LBPOST.com: Long Beach State Ousts Shore Aquatics From Campus Pool

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Long Beach State Ousts Shore Aquatics From Campus Pool

by Mike Guardabascio | General | 01.31.10 |

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January 28, 11:00pm |

Photo by Shar Higa

The campus pool at Long Beach State is an unassuming facility�it's outdoors, an Olympic-sized pool with short metal bleachers on two sides that seat a few hundred people.� It's protected by a low fence dorm students have been known to hop, surrounded by a smallish parking lot, and is open to the public for a few hours of lap swimming most days of the week.� It's not the largest pool in Long Beach, nor the most historic (both honors belong to Belmont Plaza).

You certainly wouldn't know looking at it that it's become the site of a bitter battle lately, over resources and history.� On one side, the university that owns the pool, Long Beach State, with their Athletic Director, Vic Cegles, and men's and women's water polo coach, Gavin Arroyo.� On the other side, Shore Aquatics, an aquatics club serving Long Beach-area athletes from under ten up through 16; a water polo club that's won more national titles than any other in the country save one, and that's called the modest campus pool their home for the more than thirty years that the club has been in existence, in one form or another.

In between?� A tangled mess of relationships that's hard to untangle, but make it easy to see why so many in the Long Beach water polo community were shocked, and angered, when it filtered into the public recently that Long Beach State wouldn't be allowing Shore to use the campus pool past the end of April.

How tangled a mess are we talking about?� The connections between the university and the club program go back generations.� Shore was founded by Rich Foster, a former captain of the Long Beach State water polo team; Ricardo Azevedo, a former coach of the Long Beach State water polo team (and father of both local legend Tony, and former Long Beach State player Cassie); and Klaus Barth, an icon for the Long Beach aquatics community, and a Long Beach State Hall of Famer for swimming who left an indelible mark on the aquatics world that's still clearly felt three years after his death.

The club is currently run by Chi Kredell, a Long Beach State water polo Hall of Famer who was named All-American as a 49er, and his wife, Barth's daughter Kristin, who oversees the swim programs.� Foster's son John, also a former Long Beach State player, coaches water polo with Shore as well; in fact, looking through their staff, it's hard not to find a Long Beach State connection with every member.� Both Kredell and Foster were Shore athletes who went on to play as Long Beach State 49ers, in the same campus pool.

Given the close-knit ties between both sides, it takes a bit of explaining to understand how we came to this point.� According to Kredell, who stepped up to take over as Club Director of Shore's water polo operations a half-year ago (when Robert Lynn left to coach Harvard-Westlake), he says he encountered resistance pretty early on from Arroyo and the university.� "I met with Gavin in August, and he said he wanted his own club," Kredell says.� "I told him we'd love his involvement, to have a D-1 coach working with our players would be amazing; but he said he wanted his own club." �According to Kredell, the ensuing months saw occasional conversations, but nothing emerged. �Along with Arroyo's desire to have his own program, Kredell says Cegles brought up with him the fact that the university wanted to increase their revenue for the facility use.� "He told me he wanted more money, that he has to look out for his employees."

Since the end of December, Kredell says, he hadn't heard much of anything from the school.� Then, last week, the word went out in the water polo community that the school was done with Shore, effective April 30.� "I still haven't officially heard it from the school," Kredell said Thursday evening.

According to the university, the decision to remove Shore from the pool dovetails with the decision to create a new water polo club in the city, run by Arroyo out of the campus pool, called Long Beach Water Polo Club, which will begin in May.� The reason for making the switch, according to Cegles and Arroyo, is twofold�one, Cegles hopes it will help renovate the facility and raise funds for the program.� Two, both hope that added access to athletes will boost Long Beach State's recruiting ability in the community.�

"We're trying to evaluate our program," says Cegles.� "Our coaches need to have their own club�would you have Wilson or Poly coaches running a basketball program in the Pyramid, in competition with Dan Monson?"� The strong implication, from Cegles and Arroyo, seems to be that there is some chafing at the number of athletes developed by Shore on the Long Beach State campus who go on to play for other universities.� "The fact is," says Cegles, "we have a better chance [with the new club].� For us to have a more competitive advantage against USC and UCLA and Pepperdine, we need access to athletes as young players.� It's not about the money, it's about the access�then hopefully it can also help with renovations and generating resources."

Cegles also expressed surprise at the backlash the decision has received, and said he hopes the new club at Long Beach State will still draw from the Long Beach water polo community, despite the negative reaction.� "I'm hoping some of them will come here�Does it really matter if it's called Shore, or 49er Water Polo?� I respect tradition, but we have to look at this from a business perspective."�

Arroyo certainly seems optimistic about the potential for the new club.� "I think it could be something amazing," he says.� Acknowledging that with the depth of polo talent in the area, many players will simply want to leave Long Beach to play on the collegiate level, he says he hopes having his own club in the campus' backyard will alter the local recruiting dynamic.� "The kids that want to go to USC, maybe one of those three or four wants to stay here if they've been playing for me since they were 14.� Maybe that player is the difference in some of the one-goal games we had last year."� He also pointed out the additional recruiting benefit of being able to offer Long Beach State players jobs as coaches in the club program.

"Obviously," he admits, "there's been some fallout and backlash."� Citing a lasting respect for Klaus Barth, he said he will still allow some of the Shore swim programs to use the campus pool (Long Beach State does not have a swim program that would be competing with other schools recruiting from Shore).� The Shore masters swim program will, like the water polo teams, be forced to relocate.�

According to Kredell, Wilson seems the most likely place to move most of the affected programs to, and Wilson aquatics coach Tony Martinho, who's been the beneficiary of a lot of great Shore athletes, confirmed that he's spoken with Kredell about that.� A problem it raises for Shore is that none of the high school-located pools are as large as the one on the Long Beach State campus, which easily allowed for multiple teams to practice simultaneously.

"What it comes down to," says Cegles, "is I have to make a decision that's best for our program, for the facility, and the team.� Our whole thing is to advance the program."

For Kredell, advancing the program is a familiar concept; in addition to his playing days, his family have been longtime boosters of the water polo program at the university, with his mother running the snack shop at the pool in Arroyo's early coaching days, and his parents hosting the Long Beach State Water Polo Alumni Dinner a year and a half ago.� He, like most people we spoke with outside the university, doesn't see any way for this to be a positive thing for Long Beach athletes.�

"I hate to see this break apart," says Kredell, "and I hope they'll reconsider, and see the impact it has, and how detrimental it will be to the community."� One thing that came up repeatedly in talking to members of the water polo community around the city is befuddlement as to how the school can expect to get young players to come to a new club, in the wake of a move that the incredibly insular world of SoCal water polo is so displeased about.

The personal frustration Kredell is experiencing is obvious�aside from his own ties with Long Beach State, Kredell was on the National Team with Arroyo, and Arroyo was in Kredell's wedding, while Kredell's wife was in Arroyo's.� As with nearly every level of this conflict, the people on both sides of it have a longstanding relationship.� But Kredell got more emotional when talking about the city of Long Beach, and its tradition, a tradition he and the Shore Aquatics community fear is being thrown into jeopardy.� "We call ourselves the Aquatic Capital of the World," he says.� "We're supposed to be leaders.� This is about the kids�that's something Klaus Barth taught us, and something we believe."

