Harvard men’s water polo coach Ted Minnis is enjoying the recent successes of his team. Through 18 games, the Crimson (12-6, 4-0 CWPA) has amassed a 12-6 overall record and had orchestrated a nine-game winning streak, its first since 2002, before falling at the Bison Invitational to host team Bucknell this past weekend.
But when he’s not focused on helping Harvard to get to its second straight CWPA Eastern Championship, Minnis is busy preparing for the beginning of the Crimson Water Polo Club team season.
The Crimson Water Polo Club team, which starts its season in two weeks, is a United States Water Polo-affiliated club with an enrollment of about 10-14 local youth between the age of 11 and 16. Practices are run Wednesday and Thursday evenings after Harvard varsity practices at either the Blodgett or MAC pools.
This isn’t the first time Minnis has been involved with USWP affiliated club water polo programs.
During his time as an assistant coach for the Stanford women’s club water polo team, Minnis gained valuable insights while working with Stanford women’s water polo head coach John Tanner.
“I came up as a coach through the development side,” Minnis said. “ I very much consider myself a development guy.”
Many of the players on the team come from local prep schools that have interscholastic water polo leagues some coming from as far Acton, Mass., a 40-minute drive away from the Harvard campus.
“We are the only age group water polo team in Boston,” Minnis said. “We’ve been around for about one and a half years now.
The team works on many basic strategies and tactics that Minnis has amassed over his years coaching and playing the sport, and the coach stresses the importance of good role models and solid fundamentals in developing youth.
Although his time commitment to the Harvard varsity water polo programs is significant, the Menlo Park, Calif. native wants to continue to spread his love and passion for water polo to the East Coast.
Minnis commented that he is looking forward to extending the team to accommodate a Masters team that would host college-age and adult-age play.
