Western Australian water polo community thanks CEO Dale Ballantyne as he moves on to his next journey

Outgoing Water Polo WA Chief Executive Dale Ballantyne, is proud of the growth he has seen in the sport in Western Australia during the last six years.

He arrived at WPWAI after a decade working with the WA Football Commission and it is Australian Rules that has attracted him back, with him accepting the role as Football Operations Manager with the Perth Football Club.

He arrived as CEO of WPWAI in May 2011 and, during this time, water polo has experienced significant growth in participation, has become financially stable and grown in the area of governance in the almost six years, since. The introduction of four new clubs at Karratha, North Coast, Newman and Cockburn, while also accessing new pool facilities for water polo use, at Joondalup, Cockburn and Scarborough have been some of Dale’s many achievements.

The building of strong relationships with the WA Country Water Polo Association has also seen the increase of support and development of coaching and officials, along with the introduction of a new program in Quairading, while the Geraldton Water Polo Association has been given access to the Mid-West Academy of Sport.

During Ballantyne’s tenure he has introduced new sponsors Bendigo Bank, Auspole, Buccaneer Pools and Aquarius Wastewater to WPWAI. He was a key driver in Water Polo WA’s involvement in various Department of Sport and Recreation projects and programs, and in the successful initiative, the live streaming of the SunSmart WPWAI Junior Grand Final Day.

Reflecting on his near six-year journey Ballanyne said: “I enjoyed my time at Water Polo WA and met some fantastic people, who have the best interests of the sport at heart”. Read more about his accomplishments he has overseen, and how he summarised his time as CEO of Water Polo WA.

Everyone involved in water polo in Western Australia wishes to thank Dale for his contributions in his time at WPWAI, and wishes him, and wife Lesley, all the best in the future.

Water Polo WA Foundation

Finals and end of season excitement throughout the State are fast approaching. WPWAI has been successful in the past two years in delivering live streaming of our SunSmart WPWAI Junior Grand Final day. In 2017 we are endeavoring to cover both days of our grand final weekend and to accomplish this outcome we need your support!

WPWAI has set up a crowdfunding partnership with the Australian Sports Foundation, where you, your business and your friends business can benefit by making a tax deductible donation to the project to Live Stream the Grand Final weekend. Donations for the WPWAI Grand Final Live Streaming fund can be now made by clicking on this link.

The fundraising to host the WPWAI State Masters Championship has also started. The tournament will take place in Bunbury and will run from 9th till 11th of June. As one of WPWAI's main goals, the event aims to include masters into the whole of sport picture and support an environment which continues to encourage participation and health outcomes. Tax deductible donations can be now sent through this link.

Furthermore, donations, made to the general fund of WPWAI will be used for projects that will help to develop Water Polo in WA. For more details visit the Water Polo WA Foundation page.

Developing Champions Workshop

On the 12th of February young athletes from the WPWAI Underpinning Program attended their second installment of the Developing Champions workshops where they learned about important life skills within the topic of Performance Psychology.

First, the impact of the Reticular Activation System (RAS) was covered; how the positive mindset of the athletes allow them to have a higher percent chance of completing a task.

This then flowed into the next topic of a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset, where they learnt that a majority of the world’s best athletes had growth mindsets which will play a major role in their longevity in sport.

The workshop concluded with some progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), which is an important tool for winding down at the end of the day or preparing the athletes to focus on the task at hand by having a clear mind.

Along with the children, parents took a session too about how they can help their children, heading towards high performance. Both athletes and parents must be commended on their effort and focus especially early on a Sunday morning.

Read more about the Developing Champions Program rationale and objective on their website, created by the Department of Sport and Recreation in partnership with the Western Australian Institute of Sport.