Whether the eviction will be permanent; whether Long Beach State and Gavin Arroyo's Long Beach Water Polo Club will be a success; whether Shore's move away from their historic home and into a smaller facility will hurt the club's recent revitalization; all of those questions remain unanswered, perhaps for a long time to come.� What's obvious right now, however, is that barring a miraculous turn of events, the Long Beach sports community has been altered, in a significant way.� And with Long Beach State removing a historic program from its grounds, with friendships and historic partnerships turning sour, and with yet another competitor climbing into the crowded Long Beach club polo world�it's difficult to see a way that things have changed for the better.

Written by Mike Guardabascio
Mike Guardabascio has been a fan of Long Beach sports since he was a kid, playing soccer, basketball, and football in the city's parks. He's been writing professionally for seven years and has published in over 25 newspapers, magazines, and websites. He loves what he does. Read More Articles by Mike Guardabascio...

Related Stories: lbsu, water polo, shore aquatics

Comments

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moore league fan
First the Armada, now Shore huh?! Is Long Beach State practicing the Monroe doctrine? I thought this was a publicly owned university, but the AD is tossing a club that's been around for 35 years because apparently it's a business? WIth all the rumors about Long Beach State taking over Blair Field, I guess Moore League fans should start getting worried. Apparently this university forgets it's supposed to be about the community, not just it's bottom dollar.

9er Bobby
I don't really see what the big deal is with them moving where they practice? I'm not a water polo guy, could somebody explain?

JR Salazar
I would like to see Long Beach State get its own swim and dive team, and use the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool for their home meets. The water polo teams can also use Belmont Plaza as their home pool.

And the Campus Pool can be used as a training facility.

49er alum
I would have to agree with Moore league fan. To sever ties and hide behind the fact that it's "business" is ridiculous. You would hope that the athletic department would try to find a way to work with Shore, since they have brought numerous athletes to State. Crazy.

Moore League Fan Idiot
LBSU had nothing to do with the folding of the Armada, moore league fan. Read up.

H2O Polo Mom
Whether you are a Water Polo fan or not, this decision doesn not make rational sense! You have a long standing relationship, with a reputable sports club, a good paying tenant, families that support CSULB events, kids who aspire to attend CSULB when they grow up!! Why fix it if it ain't broke?!!

Momof2catchers
I'm sure some of the outrage is due to the difficulty of finding 'big water' for a club to practice in...shore and it's facility has been a big recruiting tool for other programs for a long time....why not for the entity that owns the pool?

polo mom
Who will receive the revenue from the new club? Arroyo or CSULB? As a consumer, Long Beach Water Polo would have to prove they have a better product before I would consider making a change to a new club. That could take years at best. Plus, this move has angered so many in the community, the benefits for recruitment likely won't be seen until after the current 10 year olds are gone, that's 8 years from now. Are Arroyo and CSULB in this for the long haul?

Shore supporter
This is nothing but a money play at a great expense. I have two major issues. First, having an "in-house" club team does not alter a student and families decision to attend LBSU. If my son/daughter is good enough to play for a higher ranked team and higher quality University, he will go there regardless of where the club is from. LBSU will never be a Stanford, USC, UCLA or Pepperdine! Second, college coach's job security is fragile and turnover is frequent in most cases. Having a club's leadership subject to this raises great concern. Will Gavin's future replacement want anything to do with this?

I can't speak for others, but I know LBSU just slid further down the list if my kids play at the next level.

I wonder what Klaus would say?

LB State Alum
This is about Long Beach State water polo, and I think that this is the right thing to do for the Long Beach State program. I am totally supportive..

lbresident
Seems like Long Beach State is just trying to improve recruiting. Can't blame them for trying to make the program better.

get a clue
Everyone knows that Shore Aquatics has always been deeply engrained with Wilson High School. If you were a member of Shore and did not attend Wilson, you did a lot of sitting, rather than playing the game.

bill b
To answer polo mom, the great majority of these club teams are profit oriented business. I can only take this as a money making opportunity that is being created by Long Beach State. Vic mentions having Wilson or Poly coaches running a program at the Pyramid competing with Coach Monson, but this is not a high school program, it is a club team that has no ties with any one individual school.And how can access help with renovations and generating resources? I agree that this is a bad decision, I don't think a club ran by the head coach at LBSU is going to draw the higher profile athletes. now if LBSU Aquatics was a top 25 program, maybe, but Shore is a time tested and highly respected outfit with many nationally ranked alumni swimmers. Vic,I like you and think your doing a good job, but don't cut your nose to spite your face.

It was said
At our Alumni gathering on the 18’s a few months back someone brought up the buzz that something like this would happen. We all agreed that if it did, we would pocket our penny and stop donating to the university. So Cegles, I hope what you and Arroyo think you're going to make up in funds by having this little club trumps the donations we give to your schools science program yearly will offset the difference (Sorry Dr. Lowe, what Cegles/Aroyyo are doing has hurt my granddaughter and blood is thicker than a sheepskin, nothing personal to you or your great program). Cegles/Aroyyo ,enjoy your additional furrow days boys, you just screwed the pooch.

former shore player
I grew up on the pool deck at Long Beach State, always playing for Shore Aquatics. Many times before my practice the college players would be finishing up their training for the day and I would look to them with awe and respect. Being on LBSU's campus everyday made me feel close ties with the University that I still feel today. The concept of evicting a well-established club in the Long Beach community/ the nation and replacing it with a new one in hopes to establish greater ties with the University is ridiculous. Whether it be Shore Aquatics or Long Beach Aquatics, the fact is the players are coached by people associated with LBSU,on LBSU's campus. A new will not improve recruiting. In fact, I believe many Shore players will be disgusted by this proposition and be unwilling to play for a club that consciously tried to ruin an organization that has greatly benefitted the Long Beach community. My ties with LBSU that were formed during my time at Shore have now been loosened.

