I’m just getting back to work and finally had a few minutes to sit down and gather my thoughts. I felt like it was important for me to write this because I’m not sure I did a very good job of putting into words how thankful I am before we left. As I walked off the boat Saturday morning and gave you guys a hug goodbye, something hit me. We were all heading home after what, for us, was this incredible week, and you guys were basically turning around and doing it all over again with another group. I know how much you love water polo and how much pride you have in what you do, but that still cannot be easy. Every week you start over with a new group of kids and parents. You have to learn their personalities, figure out what makes them tick, push them, teach them, keep them safe, and somehow give them an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives. That takes a lot of patience and a lot of heart, and I hope you know how much I respect what you do. I can’t speak for every parent or kid who was with us, but I can speak for myself and Kelly. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I really had no idea what to expect from this trip. I knew it would be fun and I knew Kelly would get some great water polo experience, but I never expected it to mean as much to me as it did. Your country absolutely blew me away. The beauty, the history, the people, the food, the water, the towns we visited, all of it. Everywhere we went, I felt like people welcomed us with open arms. They didn’t treat us like a bunch of tourists coming through. They treated us like friends. I will never forget that. It was also pretty amazing to see the relationships and respect you guys have throughout the water polo community there. Water polo means so much to your country, and everywhere we went it was obvious that people knew and respected you. I think that says a lot about both of you and the way you have carried yourselves over the years. There honestly wasn’t a day, or probably even an hour, where Kelly and I weren’t having a blast. You somehow found the perfect balance between water polo, history, adventure, fun, and teaching these kids some things about life. One of the moments I will probably remember forever was visiting the war memorial and hearing you both talk about what you experienced growing up during the war. I watched the kids while you were talking, and you could feel the room change. Getting teenage boys to stop, listen, and really take something like that in is not easy. But they did. You got through to them. As a dad, that was pretty special to watch. I don’t know enough about water polo to tell you all the ways they improved, but even I could see how much they grew during the week. The individual attention you gave them and the way you pushed them was awesome to watch. But for me personally, this trip became about something even bigger than water polo. Mu son is almost 16 now, and like every kid his age, he’s starting to grow up and become more independent. That’s exactly what he is supposed to do, but as a dad, it’s not always easy watching it happen. Your kids are your best friends, and then one day you realize they’re starting to build their own lives and they don’t need you in quite the same way anymore. This trip came at the perfect time for the two of us. I got a week with my son that I will never get back and will never forget. There were little moments when he would come over and give me a hug or a kiss and say, “Thanks, Dad.” We laughed our asses off together. We experienced a completely different part of the world together. And there were times when I could just sit back, stay out of the way, and watch him grow. Those moments meant more to me than you guys probably realize. At 50 years old, I can easily say this was the best trip I have ever been on. Not because we stayed somewhere fancy or did anything extravagant. It was because of the people, the experiences, my time with my son, and the way you guys opened up your lives and your country to us. That is something I will always be grateful for. If you ever see any of the coaches, players, families, clubs, or people who spent time with us during the week, please tell them thank you from Kelly and me. Please let them know how much we appreciated them sharing a little piece of their lives and their country with us. Every single interaction added something to the experience. Maybe someday I’ll even get lucky enough to do something like this again with my daughter. You gave a dad and his son a week together that I will remember for the rest of my life. There really isn’t a better gift than that. Thank you for your time, your patience, your friendship, your country, and most of all, for sharing a piece of yourselves with us. I will never forget it. Much love and gratitude, Matt (San Clemente)

My son and I had a great time. I was very happy that he spent so much time with other kids doing Sports, and Parents were able to enjoy great vacation time. Croatia is so beautiful, food was great, the boat was comfortable enough.. The coaches were fantastic and really accelerated trading.

Our son had an incredible time on this once in a lifetime trip!

We had a great week. The water polo was great and the history was amazing. Very personalized.

The cruise was not only helpful for improving my water polo game, but also a life changing experience allowing me to visit a foreign country and learn more about the culture. The people who run it are very knowledgeable with the sport and the culture so it makes the cruise feel authentic in both ways. 10/10 would do it again!