Organizers call Junior Olympics successful

Even before the fundraising numbers are tallied, organizers are calling the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics at the San Lorenzo Valley High School pool a success.
SLV’s pool was one of 24 sites in the Bay Area that hosted games during the eight-day tournament which began July 28 and finished Sunday, Aug. 5.
“I think it went really well,” said organizer Wally Brondstatter. “It was good for water polo in general, and it was good for the school.”
Brondstatter estimated that between 80 and 100 teams visited SLV’s facility during the tournament, which featured 15 games played each day.
“That pool was packed for all seven days (of games),” Brondstatter said. “I thought we presented ourselves really well.”
The tournament acts as a fundraiser for the school’s athletic department, Brondstatter said.
The athletic department was guaranteed a use fee from the Junior Olympics, and the gate fees from all the sites were split based on the number of days the site hosted the tournament. He expects in about 10 days to find out the total earnings SLV will receive.
“Hopefully, it will help out the athletic department,” he said.
Parent and student volunteers, led by Ben Lomond resident Josephine Swenson, helped run the site and keep the scores of games each day.
Swenson said 63 parents and about 30 students volunteered.
“We had way more volunteers than we actually needed,” he said. “Every sport (at SLV) was represented.”
Brondstatter also mentioned the positive impact on local businesses, restaurants in particular, as families and athletes poured into Felton.
The school, Brondstatter said, would definitely volunteer to play host when the tournament returns to Northern California in two years.
“Now that I know the tournament, I know what to expect,” Brondstatter said. “Hopefully, we’ll get it again.”
A family meet-up
Relatives of Malanie Brooks of Boca Raton, Fla. were surprised when they found out only a few days before the tournament that Brooks would be competing in Felton.
The family drove three miles from Scotts Valley to the SLV pool to attend her meet. Among the Scotts Valley relatives in attendance were her three second cousins, Mitchell, Nathan and Olivia Pisciotta. Brook’s team, the St. Andrew Scots of Boca Raton, won one game and lost two but continued on the next day at another site in San Jose.