USA Experience 2020: We're off to Florida!
The BIWPA Academy will participate in the 18th South Florida International Tournament with two teams.
The BIWPA Academy will be this February in Miami (United States) to compete in the 18th edition of the South Florida International Water Polo Tournament with two male teams (16u and 18u) that will play under the name of Barcelona Waterpolo Club.
The two teams will be made up of players from the Academy, both local and international, as well as other players from clubs in Catalonia and other parts in Spain. There will be a total of 27 players from 7 different countries (Spain, United States, Romania, Mexico, Portugal, Argentina, Holland), born between 2001 and 2005.
The Academy coaches Ferran Pascual and Fran Torres will be the coaches, assisted by Dani Gómez, from CN Rubí. The team will also be accompanied by BIWPA's communications manager Martí Cercavins and Cecilia Leonard, who has been in charge of logistical matters from Florida.
The two teams that will represent the BIWPA Academy in the United States will travel on Monday, February 10th to Miami and will return the following Monday, February 17th.
In addition to the three days of the tournament (from the 14th to 16th), the teams will take part in a variety of practices and scrimmages in the different clubs of the area and will have the opportunity to make tourist and leisure visits.
Fourth Academy trip
It is the fourth time that the Academy travels with a team to an international tournament. In 2016 and 2017 they competed in Vouliamgeni (Greece), in 2017 they also won a tournament in Novaky (Slovakia), while in 2018 they flew to California to take part in the KAP7 International Tournament.
The first South Florida International Tournament was held in 2003 with only 4 participating teams, whereas in 2014 it reached 56 teams. In addition to American teams, teams from 10 other countries have participated in an event that takes place in the three pools at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex, near Miami.
Quim Colet, Sports Director of the Academy:
"The main objective is to make the Academy known among our main target of athletes and also spread the competitive level and methodology of our water polo. It will be an experience at all levels: competitive, team building and visiting a country as important as the United States."