The pool at Guildford Recreation Centre will play host to some high-level water polo action this weekend.
The 2018 19U Western National Finals will be played at the facility from Friday to Sunday (April 20-22).
The Water Polo Canada event focuses on the National Championship League (NCL), considered the highest level of domestic water polo in Canada.
The NCL championship events this year are shared by host cities Surrey and Edmonton.
The league was founded in 2014 to bring Canada’s domestic club programs under a country-wide umbrella. NCL competitions run from November to May and include more than 750 water polo games a year, played in six provinces and 15 cities.
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• RELATED: Double bronze for Surrey water-polo athletes at Pan American Championships, from 2017.
Both women and men 19U teams will be in action this weekend in Guildford, with gold-medal games scheduled for Sunday at 11:40 a.m.. (women) and 1 p.m. (men), at 15105 105th Ave., Surrey. The games will decide which two teams will represent Western Canada at the NCL national finals, held in Montreal.
CLICK HERE for the schedule of games
In February, Guildford rec centre played host to the 19U Interconference Crossover, the largest event on the NCL calendar.
Following the tourney, the NCL focus will shift to Edmonton, host of the 16U and 14U Western National Finals.
In total, the hosting of the league’s 2018 regional championship tourneys will bring more than 700 athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers to Surrey and Edmonton for four weekends of high-level water polo competition, according to Water Polo Canada.
• RELATED: South Surrey’s Garrett Davis heads to Peru with Canadian water polo team, from 2017.
Also at Guildford rec centre, Pacific Storm Water Polo Club (stormwaterpolo.ca) will host a Mini-Health Expo on Saturday (April 21) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Several “Lunch Talks” are planned to cover a range of subjects, including “Bumps, Blows & Jolts: The Truth About Concussions,” “Spinal Health Check-ups,” “Health Monitoring & Focus For the Athlete” and “Overdose Awareness & Prevention Strategies.”
