Summer 2012 Updates

As someone who has always loved the freedom and promise that only the summer months seem to offer, I find it odd how much I am looking forward to this upcoming fall. Maybe it’s because Mumford and Sons is releasing a new album in September; or maybe it’s because for the first time I’m facing adulthood and working full time in an office and am ready to return to the innocence of undergraduate life; or it could even be the small unair-conditioned apartment I’ve been living during this sweltering Boston summer.

Ok… so those are all the small reasons, but the main reason I’m excited for the fall is for the start of the BU Men’s Water Polo 2012-2013 season. Coach Konrad, the team officers, and myself have been working hard the past couple of weeks to pull things together so we can start the season running. We are all stoked for the season to begin, and have just a few important updates we wanted to post, before we return to the banks of the Charles River.

The summer months began on a somber note for BU Water Polo community, when we tragically lost one of our own. At 6:00 AM on Saturday May 12, 2012, Austin Brashears lost his life in a tragic car accident, that also took the lives of two other BU Students and left five others hospitalized. Austin and the other students had been studying abroad in New Zealand at the time and were driving to visit the Tongariro Crossing, known for being the site of the filming of the Mount Doom scene in the Lord of the Rings.

Austin, a native of Huntington Beach, California, was studying mechanical engineering and minoring in energy technologies and environmental engineering. Besides being president and captain of the Men’s Water Polo team, Austin was also a 2011 Orientation Student Advisor as well as a leader in the College of Engineering Community. We will always remember Austin as not only the fiercest and most hard-working competitor to ever don BU Men’s Polo speedo, but also as a kind, light-hearted, and extremely intelligent friend who loved life and lived it to the fullest. The team has decided to dedicate the 2012-2013 season in his honor, and will be retiring his lucky 14 cap at a ceremony on Saturday October 6th from 11:00 am- 12:00 pm. We will post more details, as the ceremony draws nearer.

Austin during a time-out

The practice schedule for the 2012-2013 season has been set and will take place at the following times:

Monday: 7:00 pm- 9:00 pm
Wednesday: 7:00 pm- 9:00 pm
Friday: 6:00 pm- 8:00 pm
Sundays: 5:00 pm- 7:00pm

All practices will take place in the Pool Diving Well at the Boston University Fitness and Recreation center. In addition to the practice schedule, the CWPA New England Conference Schedule has also been set. The Conference league tournaments will take place on the following weekends:

9/22-23 @ Wesleyan University
10/6-7 @ Boston University
10/20-21(Conference Championships) @ Middlebury College

The team is also in the process of scheduling pre-season scrimmages with other local club teams.

If you are an incoming first-year student, or just interested in becoming involved with the team, make sure you check us on September 2nd out at SPLASH on Nickerson Field. We will be there actively recruiting new players, answering questions, and maybe even having a catch.

Hot pic of Colin from SPLASH 2011

That’s all now, but continue to check back here for updates as the season draws nearer, and be sure to follow @BUWaterPolo for the most up to date water polo news and witticisms.