Middle School Water Polo 2025
SOVA-VUSD Middle School Water Polo Program FAQs
Answers to common parent questions
What is VUSD Middle School Water Polo?
1. Water polo is a boys’ and girls’ sport.
2. In the Visalia Unified School District, it is a high school Fall Sport
3. This the third year of VUSD Middle School Water Polo
4. The goal is to establish water polo as a permanent VUSD Middle School sport.
What is South Valley Aquatics?
5. South Valley Aquatics (SOVA) is 501(C)(3) non-profit charitable organization for youth sports. SOVA has been established and operating continuously in Visalia since 2015. SOVA is a USA Swimming Club, a USA Dive Club and a USA Water Polo Club. SOVA is also a member of the American Water Polo Association. SOVA offers year-round club aquatics at El Diamante High School Pool in Visalia and at the new 50-meter aquatics center at Mission Oak High School in Visalia.
Learn more about SOVA here: ABOUT SOVA (sovawaterpolo.com)
Who operates the VUSD Middle School Water Polo Program?
6. SOVA is contracted by VUSD to develop, operate, and administrate the Middle School Water Polo Program. SOVA provides all coaching, referee, and support personnel for the program and coordinates the skills development, conditioning, and game knowledge components.
Is there a "feeder" water polo club that players must join if they go to a certain high school?
7. There are no established VUSD feeder programs between specific high schools and specific water polo clubs. Any VUSD student may play for any water polo club regardless of the high school the student attends to play water polo. It is against CIF rules to force, coerce, or apply undue influence on a student-athlete to play for a particular high school.
Review CIF regulations here: CIF Bylaw 510 California Interscholastic Federation (cifstate.org).
Does my student-athlete have to pay to play club water polo to earn a spot on a high school team?
8. The California Education Code prohibits any form of play-to-play. You cannot be required by your high school coach to play for a particular club in ordreceive preference, or avoid discrimination on your high school team. Players who play club water polo often become more skilled than other players because of the time they are investing to master the sport. There cannot be a two-tiered system where players who can afford to pay to play on a designated club are afforded greater access or potential to participate on the high school team than those who don't.
Review CA Ed Code here: California Code, Education Code - EDC § 49011. Attention to section 3.
How do I choose which high school my student-athlete will attend?
9. VUSD maintains an Intradistrict Open Enrollment policy allowing students to transfer to any other high school regardless of attendance boundary. The exception exists for schools that have exceeded their maximum enrollment. You cannot attend those schools unless you live in the attendance boundary or enroll in a linked learning academy hosted at that campus. (See VUSD Board Policy BP5116-1)