In The Know
Calm Down Everyone! This move makes total sense for CSULB. Maybe the following will help. "Shore supporter" says his kid would go to Stanford, USC, etc. before CSULB, but what he doesn't say, either through ignorance or dishonesty, that the major top ranked collegiate water polo programs ALL HAVE CLUB TEAMS. Why, because it's a loophole in NCAA recruiting rules. 1. College coaches are limited in the number of games per year/season they can watch high school athletes play. 2. College coaches cannot make direct contact with athletes until their junior year of high school. 3. Coaches are limited in the number of times they can make contact and develop a relationship with the athlete. 4. By having a CSULB club team, Coach Arroyo and his staff will provide Top 10 Program Coaching and have constant contact with the players on their teams, PLUS be able to watch potential recruits in league games, tournaments and Junior Olympic competition. These 4 reasons/rules/opportunities place CSULB at a huge disadvantage when competing for athletes with other colleges and by not having its own club team. Now let's talk about the "Shore" experience. For years while Klaus and Azevedo ran Shore, Long Beach high schools (specifically Wilson) were always among the best in CIF. Then things changed, i.e. coaching at Shore. There was a huge uproar when the Moore League Boys were demoted from Division I to Division II (these CIF Divisions take into account school size and athletic program success, i.e. "it's about coaching") Shore was/is no longer feeding/training players as they once did to LB schools. NO high school coach can compete with top ranked schools unless the kids on his team play club polo and have consistent coaching and coaches at the club level. (Shore lost its high school girls club program to Huntington Beach - one girl went to the USC club - for this reason.) PLUS (and this is very important to understand) potential water polo players were turned away from Shore if they did not or were not going to go to Wilson. Shore drove off many water polo players from other high schools! (Just ask the parents and coaches at Poly and Millikan!) When the above FACTS are considered, it only makes sense for CSULB to have a club program that will have consistent collegiate coaching that will be OPEN to ALL Long Beach Area and MOORE LEAGUE ATHLETES. And if the CSULB Club happens soon enough, it will save the Moore League girls water polo program so that it can remain CIF Division I! A CSULB club program will give rise to the PRIDE and the DOMINANCE LB water polo fans expect! (P.S. It's not about the MONEY: most college water polo clubs operate financially as "break even" programs.)

WP mom
Sounds to me like the CSULB Director is hiding his real feelings behind "business" I think everyone can see what his real motive is here.....What makes him think that the kids would stay if offered an opportunity to play with a full ride to USC or UCLA...they have the club there already and can scout the players whenever they feel.....more excuses for them to "hide" behind. Shore has all my support. I hope they can work it out for the kids which matters the most.

Anonymous
Hey "In the Know" They already have the club there to recruit from and the opportunity to be a part of Shore it is about the greed

Anonymous
hmmmmm...jealousy ruins relationships

shore supporter
In the know, I am fully aware that other programs have in house club teams. What I am not aware of is whether they formed the club at the expense of a club with a long and rich tradition. Further, while there are definite pros to having a larger melting pot of LB players in one club, there is also a larger pros to having specific HS teams continue to play and develop together. With coaching being equal on both sides, I would elect to have the HS team develop together. My opinion.

Lifelong Shore/Beach memb
CSULB is barely paying Arroyo anything, so now he is licking his lips at what he thinks is an easy side income to supplement a state coach salary. Too bad he has neither the attitude, the temperment, the time, the energy, nor the business sense to run a multi-tiered club like SHORE.

LB Polo alum
It is a must for the CSULB Water Polo program to have their own club. Look at the success USC has brought with the Trojan Club.

Having Gavin Arroyo directly involved with the development of younger players will help him in recruiting. Not to mention his coaching along with the coaching of CSULB players will be phenomenal for all of the kids involved with the club.

?
What are the club names for the top ranked universities---Standford has one, but I doubt all the players go to Stanford, USC has one, but it's only been around for a couple of years (a money maker without a doubt). What club feeds into UCLA? I got to know. This is nothing more than a money grab and the University and those who support this decision should stop beating around the bush and admit this power move.

In The Know
Hey "WP mom" and "Anonymous" it is totally about the kids! And don't be confused by the "facts" and here's a question? Can you name one player at either USC, UCLA, Stanford, Berkeley that has a "full ride?"*** No, I didn't think so. Almost all wp athletes at an "elite" school get a partial scholarships (books, more if you're on the National Team) and the "dream" of playing when they become a senior (just look at the rosters and see how many play . . . and be sure to check back next year to see how many quit in frustration.) And to both "WP mom" and "Anonymous" there is a thing called the NCAA that maybe you need to read about . . . change is really difficult on older people, so just relax . . . athletes just want the opportunity to compete and the CSULB pool needs to be "open" for all of LB! And to put it BLUNTLY, most non-college affiliated clubs are totally about GREED=MONEY! Whatever happened to volunteer coaches like those found in Little League, AYSO, American Legion? All club water polo coaches are only On-Deck because they are paid (so much for giving back to the sport they claim to love!?!?) . . . AGAIN, most college club program run at break even (they don't have to make money . . . because it's part of their recruiting budget!) ***The NCAA allows each Division I Water Polo program 4.5 scholarships for men and 8 for women . . . how do you like your chances now for a "full ride?" It's just the FACTS!

You Don't Know
Shore has two or three coaches that are LBSU alum that vounteer their time on a weekly basis. They are giving back to the youth and Long Beach community. Anyone who things runninig a club is a prosperous busines has never run a club.

SWIMLKWD
Wow. Water and practice time is REALLY hard to find - I feel for Shore. CSULB should think about building a new facility that could house both swim and water polo teams for the University as WELL AS club teams. They could really have an amazing pool of talent, if you will, to draw on...Pity this supposed Aquatic Capital of the World isn't really.

Wilson Alum
I am tired of hearing that Shore is a just feeder to Wilson and other kids are not wanted. The Millikan and Poly coaches are asked each year to join and instead have formed their own clubs, Jackrabbits, Rams, Viking, etc. Wilson doesn't have a club so kids that end up at Wilson usually have gone through Shore age group and continue on in high school. You need to deal with the fact that the other LB clubs have low membership, rarely play in tournaments, etc. If Shore is booted from LBSU and ends up at Wilson, it will probably make Wilson stronger (not weaker) and the other LB water polo teams wil cry louder.

Shore Alum
Hey, "in the know" What happens when Gavin looses his job? We all know that college coaches are hired and fired. Couple bad seasons, maybe a NCAA violation of some sort...something, it really doesn't matter what the reason, but the AD makes a decision and Gavin is out. Now what? It is rare to see one coach stay at one school for...let's say 35years. Div I coaches normally run summer camps. That is where the can gain extra income and if the camp is successful, have a good opportunity to recruit kids. Leave the clubs to the community. That is where the real value of a club comes from. LB State made a poor decision.

Wow!
Well, it seems that some are "in the know" and some aren't. Shore hasn't been as strong the last couple of years because Johnny Bega left and then Ricardo left. It has been slowly re-building and the club has not turned away any players from other clubs. 2 years ago they had several losal high school players on their JO team. Last year, they had a Bosco player and a Sage player on their JO teams. Do all the players from Trojan go to USC? I think not. Just like not all players from Santa Barbara club go to UCSB. A club is not necessarily a feeder to the university program. Since Gavin has absolutely said that he wants nothing to do with the actual coaching and that he will hire someone to be the director and coaches to coach, then how does that make it more likely the players will go to LBSU? That is no different than what is going on at Shore right now without the money going through Gavin's pockets. I think, if asked, Shore would have helped to raise money for pool improvements. Did anyone from the University broach the subject with Shore? I know Shore offered Gavin a position with the club working specifically with the high school groups and he turned it down because it wasn't "enough". Enough what? money? recruiting power? What happens to the club when he does leave? What happened to Shore when Ricardo left and took the National team position (hint: it fell apart for several years).

