Today we’d like to introduce you to Stefan Iricanin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Stefan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
After accepting the offer to attend Florida Atlantic University (FAU), I quickly realized that, I didn’t want to be a typical commuter student who only commutes to and from school to attend lectures. I wasn’t interested in joining Greek Life but, I also am not very skilled in the sports FAU had to offer. I have been playing water polo since I started high school and I wanted to continue playing the sport through college. However, water polo wasn’t offered at FAU.
While I was completing paperwork to have the club be officially registered with the school, I met Hunter Smith. Hunter helped with easing some of the load from me so that, all the deadlines were met and the club became a reality. In the Spring of 2012, the Water Polo Club at FAU was born.
The club really took off after Nick Houck’s Presidency. Nick created our first swimsuit and cap designs, registered us with the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) and later with USA Water Polo. The team started to increase in size as well as skill. Zev Halikman was another amazing Club president because he is responsible for getting us the most incredible coach, Ira Berke, among many other things.
Following Zev’s Presidency, Martin Silva (former Vice President) and myself (former President) further grew the Club by establishing sponsorships with local businesses, balancing a budget and traveling to more out-of-state tournaments than we ever did in previous years. It has been a long and arduous road to get the club to where it is today. If I could go back and do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Rarely does success occur easily or smoothly. When the club was formed, practices were lackadaisical, they were held in the Campus’ Rec Center pool, we had very few players, funding was extremely limited and we had no coach. After becoming President of the Club, I personally struggled with effective communication and management of Club duties. Thankfully, I learned my mistakes quickly and had a good right-hand man to help me through the struggle.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Owls Water Polo Club (FAU Water Polo Club) story. Tell us more about the business.
The Water Polo Club at FAU was established to provide an outlet and community for the students of Florida Atlantic University who share a common interest of water polo. The club promotes a healthy and social environment, an academic support network, as well as a wide range of leadership positions. The club strives to serve members with a sense of belonging rather than having them participate in destructive activities that could hinder their future.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I believe the role that bad luck plays in an individual’s life and/or business is them (the individual) not learning from previous mistakes. I’ve had many instances where it may seem as though, I am striking a bit of bad luck, however, I did all the things that got me to that point. I made the decisions which placed me in that specific predicament. Luck had nothing to do with it.
Contact Info:
- Address: 777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431 - Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fauwaterpolo/
- Email: fauwaterpolo@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OwlsWaterPoloClub/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/FAUPolo
Image Credit:
Vanessa Cook
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Brandon
June 20, 2019 at 7:43 pm
I like this photo, good looking men and great writing