) but spends his free time reading, cooking, biking, Legos, and crafts with dry clay. While water polo is his first team sport - he quickly picked up pickleball with the team - and you can find him with his brother out at the Cleveland Tri on August 10th!

"That kid does everything - running, triathalons, pickleball, polo; all with a positive attitude"

We are blessed to have a new family member in Alex and know his positive attitude will continue to bring joy (and hopefully new players) to our team. Way to go Alex!

[UPDATED] Sign Up for the Quarry, August Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 21:22:00 +0000

Quarry Registration Is Open

Sign up on their website. See you in the woods!

Take the Tournament Poll

We have invitations, soft invitations, and juicy rumors regarding a few good fall tournament options. Please provide your input here to decide where we should focus our efforts.

August Practice Schedule

Quarry Save the Date, July Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 13:27:00 +0000

Quarry Date Set

The people over at the Quarry Scramble have officially announced this year's dates as August 15th-17th. Mark your calendars and stay tuned over at their website or Facebook page for registration to open.

Thanks for a Great Time at Cinnamon Lake

July Practice Schedule

[UPDATED] Cinnamon Lake, Email List, Lifeguards, June Practice Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 29 May 2025 14:48:00 +0000

Four Weeks Until Cinnamon Lake Friendly

Email List

Click here to join the Google Group and automatically receive these website posts via email.

Lifeguards

Garfield Heights is still looking for lifeguards for this summer. Please contact Kyle T if you:

-Know someone who is Red Cross certified and looking for lifeguard work

-Know someone who can offer Red Cross lifeguard certification in the next couple weeks.

June Practice Calendar [Updated]

Player Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 12 May 2025 17:41:00 +0000

Introducing.... Tom Quist!

Tom hails to us from the town of Grandville, MI. He has been playing for 16 years - always in goal. "They put me in goal because of my ridiculously long arms and willingness to get hit in the face" Having played in high school, club for GVSU and 616 - we feel fortunate to have gained his experience and willingness to get hit in the face to our great city of Cleveland for the past year.

"Tom is a stellar goalie. His energy for the game is awesome. Anytime I've watched him I've noticed he is consistently a strong goalie who is always quick to the ball. I watch how he tackles the position - his tactics, how he watches the field, and his speed. The man flies out of the water!"

A man of many talents - Tom also has strong musical abilities. Although not currently with a band - he used to play with a band "Feeding Grizzlies". He is available now for any of your saxophone, bass guitar, or guitar playing needs!

Speaking of music - Tom loves listening to hard rock music before games "the chunkier the guitar - the better". It especially helps get him ready when the LEC Saturday party keeps him from making it to warm ups before Sunday's game.

"Tom was relatively new to the club at the 2024 Lake Erie Classic, but on Sunday morning when we needed to send a 'Hey are you gonna make it' text before his game - and he rolled onto the pool deck with his sunglasses still on - we knew he was a Cleveland Water Polo player"

We feel lucky that Tom chose Cleveland as his home and CWPC as his team! Way to go Tom!

Join the Club Email List, Cinnamon Lake Friendly Signups, May Practice Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tepe) — Fri, 02 May 2025 21:50:00 +0000

Email List!

After far too many technical difficulties, we finally have an email list again. Click here to join the Google Group and automatically receive these website posts via email.

Cinnamon Lake Friendly is June 28th

Look at those happy people... to become one, see the Cinnamon Lake Friendly Page for details, signups, and pre-sale shirt orders.

May Practice Calendar

Outdoor practices will start the second week of June 😎

Cleveland Water Polo Club

Lake Erie Classic T-Shirt Presale, CWPC Player Signups

Player Spotlight

Sign Up for LEC, Take the Volunteer Survey, May Practice Schedule

Updated LEC Date, April Practice Schedule

Order Your Suits/Towels/Ponchos, March Practice Schedule

Player Spotlight

Introducing.... Tyler Palma!

Annual Meeting, Cincy, February Practice Schedule

NO POLO TONIGHT

Save the Date for LEC, Pay Your Dues, Sign Up for Cincy

**NO POLO TUESDAY 1/20**

[Updated] Happy New Year! It's Dues Season, Sign up for Cincy

Wolverine, Board Elections, January Practice Schedule

Wolverine Registration Open, Annual Meeting Poll

PRACTICE CANCELLED TODAY 12/2

Wolverine Poll, December Practice Schedule

Important Dates to Save, November Practice Schedule

DC Tournament, Fundraiser, October Practice Schedule

Sign Up for DC Tournament, September Practice Schedule

UPDATED August Practice Schedule

Player Spotlight

[UPDATED] Sign Up for the Quarry, August Practice Schedule

Quarry Save the Date, July Practice Schedule

[UPDATED] Cinnamon Lake, Email List, *Lifeguards*, June Practice Calendar

Player Spotlight

Join the Club Email List, Cinnamon Lake Friendly Signups, May Practice Schedule

NO POLO TUESDAY 1/20

[UPDATED] Cinnamon Lake, Email List, Lifeguards, June Practice Calendar