Alberta Water Polo Association © 2024
Alberta’s Regional Development Centers
Alberta is home to two National Development Centers: The Calgary Legacy Centre and the Edmonton Regional Development Centre. These centers support athletes in the high performance pathway and operate from October through May. As the only province in Canada with two National Development Centers, these programs illustrate Alberta Water Polo Associations’s (AWPA) commitment to supporting high performance athletes. AWPA supports the training centers through financial subsidies, Age Group National Team (AGNT) athlete scholarships, managing the operations of the development centers, and through routine meetings with the Water Polo Canada (WPC) Pathway Manager to ensure program alignment with the National Athlete Development RDC. These Regional Development Centers are jointly supported by Water Polo Canada and AWPA who work together closely to ensure their success, alignment and implementation.
For more information and questions on the Alberta National Development Centers please contact the Alberta Water Polo Executive Director (Dayna Christmas) at office@albertawaterpolo.ca.
Benefits of the Alberta National Development Centers
The Alberta development centers were founded in 2017 and since their inauguration have boosted high performance opportunities and success in Alberta. A few of these program highlights include:
Through the development centers AWPA is able supplement the training environment of Alberta’s high performance athletes; building on an already strong competitive club system with the Calgary Renegades, Calgary Torpedoes and Edmonton Tsunami. Youth athletes participating in the development centers receive the following benefits:
Who can participate in the Alberta Development Centers?
For the 2024-2025 season athletes interested in the Calgary Legacy Center and Edmonton Regional Development Center but meet the following requirements:
Calgary Legacy Centre
In Calgary the Legacy Centre offers weekly training opportunities for athletes. These sessions take place before school and on weekends. Athletes involved in this program are encouraged to take a first period space if possible.
Weekly Practice Schedule:
Coaches: Andrew Muir/ Gyula Toth/ Kyra Christmas
Training Location: MNP Community & Sport Centre
Cost: $575.00
Free-Trial Opportunity: At the start of each RDC season first-time athletes are eligible to trial two-weeks with the Legacy Training Centre free of cost. This trial will allow athletes to see if the schedule and training structure is a good fit. This trial period also allows for the coaches to assess the skill level of the interested athlete to ensure it is an appropriate training environment for them. For the 2023-2024 RDC season, the Calgary trial dates will be October 16-28th.
Edmonton Regional Development Center (RDC)
RDC needs to be restructured because of the dive tank closer (Sept-Feb) to follow a hybrid format
Weekly Practice Schedule:
Coaches: Taylor Halbauer / Kindred Paul (weekend sessions)
Training Location: Kinsmen Sports Centre
Cost: $475.00
Free-Trial Opportunity: At the start of each RDC season first-time athletes are eligible to attend the first Edmonton RDC training camp free of cost to trial the program. This trial will allow athletes to see if the schedule and training structure is a good fit. This trial camp also allows for the coaches to assess the skill level of the interested athlete to ensure it is an appropriate training environment for them. For the 2024-2025 season the Edmonton RDC free-trial will be held for the first 2 weeks.
Testimonials
“ RDC provided me with the opportunity to train with like-minded elite athletes and highly experienced coaches. By having extra hours in the pool with a smaller group, I received more technical feedback and learned more skills to further grow and develop in order to not only play but succeed at a higher level.”
- Alia Burlock University of Hawaii Class of 2026/ Junior National Team 2024
“I felt the RDC provided a solid program for Calgary’s high performance athletes. National level coaches demonstrate skills and drills to a more concentrated group of athletes at a more competitive level. It brings a higher quality experience, and helped me grow into a more disciplined athlete.”
“The Regional Development Centres, or Legacy Centres are a critical component of Water Polo Canada’s athlete pathway. These centres seek to provide supplemental training opportunities for athletes who are aspiring to high performance water polo. Closely connected to Age Group National Team Programs (AGNT), content is delivered based off of opportunities identified at AGNT programs helping to drive athlete development across Canada.
Moreover, RDC programs are the first step of the athlete pathway and must be attended for athletes wishing to make provincial teams and National Teams. Here, they will receive the latest National Team curriculums while being evaluated periodically throughout the season.