trojanH20
After watching the State of the Union a couple of things became very clear. I've been operating under the assumption that the reason the “Head Coach” of Water Polo at Long Beach State spent so much time and energy to shouting at the rain( Shore Aquatics) was that he simply didn't get it. That he didn’t understand how? Who? What?. That he didn’t understand Long Beach and the community. He didn’t understand how tightly networked this community is today and has been for many years. And how to use that to his advantage. Well, I was wrong. His problem isn't that he doesn't get it. His problem is that he can't sell it and he wants it. CSULB has serious problems to solve, and they need serious people to solve them. And whatever particular problem they think they are solving, by eliminating Shore Aquatics from the pool, I promise you, the Head Coach is not the least bit interested in replacing it with a solution that would get support or fiscally survive. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it. That’s how you keep your job, especially when you need to raise more money and win more games. "cutting your nose despite your face" best defines this move. Unfortunately, what is needed for CSULB Water Polo, is for the Head Coach to learn how to use a this storied program, to promote more success. As far as recruiting, win more games!

a Community of friends
Listen people, Shore is NOT a Wilson feeder program so DON'T believe the BS on this or any other message board and here is why: If you've come to a Shore training session within the past 12 to 16 months you will see kids from St John Bosco, Sage Hill, Montebello, Los Al, Cypress, Wilson, CAMS, Poly, Millikan, Mater Dei, Downey High Schools just to name a few. Lets talk about under class-men: Rogers, Hill, Stanford, McGauch, Hughs, McAuliffe, Westerly, etc. and I don’t even what to get into the elementary school levels, too many... The majority of these schools are not in and around LB Wilson for the student to attend that school. Currently, Poly has formed their own club, Millikan has hooked up with the Los Al club and prior to that, a former Shore coach formed his own club at Millikan. So again, don't believe the lies you may be reading and shame on those of you that just keep lying.

REALLY
Hey, community....take your blinders off....you are misinformed

Wow!
Hey REALLY - really? What do you know? Community is right on!! As I said earlier, other players play with shore.

A team of Champions
Why would a Div. 1 coach and the AD concern themselves with the dismantling of a club, then, try to build one from scratch? You would think that the AD would concern himself with the success and performance of Men’s and Women's Water Polo team at the University. The University has had less than a stellar performance over the course of 4+ years under this current coaching staff. Why redirecting your energy to youth programs? LBSU needs to focus on their program and improve it or lose it. By dividing a community and teach children that LBSU took their club away is not a way to promote a successful program or have a solid base to recruit from. I’ve read a few posts that appear to have come from the Aquatics staffers at LBSU and I am in disbelief at your actions and comments. Why throughout the names of USC, UCLA, Stanford, for getting the better players out of the city of Long Beach? Those comments are in poor taste and judgment. I would imagine that any of your top LBSU players would have had greater success under the teams you’ve sited. Remember LBSU coaching staff; you are NO coach Vargas, Wright or Vavic. So if you are losing players from the LB to these teams, you and you alone are to blame for poor public relations, promotion and showing during league. Please note that this has no reflection on the players �' you all came into this program as great players but would have done better elsewhere.

Realistic Polo Parent
Nothing wrong with a new club and it doesn't hurt that Coach Arroyo is more qualified. Our kids will be taught good water polo and that's all that matters. The rest is history. Literally.

Head in a Cloud
You must not be a Shore parent if you are settling for "good" water polo and you may do well at the new club.

I think smokey sky behind the Pyramid is an ominous sign for things to come.

if you really cared
if you really want to keep the shore club at Long Beach State, just make a sizable donation to the school and then your voice will be heard. after all, how many folks actually attend wp matches? bet its less than what wbb gets. if wp was a money maker, not a money loser, this wouldnt even come up. if shore isnt sending the best to da Beach, then i dont care where they play or practice. after all, there has to be some benefit to Long Beach State wp.

polo mom
I've got no problem with Arroyo trying to make more money...run a summer camp, I think it would be great for the community. If he's interested in improving recruitment, try talking with the kids or sticking around for workouts. Attend JO Qualifiers, JO's, Speedo Cup and CIF games to see the talent in the area. To my knowledge, of the 4 kids who played shore as 18 year olds last year who went on to play in college, 3 of them are on the CSULB roster this year, so 75% of that class seems pretty good to me. As to better coaching (realistic), I don't believe Coach Arroyo is intending to coach himself, so I wouldn't get too excited about that. And my kid is too old to go thru Arroyo's learning curve of how complex it is to run a program. I disagree that this is about CSULB water polo...i think it's about the kids who are currently enrolled and the families who support them, and therefore financially support the club. Ultimately, they are the ones who will be affected by this decision.

spectator
I've been taking my kids for a few years to see polo at LBSU. Funny how my 11 year old made the observation more than once that the only time we can't finds seats to watch a home game are when the big ticket school come to pummel ours. For an 11 yr old to notice something like that is a real disappoint to me. It’s also a shame my children don't want to follow in mom and dad's footstep and one day be an alumni of CSULB.

Tax Payer
This sport does not generate any money and is a money pit to the school system and state. As a tax payer I say fill the pool in with dirt and fire the staff. Let's get this school back to its roots of education not athletics.

Home grown
Does this coach or staff come from Long Beach Stock? If they did, I support you, if not get the H*ll out.

Long Beach State Alum
"A club team that has no individual ties with any one school" Seems to me like you kind of make the case....why should a club team with no ties to anyone be able to use the facility at Long Beach State as their training ground and then send 95% of their players to other Universities? GO BEACH!! Oh, I forgot this is about Shore Aquatics and 90% of them don't even know what that means!!

I Care
"Cegles hopes it will help renovate the facility and raise funds for the program"

Cegles has no clue what he's talking about and obviously has not done his homework. If CSULB is looking to an age group water polo program to build locker rooms, buy a scoreboard and new lights -- good luck. There is very little profit in running a club (any club owner will tell you that) and it has to be passion because of this. A club certainly cannot raise enough money to pay for capital improvements. What builds capital improvements is alumni and community donations. Was the Pyramid built by the basketball camps or club revenue? No, it was from donations by a guy named Mike Walter and others. The tennis courts were just rehapped, did that coach run a club to pay for this. No, a CSULB alum named Terry Rhodes gave $1.25M and the Hendricks family donated a 40 foot score board. Instead of trying to earn pennies and upsetting the serious water polo alumni by removing Shore, do the opposite. Listen to the alumni and interact with the water polo community. If CSULB would have started a capital improvement campaign and asked parents to donate, I know most would and a few would be able to make significant donations. You just have to ask and have a specific purpose.

drop it
Just drop wp, a dying sport, and add men's soccer, a much more entertaining sport, that has much bigger upside. Funny how all these folks who whine about da Beach doing this, call the school CSULB.

shore supporter
"Drop It", that's ironic, the President and AD's email addresses end in .csulb.edu???????? In fact, go to the website www.csulb.edu and every acronym is CSULB. Go figure.

clueless
stop proving you have no clue about Long Beach State sports. Most folks who know that for sports, we (meaning da beach, not some swim club), go by Long Beach State. But then, wouldn't expect a non Beach fan to know that. Hence, go find your own pool.

staffer
The state is in dire need of money. Teachers/educators are forced to take furlough days and we are worried about paying a water polo coach and getting him more money? I don't care what you call yourselves in the athletic dept. I call you a gross waist of money. You're shenanigans and chest pounding along with your worthless program may have just cost the teaching faculty at California State University Long Beach an extra non-paid day off.

