Las Vegas: Sportsmanship before the finals

At the 14U Champions Cup, one place in the final day’s schedule deserves attention alongside the medal matches.

On Sunday, between the semifinals and the medal games, the Champions Cup has scheduled a different kind of recognition. At 10:30 a.m. local time, the programme pauses for the Jody Campbell/Maureen O’Toole Sportsmanship Award ceremony.

We do not yet know who will receive the honours. We do know that sportsmanship has its own place on the day the titles will be decided.

A national meeting for young players

USA Water Polo’s Champions Cup takes place from November 6 to 8, 2026, at Pavilion Center Pool in Las Vegas. It is for athletes aged 14 and under, with an additional eligibility requirement of eighth grade or below.

The published schedule lists twelve boys’ teams and twelve girls’ teams. Sunday’s finals are scheduled for noon for the girls and 2 p.m. for the boys, both in local time.

What we choose to reward

A ceremony’s place in the schedule does not, by itself, establish a tournament’s educational quality. That also depends on what happens every day on the bench, in the stands and in the water.

It does offer a useful starting point for discussion. When a young athlete sees which behaviours receive public recognition, they learn something about what the people around them value.

At YARE, this interests us as much as recognising a leading scorer. We want responsibility after a mistake, respect for opponents and support for teammates to become specific, visible actions. They should be acknowledged when they happen, as well as requested when they are missing.

Young athletes notice what adults applaud.

A question for every club

An award cannot replace a coach’s daily work or change a demanding crowd on its own. It can, however, begin a more specific conversation: which behaviour deserves to be repeated at the next training session?

That is the question we are taking into the opening day in Las Vegas. The winners will be decided in the water. What children learn to value is also shaped by everything around it.