About
South Valley Aquatics (SOVA) offers competitive water polo, developmental water polo, competitive swim, competitive dive, and learn-to-swim lessons. The program also includes Splashball as an early introduction to water polo, youth swim sessions, masters (adult) swim sessions, swim practice, water polo practice, swim meets, and water polo tournaments. SOVA also provides aquatics programming for schools, school districts, and businesses, along with aquatics training and certification that includes lifeguard, first aid, CPR, and basic water rescue training.
• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: Fall Session for Visalia and Tulare runs from August 11 through October 31, with online registration opening July 17.
SOVA Swim Club is the swim division of South Valley Aquatics and was started in spring 2023 when the TNT Visalia Swim Club stopped operating to ensure youth swimmers in Visalia still had a local option for competitive swim practice. The program serves youth in Visalia and throughout the South San Joaquin Valley and offers boys’ and girls’ teams. SOVA offers dual-club membership between SOVA Swim and SOVA Water Polo for one fee, and swimmers registered for SOVA Swim are entitled to attend any swim or water polo practice in Visalia or Tulare. South Valley Aquatics states that it focuses on building better humans by teaching commitment, respect, and sportsmanship.
South Valley Aquatics is organized to promote local, national, and international amateur water polo and aquatics as a charitable organization. It seeks to increase participation in aquatic sports in the local community, with a specific focus on young men and women from economically disadvantaged circumstances and on creating life-altering, positive opportunities for young men and women who may otherwise experience generational impediments to higher education and career opportunities. South Valley Aquatics provides competitive club practice, swim meet, and water polo tournament attendance for swimmers and players throughout the state of California. Its primary goal is to incrementally and consistently increase the quality of its water polo and swim athletes in the South Valley and to become recognized for championship-caliber water polo and swim athletes and teams. It aims to show the success and accomplishments of its athletes through SOVA teams’ performance at the annual USA Water Polo Junior Olympic National Tournament, regional and national USA Swim meets, and in the performance of local high school teams in their CIF Divisional Championships. It measures success by the quality of its players as athletes and citizens as they leave to impact their families, the colleges they attend, the employers they work for, and the communities they live in.
SOVA is a cooperative effort supported by coordination between the Visalia Unified School District, local middle schools, local high school water polo programs, the city parks and recreation department, parents, and players. It builds relationships with private organizations and individuals to coordinate fundraising efforts to support the growth of water polo and aquatic sports, including members of the community who would otherwise not have the opportunity.
The leadership team includes Allyson Briano, College of Sequoias Director of Aquatics and member of the South Valley Aquatics Board of Directors; Ezra Sisk, COS Assistant Swim Coach and Swim Coordinator; Jeff Hohne, Director and Director of ELOP at Visalia Unified School District; Michael Yenigues, Director, Head Coach, and Administrator at South Valley Aquatics; Rick Nordell, Director and former Head Coach of Biola University Men’s Water Polo; Jon Minnig, Director and Project Manager at Boeing Company; Molly Niederreiter, Director and Director of Rehabilitation & Skilled Services at Kaweah Health; and Rory Collinwood, Director and Vice Principal at Wilson Middle School. Staff credentials specifically noted include Allyson Briano as College of Sequoias Director of Aquatics and Ezra Sisk as COS Assistant Swim Coach.
South Valley Aquatics is a USA Water Polo, USA Swimming, and USA Dive club, and it is a USA Swimming Member Swim Club. It is also a California State registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
Last updated March 26, 2026.
• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: Fall Session for Visalia and Tulare runs from August 11 through October 31, with online registration opening July 17.
SOVA Swim Club is the swim division of South Valley Aquatics and was started in spring 2023 when the TNT Visalia Swim Club stopped operating to ensure youth swimmers in Visalia still had a local option for competitive swim practice. The program serves youth in Visalia and throughout the South San Joaquin Valley and offers boys’ and girls’ teams. SOVA offers dual-club membership between SOVA Swim and SOVA Water Polo for one fee, and swimmers registered for SOVA Swim are entitled to attend any swim or water polo practice in Visalia or Tulare. South Valley Aquatics states that it focuses on building better humans by teaching commitment, respect, and sportsmanship.
South Valley Aquatics is organized to promote local, national, and international amateur water polo and aquatics as a charitable organization. It seeks to increase participation in aquatic sports in the local community, with a specific focus on young men and women from economically disadvantaged circumstances and on creating life-altering, positive opportunities for young men and women who may otherwise experience generational impediments to higher education and career opportunities. South Valley Aquatics provides competitive club practice, swim meet, and water polo tournament attendance for swimmers and players throughout the state of California. Its primary goal is to incrementally and consistently increase the quality of its water polo and swim athletes in the South Valley and to become recognized for championship-caliber water polo and swim athletes and teams. It aims to show the success and accomplishments of its athletes through SOVA teams’ performance at the annual USA Water Polo Junior Olympic National Tournament, regional and national USA Swim meets, and in the performance of local high school teams in their CIF Divisional Championships. It measures success by the quality of its players as athletes and citizens as they leave to impact their families, the colleges they attend, the employers they work for, and the communities they live in.
SOVA is a cooperative effort supported by coordination between the Visalia Unified School District, local middle schools, local high school water polo programs, the city parks and recreation department, parents, and players. It builds relationships with private organizations and individuals to coordinate fundraising efforts to support the growth of water polo and aquatic sports, including members of the community who would otherwise not have the opportunity.
The leadership team includes Allyson Briano, College of Sequoias Director of Aquatics and member of the South Valley Aquatics Board of Directors; Ezra Sisk, COS Assistant Swim Coach and Swim Coordinator; Jeff Hohne, Director and Director of ELOP at Visalia Unified School District; Michael Yenigues, Director, Head Coach, and Administrator at South Valley Aquatics; Rick Nordell, Director and former Head Coach of Biola University Men’s Water Polo; Jon Minnig, Director and Project Manager at Boeing Company; Molly Niederreiter, Director and Director of Rehabilitation & Skilled Services at Kaweah Health; and Rory Collinwood, Director and Vice Principal at Wilson Middle School. Staff credentials specifically noted include Allyson Briano as College of Sequoias Director of Aquatics and Ezra Sisk as COS Assistant Swim Coach.
South Valley Aquatics is a USA Water Polo, USA Swimming, and USA Dive club, and it is a USA Swimming Member Swim Club. It is also a California State registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
Last updated March 26, 2026.
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