Wow!
Have you all not been reading previous comments? 3/4 of last years Shore's seniors are playing polo for LBSU. Several of the current seniors have considered it as one of the possible schools. Unfortunately, the last week took it off the plate for all but 2 of them. Still, with the negative, there are still 2 who are seriously considering it whether or not the wp staff is considering them. Many of our players have attended and paid to watch the wp team play its home games. How is this not knowing it is "da Beach"? I will re-iterate - how is the coaching at the club level going to get better when Gavin does NOT want anything to do with the actual coaching. Right now, we have a former olympian and LBSU alumn actually running the club AND coaching our kids. How does a college player that is coaching do better than that?

fofo
What an interesting article !

It is painful to read the Coach and AD's comments and their desperate attempts to appear fair and dignified.
Here is a little list of the reasons why their future endeavors are doomed
-your decisions have infuriated the main part of the LB water polo community therefore your image is even worse than before and LB people will try go elsewhere
-there are already many water polo clubs who are hardly making it in Long Beach. Are you planning on cloning 10 years olds to build up the membership of your future club ??
- You are the only ones crying about the club not being a feeder for the college when the facts show that you have many Shore players on your team this year (Mc Coll, Zieg, Matheson).
-your coaching staff does not have the results to back up their claims. Really ? invoking the virtual Long Beach water polo genius to save you from those one goal lost games. You can't be serious.
- Your coaching staff or should I specify your head coach has clearly formulated his lack of interest in coaching and mentoring kids.
- If your salary is so low that you can't make it, get a second job like many of us do. How about coaching at the local WP club ?
- the lie that having Gavin on the pool deck as the club coach (do I need to repeat that he does not want to coach) would create better exposure is so big that it's funny. Why ? because pretty much all the actual Shore Coaches are CSULB alumni who love and promote the school.
- Shore never supporting the school is another lie. Does anyone remember a Big Red Bus full of Shore Kid's coming to the games to cheer on the team ? I do.
- For those who think that Shore should support the school financially, I can tell you that offers from the Shore staff to do so have been made.

For me it all comes down to this. If The AD and the coach are so concerned about the success of their program why did they refuse everything that the club administrators offered to them. It seems to me that with Gavin coming in as a coach for Shore is the best fitted solution for a complicated problem. The reason for his refusal ? someone please tall me.
So please spare us the excuse and be frank about what you are trying to do.
Finally, you have no right to bring up Klaus' name. Words are cheap and your actions show you lack of respect. Since when is attacking someone's family showing respect ?

This is all way too bad and I hope that CSULB will reconsider and try to work out something for the sake of our kids and our community.

Game Time
Must be a Cal State women's polo game tonight because none of the coaching staff have bothered to post a reply to anyone. I'm sure all the web threads will be going off again after the game.

Laughing at LBSC and Shor
This is not a new revelation, nor should anyone be surprised. In 1998, Klaus and Ricardo schemed (with Rich Foster working in the background)to oust Long Beach Swim Club from the LBSC pool, so Ricardo could start his own polo club, which was and is Shore. Sound familiar?

Long Beach is nothing if not predictable, in that everyone is your friend until it is time to stab them in the back before they do it to you.

Shore is now reaping what it sowed.

The truly damaged people are the age group swimmers and Masters, who have been caught up in the childish antics of the truly puerile water polo community.

If LBSC wants to make money on the rental of their facilities, perhaps they should consider that the sport of swimming has about 300,000 members in USA Swimming and 50,000 in Masters. USA Water Polo has - maybe - 30,000 total members nationwide, including 5000 masters who are not trying to get into college or the olympics.

The pool in which the polo players practice is separate from the swimming pool.

Laughing
Go look at your black line. You are obviously a nerd swimmer who will be at Boeing on Monday morning with your pocket protector fully loaded. You have no passion.

Help mend some fences
This is an ugly situation and no one will come out a winner. A compromise needs to be put into place with the university and the club. I ask that you make the call to the president of the university to mediate and mend this sorrowful issue. Please call:

Dr. F. King Alexander, CSULB President
(562) 985-4121 |
csulb-president@csulb.edu
or
fkalexan@csulb.edu

Terri McAdams, Community Outreach Liaison (Alumni and Donations)
(562) 985-5607 | plannedgiving@csulb.edu

Dave Benedict, Sr. Associate AD for External Relations (Alumni and Donations)
(562) 985-5402 | dbenedic@csulb.edu

shore IS a Wilson feeder
to "a community if friends" Wilson is most defanilty a Wilson feeder club. I play polo at millikan and have I a lot of friend that play at poly n I don't know one of them that would want to play at shore because if u don't go to Wilson and you play for shore you are pushed aside and not coached or played in games.

shore mom and csulb alum
It is so hard to read so many misinformed comments on this board and others. I am LB born/raised and lb state alum. Also I have been a Shore parent since day 1 and have donated many hours of time, so I have seen all of the ups and downs over the years. I have had one child choose another university to play at over csulb, but that had nothing to do with water polo (although played polo), it was about academics. CSULB has a great deal to offer, but it is not the match for all. I have a second child/Shore player that had LB State very high on his choice, but has been ignored from the coaching staff at LB. All age group players grow into college players. Yes, it might be true that 90% of the young players at Shore will not play for LB State one day, but that is because 90% of the 10 year olds that play today probably won't be playing in a D1 college program. Please let's be rational. Do all AYSO soccer players grow into college soccer players? Now if you look at the history of Shore and those who do go on to play in college, I would arque that if you looked at all the players and not just the hand full at the very top; more Shore players have gone on to play at LB than any other single university. Yes the very top players from a recruting class have gone elsewhere if they have the grades, but that will continue regardless of what age group program they participate in for they have their choice of many universities. Now to the point that Shore doesn't support LB State. Again, Shore has paid consistent rent and hired many LB state players offering them extra income while playing. Shore even hired one of Gavin's assistants in order to be supportive, but he wasn't perfoming the job as needed and had to be let go. Our players and their families have attended home games for years long before Gavin and personally when LB players asked to support them in any fundraising effort, I contributed because I do care about their program and water polo in general. Gavin has not approched any of our senior players in any official recruiting efforts in recent years. The kids who have attended LB were recruited after our club coach, and in one case hs coach, approached Gavin. The Shore coaches have consistently encouraged athletes to seriously consider LB State as an option. They have mentioned the idea more often than any encouragement from the university. The LB locals are been overlooked and now are even being displaced from the pool. How will that help build the team? Gavin has consitently been asked to take an active role in Shore or to offer his own clinic/camps in which our club players would have loved to participate. That wasn't enough, but instead wants to control an income source without spending the time with the athletes. The idea is for Gavin to bring in non Long Beach kids from other area clubs. No one has plans to leave Shore even though everyone will be inconvenienced. Lastly, Shore has always welcomed players from outside Wilson. At the lower levels, no one knows what hs the child will eventually attend. Let's face it, water polo attracts those who love the water and being in the water. Many of those individuals happen to live in the Wilson area. At the high school level, many of the nonWilson players come to Shore for their first exposure to club polo and yes the athletes that have been playing for Shore for 5+ years and have developed into stronger players will have more play time in games than someone showing up for their first season. What team will play an inexperienced player over a player who has been developed for years on the team? I am very tired of this complaint from athletes who are brand new to the club. My child didn't play often either at first, but after 11 years at Shore nonstop attending almost every practice, we do expect him to have playtime.
LB State has given up the regular rent from a long time tenant and have left a very bad impression on the local aquatic (and often alumni) community. Those who believe otherwise either are on Gavin's staff, are not involved with aquatics or are just misinformed. I hope a better solution will be found. This is not a positive situation for any of the athletes or the university- it is just very sad!

