10U Pups Fest

Sir Winston Churchill Pool
1520 Northmount Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2L 0G6

Pups Fest is a community event allowing clubs from the Calgary area to bring their youngest athletes together to play in a fun environment.

It is a small facility with minimal deck area, so we need to let public swim end before we inundate the facility.
Spectators will be limited to designated areas. The Lifeguards are the ultimate bosses and are very accommodating at this particular facility, so we do want to be very respectful of their concerns for safety and the goodwill they have shown the water polo community for several years now.

Note * Athletes must be out of the pool promptly at 5:00pm and the change rooms and lobby area must be
cleared ASAP.

Rules and field of play:
We are able to play in three or four fields of play at one time at Churchilll. Two or three games can be played in widths of the lap pool and one game in the dive tank. Depending on numbers, in this space we can play 3×3, 4×4, or 5×5 with very basic revised rules of no two hands on the ball, no ball under, and easy minor fouls so all the teams can have success moving the ball.
Teams:
Depending on numbers, coaches will decide how many teams their club will have. Teams should be divided by level as the youngest athletes and weakest swimmers will play in the shallow end of the lap pool with coaches in the water and belts allowed. Older players and strong swimmers will play in the deeper end of the lap pool and the dive tank.
Numbers will determine if we are playing 3×3, 4×4, or 5×5, the number of fields of play, the number of athletes per team, and whether athletes from different teams will be combined. This can be agreed on by coaches.
Festival style:
We call these tournaments ‘festivals’ because we schedule the games ‘festival’ style … meaning we set up three to four fields of play, start them at the same time and play for 10 minutes (we do not formally keep score in order to keep athletes, coaches and parents focused on skill development … kids always know the score anyway and how many
goals they scored). When the game is over we will shuffle teams and start again. This means there may be times when athletes are not playing. They will have to sit in a designated area with their coaches. This is a good opportunity for the coach to discuss what can be improved in the water for their next game. It is also a ton of fun and feels like a
festival with all the good spirit.