From left to right: Murphy Slater, Jake Ctvrtlik, Jake Davis, Brock Gordon, James Applegate. Photo courtesy Holli Applegate

3:15pm | The premier water polo program in Long Beach will send five of its brightest stars to a USA Water Polo Olympic Development Program.

The boys, all ninth graders, train with LB Shore Aquatics. Shore is a well-known and highly-respected program that routinely produces Olympians and has won several National Championships.

After a two-day tryout back in the Spring with about 60 other boys from the region, the Shore athletes made the final cut and will train with the USA Development Program one weekend out of every month until March 2011. They will also play in a championship game.

The program is designed to train athletes specifically for the USA Water Polo style of play.

Shore club director Chi Kredell, himself a member of the Long Beach State Water Polo Hall of Fame, said he is pleased that so many players from his club qualified for the prestigious program.