Tom
Vic Cegeles should have a conversation with Brian Gimmallaro. BG's Long Beach based Cal Jrs volleyball club is in the toilet. Once a powerful force in club volleyball it is now reduced as an after thought, with only 3 teams. The club practices at Long Beach State. Is Cegelas all over BG, when he sees the Mizuno Volleyball club dominate the market. Does Cegales ask BG how come you are losing every big recruit in the Long Beach/Lakewood area because your club drove off so many good players over the years.

While it may be true Cegales wants a better water polo team, there is no comparison in revenue generated for the school from volleyball or water polo. Cegales be consistent and ask BG...what up brother?

Rich Foster
I have been a long time supporter of LB State Athletics. I also started the Water Polo team's endowment fund, which I believe is over 200K. I also founded LB Shore along with Ricardo Azevedo, Klaus Barth and Rocky Gentner. We did this because Beach Water Polo decided to drop age group water polo. Ricardo and Klaus were water polo coaches at Beach, so Beach was really Shore's predecessor. The two clubs have had a presence here for about 35 years.

Obviously, I am in the middle, but in this situation, I have to take a side and I have advised Vic Cegles that I have severed my relationship with the Athletic Department. I won't come back unless this decision is reversed.

I believe I have to help the club because of what it has done in the past and can do in the future. Shore has produced many players who went on to be Olympians (Tony Azevedo for one) and a few years ago placed more water polo players in NCAA Division I programs than any other club in the nation. I say a few years ago only because this hasn't been looked at in a few years. I believe it is still true today, but don't have the facts.

LB State has been the beneficiary of many, many Shore athletes. Starting its own club will not increase the number of Long Beach water polo players who enroll at the University. Having Shore at Long Beach State helps because the Shore players generally become LB fans because of the association with the University. In the past, you could see dozens of Shore players and their parents at LB State games. Obviously, this will stop now. Water polo players are typically above average students in high school and have many options. The number one reason they apply to a particular college is academics; they want to go to the highest rated school. A second reason is that they want to play for a successful team and have a chance to play in the NCAA championships. Again, forming a new club won't help.

Shore is a community based club and has trained thousands of athletes since inception.
There is a rumor that the University will try to merge with an Orange County club to obtain instant membership. I sincerly hope this is not the plan. It simply does not make sense to kick out a Long Beach community based club which has benefited this community for decades and replace it with an Orange County base.

Does the University have the legal right to kick out Shore? Sure, it owns the pool. Does this decision make sense? No it doesn't. The University is turning away young kids in this community who want to play water polo. Unfortunately, because of the way this was handled, no Shore players will play for this new club that is going to be formed by the University.

There have been some reports that Shore is not as strong as it used to be. A few years ago, Shore had a group of players who won national titles in every age group category except one, and in that category they took second place. That success is not easy to maintain. This past fall, however, the Shore 14 and under team was the LA County representative to the Speedo Cup, which is an age group national championship. Only twelve teams across the nation qualify for this event. The future bodes well. Olympian and former LB State All-American, Chi Kredell has taken over management of the club and the club is on a definite upward direction.

There have been some nasty comments on this site and on waterpoloplanet.com. Most are against Gavin Arroyo and Vic Cegles. Some nasty comments have been posted against Shore, apparently from the coaching staff or those associated with the program. I hope the nastiness stops. I can tell you that both Vic and Gavin are fine men. I lobbied hard to get Gavin hired. I am astounded, however, that they are making this decision. Even good people make big mistakes and I hope we can work with them to reverse the decision. I don't think either anticipated this uproar, but the uproar is only going to get worse. I'm told that Vic is open to discuss this next week. I hope this is true.

Rich Foster

Fence Mender
According to the Press Telegram, Benedict is leaving the university--wonder why? Here are more constructive numbers. Don't be afraid to use these, civilly. This is how communities let university heads know their PRIORITIES.

Dr. F. King Alexander, CSULB President
(562) 985-4121 |
csulb-president@csulb.edu
or
fkalexan@csulb.edu

Terri McAdams, Community Outreach Liaison (Alumni and Donations)
(562) 985-5607 | plannedgiving@csulb.edu

Vic Cegles, Athletic DIrector
(562) 985-7976 |

Everyone Should Know
Today was the first day of the weekend, lots of high school and water polo games all over southern california- guess what is the hot topic on all the pool decks ?

you got it, who will refuse to play at CSULB water polo (from the local high school players that formerly made committments)

players and parents do not want to be a part of a program with so much drama attached to it

for those of us outside of long beach and not knowing which side to choose, we do not know who to point fingers at, Shore, Arroyo & staff, but one thing is for sure, MANY current and potential future recruits will not want to be a part of a program where the athletic department is clearly showing unprofessionalism. I bet most , if not all of the other universities that have men's or women's water polo are laughing because they will get the long beach players, but also sad because it could happen to them too

Shame on the athletic department at Long Beach State, whatever it is, it doesn't seem that they have the best interest of the athlete's and children of the community first, that is definately a detour sign

thought you should know the buzz on the pool deck

Wow
And Gavin wants to coach youth teams after this... NO THANKS!
Long Beach State's first day in the pool started on a low note, losing 13-1 to No. 10 ASU and 7-2 to No. 17 CS Bakersfield at the UC Irvine mini-tournament on Saturday.

Gavin Arroyo and staff needs to be fired

water polo is about pools
Water polo and all aquatics for that matter can only thrive with access to pools. By taking water away from a powerful club, LBSU is depriving hundreds of children the opportunity to play water polo. Establishing a healthy water polo club takes years of hard work. A college coach responsible for both men's and women's programs is not going to participate in training 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, and 18U girls and boys. He or she is going to pass his task on to minions with limited experience. Handing a 16U team over to a collegiate player with no coaching experience will not suffice.
By depriving Shore aquatics of pool time LBSU is denying children access to experienced coaches with the time and inclination to train the next generation of men and women. Starting a new club is not going to guarantee more recruits choosing LBSU over other programs. Perhaps it is time for LBSU administrators, alumni, and the community to look closely at the performance of the current staff. Their job, after all, is to win collegiate championships, not train children.
Taking water away from Shore aquatics is a sad turn for water polo and squanders the had work of LBSU alumni who devoted much of their lives to improving the sport.

