"Water Polo Making a Splash With Young Athletes"

From Athletic Business: http://athleticbusiness.com/articles/lexisnexis.aspx?lnarticleid=1494771534&lntopicid=136030023&h=Area-wide%20water%20polo%20program%20growing%20in%20popularity

Review by Jay Greenhalgh in KIN 332 (Section 1)

The article that I selected is titled “Water Polo Making a Splash with Young Athletes” written by Wendy Leung and it focuses on the Chino Hills Area Water Polo Club, or CHAWP. The program started in 1999 at Ayala High School in Chino Hills but moved to Rancho Cucamonga and Norco high school where it is still located today. CHAWP is a six-week session that teaches kids the fundamentals of water polo as well as swimming techniques and skills to help them get better. Water Polo is a sport rising in popularity in the Inland Valley, especially during the summer because of the harsh heat of California. This is a smart location for CHAWP to start their program because they know that children will be looking for ways to have fun while staying cool. The parents of these children will want their kids to be active during the summer and have fun so water polo satisfies both the children and the parents’ needs. After the six week program is over, the child can choose to not continue with the sport if he or she wants. However, if a child wants to continue they can be signed up for a competitive program.

CHAWP used smart marketing techniques and processes to become a successful water polo club because they were able to identify what the consumers in that geographic location wanted. It gets hot in Southern California in the summer and it was recognized that there needed to be a program that offered recreation for children when they’re all out of school on summer break. The children’s’ parents want their kids to be safe and be well looked after while they’re at work, but they also want their children staying active and having fun. CHAWP is an option for these kids during the summer and the club recognizes that it’s a huge opportunity to maximize business. The target market is kids and the location for CHAWP is optimal because it is offered through high schools where they have their own pools. Community based programs like CHAWP are good for the community to keep kids out of trouble and CHAWP made good business decisions in choosing their program and location.