Getting To Know the People Behind the Game
Dan Shardin, Scott Frederick & Tom Jurczak. Thank you for your contributions to GHSWPA!
Dan Sharadin, Founder of American Water Polo
Favorite Movie and/or Book
1954 Version of Christmas Carol starring Alister Sims. A great story of redemption and hope.
If you could have one superpower what would it be?
Invisibility-especially when dealing with angry coaches.
Where did you go to high school/college?
Methacton High School in a suburb of Philadelphia, where I was first introduced to the sport. My high school coach was a converted swim coach and did a great job building the program. We had 65 kids on our team. I attended college at West Virginia University. My three high school teammates and myself were recruited to swim and play water polo, but at the end of the first swim season we learned there was no water polo team. The coach had made up the story to get us to go to school there. So I quit the swim team and started the club. We had a great time, traveling to Canada multiple years and running large scale international tournaments. We even had the Canadian National Team and the Venezuelan National team come to our spring tournament. The swim coach was not very happy about the idea. He only gave us pool time 10-Midnight Tuesday and Friday nights, so we found another pool at a local federal prison and made a deal with the administration to teach the inmates in exchange for pool time.
What do you do for a living?
I work full time as an administrator for the sport.
Did you play water polo?
First at my high school and later at West Virginia University and then with the Philadelphia team. I had the opportunity to play all over the country and Canada with some really great teammates. I was also fortunate enough to compete in the Olympic Festival with incredible Hall of Fame athletes like Chris Judge, Tony Paxton, and Mark Gensheimer.
Scott Frederick, GHSWPA President
Favorite Movie/Book
I grew up going to the movies every weekend. I think I saw the original Star Wars 15 times in the theaters. My favorite movies are those that inspire us to be the best version of ourselves. Movies like Rocky, The Natural, and the Shawshank Redemption are tops on my list
If you could have one superpower what would it be?
Choosing a superpower is a tough question. There are so many cool ones. I would choose to be able to communicate with animals. I’d like to know what my dog is thinking, although I know it’s something like…cookie, cookie, cookie.
Where did you go to high school/college?
I grew up in Reston Va and graduated from South Lakes HS. Most famous alumni has to be basketball HoF’er Grant Hill. Attended NC State and was a member of the swim team 1984 – 1989. I met my future wife, Julie, on the swim team and we’ve been together for 34 years.
What do you do for a living?
I’m a CPA by trade, but for the past 20 years I’ve been working as a Financial Analyst for Verizon.
What is your favorite color of Gatorade?
Red…never Blue.
Did you play water polo?
I started playing polo on the NC State club team. I fell in love with the sport immediately. After moving to Seattle after graduation, I continued to play with Washington WP. After moving to Atlanta in 1995, I began playing with the Dynamo Masters team. With the birth of our second child in 2000, I hung up my water polo suit for good. Sixteen years later, while coaching swimming for West Forsyth HS, I received an email about starting a water polo team in Forsyth county. I knew I had to help make that happen, and that was the beginning of the Forsyth Tritons.
Tom Jurczak, GHSWPA Head Referee
Favorite Movie/Book
I like sci-fi/fantasy series, with ones I enjoyed recently including the Honor Harrington series (military science fiction – by David Weber) and the Harry Dresden series (urban fantasy – by Jim Butcher).
If you could have one superpower what would it be?
If I had a superpower, I’d want to have perfect regeneration/DNA replication, similar to Wolverine.
Where did you go to high school/college?
High school: Lawrenceville School (NJ)College: Caltech (undergrad) and Montana State and Vanderbilt (Peabody) for advanced degrees (MS, MEd)
What do you do for a living?
I teach science and coach swimming at the Paideia School. I also have been refereeing for GHSWPA since the Spring ’21 season for four seasons total. I’ve also officiated for CWPA and USAWP tournaments.
What is your favorite color of Gatorade?
My favorite sports drink is white or green powerade, but any citrus flavor will work as well.
Did you play water polo?
Playing water polo: club (Navy AC), high school (Lawrenceville), college (Caltech).