Steve Blood
Shame on you, Vic, and the athletic department at LBSU. What else can you do to kill the athletic asperations of our youth in this city? Is it all about the money?

Great News
In all of this Gavin Arroyo has quietly got a verbal commitment from one of the Top recruits in the country this year.

This should make an immediate impact on the programs results.

Clearly accusations that this is effecting recruiting are off base.

It should not have to be said, but with all the emotion I do not believe disparaging this young man and his decision to attend LB State is appropriate. So please don't.

Congrats Gavin Arroyo.

http://ocvarsity.freedomblogging.com/2010/01/30/water-polo-recruiting-rascon-commits-to-long-beach-st/87139/#more-87139

No Way
Well wait a second... This top recruit is not from Long Beach. What happens if the community wants someone from Millikan, Poly, Wilson, Cabrillo or Jordan playing at their own cities University? After all, isn't that Arroyos point on having his own club, to have an all local feeder program?

Way to go Nick
We personally know this top recruit and I can tell that that finances played strong position in this players choice to play at LBSU. Trust me, other top ranked universities wanted him as much as he wanted them but CSULB was the only economical choice at this time.

LBPolo
Great pick-up for LBSU. It does seem like most of the recruiting is being done in the OC beased on last years recruits (two CDM kids from his assistant's old stomping grounds) and now an El Toro athlete. Is Gavin recruiting any LB kids this year or is having his own club to help his recruiting of Long Beach kids only a fiction?

Anonymous

Wow!
Well supporter - you apparently have a bit of a grudge to bear! And - you are wrong in many ways!

1st - Ricardo is the only coach that left the club in debt and Robert paid off that debt.

2nd - the girls coaches you are talking about were and are lbsu coaches so if they were inappropriate or ineffective as coaches, you will probably just get more of the same if arroyo is running the program.

3rd - I personally know kids from other schools who have played (and are still playing) for shore. As mom and alumn said, these kids are playing and starting but they had experience coming into the club. The best kids play and those that aren't should come to practice, get better and strive to start. That's how the world works. The coaches are going to play the best players because they are there to win not stroke egos.

4th - recruiting the top player in O.C. is great for lbsu. People who haven't been in the position of having a child choose a college obviously don't understand that the choice is made for several reasons. The most obvious is where can they get in due to grades and SAT scores. Second, are they being recruited and by whom. Third, where do they feel most comfortable socially (and maybe coaching wise). Fourth, what school do they think will give them the education they are looking for. Sometimes, the players from long beach don't choose lbsu just because they want to try and live someplace else (get away from mom and dad). I have personally heard several of ours coaches encourage the older players to consider lbsu as an option because they had such a good experience there.

5th - Robert played on the national team, in europe and coached the national team. This is when the girls who left were the least happy. They gave Chi exactly one month to try and fix things. Chi played on the national team with Gavin. Joe played on the national team. All of the other coaches have played in college. It is hard to get coaches to stay for a long time because they don't make much money and are looking for "real jobs". Many "real jobs" don't allow them to have the time for coaching. Any other club sees the same thing for the most part.

Last - Really, when Gavin was director of training for Shore, you obviously didn't notice a difference in coaching so how is playing for him going to be better? You've missed the multiple times people have posted that Gavin wants to have his own club but wants nothing to do with the actual coaching. He will assign one of his assistants to be on deck and he won't be there because he will be coaching his college players. How are you getting his national team and international experience when he won't be coaching?

Speculation
There seems to be a lot of speculation in this issue.

Have any of the questions or concerns Shore Parents/Supports have been addressed directly with Gavin Arroyo?

Shore parent
Of course these concerns have been addressed directly with Gavin.
Why do you think people are so fed up ?? It is because the club administrators did everything they could to make it work and have a collaboration. Unfortunately they are dealing with someone who first has no interest in coaching young kids and second has the very wrong idea that Shore is a big money maker.
I am starting to believe that we should take our club to another venue, even smaller and let the AD and coach demonstrate their lack of knowledge and see their new OC transfer super club fail.
Shore will be fine, because it is run by people with heart who care for our kids genuinely.

Shore Girls
I've read this club girl issues several times. Let's be clear, When Shore had girls water polo the coaches were full time LBSU assistant coaches for Gavin. These coaches regularly failed these girls, their parents and made the club look extremely foolish creating a mass exodus. Yes, these coaches were reprimanded for their reckless acts but again, they are or were Arroyo's staffers. This may explain the recent tournament results.

To "Shore Girls"
I just googled the info below that you might find interesting . . . the last time Shore Girls won a tournament - 2007 . . . what schools do the girls go to? not a Wilson feeder? and for over a year Shore hasn't had a hs girls program . . . (the exodus of hs girls was a result of the lack of the 2008 Shore/Lynn coaching staff that watched Laker games rather than coach the girls . . . it had nothing to do with Gavin)

There is so much more for us to know and understand why the LB State move will be best for ALL of Long Beach.

""""August 4th, 2007, 11:07 am · Post a Comment · posted by Roxanne Hack, OC Register staff writer

A few players from Marina HS helped the Long Beach Shore girls water polo team capture the recent 18-and-under Northwood tournament.

Here's the rundown of players in the photo (from left to right) with the schools they will be attending in the fall:

Ally Loveless, 8th Grade LB Stanford Middle School
Jamie Williams, So LB Wilson
Rebecca Clopp, Jr HB Marina HS
Allie Welty, So LB Wilson
Danielle Scharer, So LB Wilson
Alice Cardenas, Sr HB Marina HS
Aubrey Johnson, Jr LB Wilson
Katlin Sherrin, fr LMU
Emily Clopp, fr Stanford University
Kendall Wotten, Sr LB Wilson
Heather McKeon, Sr LB Wilson
Sarah Welty, Sr LB Wilson
Andrea Artukovich, Sr LB Wilson
Brianna Vogelzang, Sr LB Wilson
Brenna Roffers, Sr Saint Joseph HS
Andrea Mckinney So LB Wilson

Coach is Charles Wright. As you can see, Long Beach Wilson should be pretty good this season.

-- Dan Albano/The Register""""

Tell me then
What were those girls coaches names watching the Lakers games, Jim?

disillusioned
Why would any parent living in the city of Long Beach who has a young, athletic child put him into this cesspool of egos? Even the chlorine can't clean up this mess. I feel so sorry for the kids. I wish you all would grow up.

Note to All
Note to all: The kids, the parents nor the club brought this problem upon themselves. It was the university's coach, his staff and the athletic director that created this problem. Now all are suffering.

if you must know
The girl's coaches were Robert Lynn, Stefan Ludecke and Kyle Gorham.

Oh my
So are you saying the Shore girls coaches were/are also LBSU coaches? That explains why the girls went to Los Al and Huntington Beach WPC.

Deja Vu
After spending the last twenty years with kids in almost every swim and polo program in the LB area I can tell you, it's never about the kids. I've seen numerous clubs rise and fall, come and go, change venues, change coaches, change club names, and it's always about adult egos, pride, arrogance, and selfishness. The kids just want to have fun, be with their friends,improve skills, compete, and enjoy some degree of stability. I remember like it was yesterday when (revisionist history not withstanding) Shore conspired to drive Beach Swim Club out of the CSULB campus pool, a ruthless power grab, and those folks were not too concerned about "the kids" and "history" at that time. Beach ended up in the dinky out door pool at Belmont, with a few indoor lanes available at certain times. Many in the new Shore program thought it was pretty funny then, and were quite smug. Shore water polo is not even a shadow of it's former self, and has been mediocre since the departure of Johnny Bega, so its not like its the fall of a great dynasty. Kids: time to change the color of your speedo, get a new team t-shirt, call Gavin your new head coach, and keep playing water polo in that great pool at CSULB. And to Shore, maybe you can go work a deal to kick Beach out of the outdoor mini-pool at Belmont.

lbparent
There is an important point that you did not mention and it is that the people running Shore now had nothing to do with the events that you mention. So why even bring that up?
If it is true that the club used to be bigger and more competitive but you have to realize that many things have evolved. For instance there are many clubs to choose from now in the area and it makes it hard to build a giant club. The many transitions made it hard but everything is looking better now. So why destroy this ?
Finally, as a parent I can tell you that our coaches really care for the kids, that's why they have been getting so much support.

Sorry You know me
Let see:
The Long Beach State Coach works for the State.
He is a public servant.
CSLB is a public institution.
The AD is a public servant.
The Coach and AD are destroying a Small Business.
He (CSLB Coach) is having Shore (a private Business) removed from is place of business to start the same type of business, another private club.
Except, the new business will be owned by the CSLB coach and the CSLB AD.
Sounds like a conflict of interest. Sounds like the State is destroying a private small business for personal gain $$$$$$$$$$$
Does the State have an ethics Board?
I would like to ask them how a coach and an AD, in a position of power, can destroy a small business for self profit.
I request an investigation in to this matter. And if the facts show State employees have purposely driven a private local business, out of business for personal gain, dismissal would be in order.

Pete News
Is it legal for NCAA athletes to coach club sports for money in the sport the participate in? I thought that was a violation?

LB Polo
Sounds like a conflict of interest. Sounds like the State is destroying a private small business for personal gain $$$$$$$$$$$

Good Point ! I say we run the coach and new AD out of our town and keep Long Beach Shore.

MasterSwim
There will still be the pool time for Masters to swim. This is good news as the Master swimmers want to continue using the same pool and time frame. We will just pay our dues to someone else. This is not the first time this has happend to us master swimmers.

Shore mom and csulb alum
I am a bit confused. This "new club" is now being described as being "owned" by lb state and for the benefit of lbsu athletics, but Gavin wanted Shore out to have is own team. This new team- who will it really belong to? Who is planning on coaching and where are the athletes coming from.

Also it is fantastic that Gavin has recruited a strong player out of orange county, but why hasn't he even talked to any local Long Beach athletes?

I don't know the athletic director and won't give opinions on someone I don't know, but does he have all of the correct facts and information about what this potential club could provide for the university? So many questions have been left unanswered. I wonder why the AD is so final in his decision without any open conversations with the community? A tax based university should be a little more transparent in its operations.

Not True Master Swim
You better ask to see a copy of the agreement between master swim and CSULB. Your time in the LBSU pool is up and you are out. This pool is finally for students on the water polo team and the new youth affiliates ONLY.

LB Parent/Swimmer
Regarding Masters, I doubt we will see the same arrangements going forward. This is nothing more than a money grab for Gavin. I seriously doubt he will hire paid coaches as we have now. My guess is that he will require one or more of his college players to sit on the deck while we swim at night. There will be no personal coaching as these players will simply be rotating thru. Workouts will be canceled without notice and the volunteer coaches will likely not show on a regular basis. I would fully expect that the AM workouts will immediately be canceled indefinitely. The AM & PM groups will be jammed into fewer lanes as the focus of the pool will be strictly on water polo. Frustrations will be high.

Masters swimming will be nothing like what we have now. Plan on it. If anyone is interested, we are meeting this week to discuss our options. I will certainly not pay a dime to CSULB if this goes forward.

To Kristin Barth
Although Gavin and Vic will allow you to stay with the swim kids, he has undermind your family and every piece of value your father brought to LBSU aquatics pool. You really only get to stay because Dr.. Alexander's kids swim in your program. Don't fall for this BS and tell Gavin, Vic and F.King to stick it!

Focus on the Kids
Coaches for “Beach Swim Club” (precursor to Shore) gave me a foundation that transcends aquatics. At “Beach” I swam for Klaus Barth, Teresa Holly, Ken Fitzpatrick and Klaus Barth (again) and played water polo for Ricardo Azevedo and Guy Baker. At “Beach” I swam with kids from multiple high schools in Long Beach, Lakewood, Los Al, Cerritos, Cypress, Seal Beach, Sunset Beach and Huntington.

Aren’t we talking about a club that focuses on the development of our youth and shaping the lives of kids in our community?

Will excluding the Shore coaching staff (and their legacy) and inserting CSULB staff improve the quality of the program for our youngsters?

It doesn’t sound like that is the stated purpose….I hope that Arroyo can work things out with Shore because Beach Swim Club is like family and LB is a small town….what would Klaus do?

LBSU/Alum
Hey CSULB there is no money in water polo!!! Not for a program or a career. Maybe during a 25 billion dollar budget crisis it's not a good idea to start a new program. There is no such thing as a break even program. That just means it doesn't lose to much. If you have extra money maybe it should go toward helping the academically challenged athletes in my college classes that won't be ready for a job when they graduate with a career in water polo or any other sport. Leave Shore alone if you know what's good for the college image and community support. As a parent of a shore swim/polo athlete I see this very clearly. This is not about my child's development it's about greed. This is a losing proposition ready to implode LB Polo. Hey LBSU athletic director, don't solve problems that don't exist. It will just cost the taxpayer more money and the well is dry. I know you have bigger problems to solve with your extra money.

What's you take
Hey Vic, is Gavin going to line your pockets with dirty money like Shore had to with Gavin? I guess in these hard-times an extortionist is an honest position to have at CSULB.

Confused
I do not know jack about water polo or the history of Shore, but after reading this long thread, it seems that Shore and its supports believe they have a RIGHT to use LBSU's campus pool. A decision has been made so move on and find another location. Your club's existence does not hinge on using LBSU's facility. Decisions to terminate like relations happen all the time and the parties just move on.

Confused I'll say
Confused - you should stay that way. You're two cents bares no merit due to your lack of knowledge to the situation.

Hopeful Dad
Our family is just about to get involved in club sports and they are very interested in aquatics. We were looking into Shore; one of the positives is its relationship with the university whom we thought was a good corporate citizen. We much rather have our children in an environment that cares about them and the community instead of the almighty dollar.

Here Here
Here Here hopeful dad! Could you imagine being a player recruited to LBSU and the lies and promises told to your kid and when you ask questions about the lies, your calls go unanswered. I wonder what Dan Matulis from the Ohio area feels about his new program?