Coach Robert Lynn
Robert Lynn is an Olympic Silver Medalist, 2002 Olympian and 1991 FINA World Cup Gold Medalist. Lynn also served as assistant coach for the 2008 and 2012 U.S Men’s Olympic Water Polo teams. Robert is currently Head Coach for both Boys High School Water Polo and Girls High School Water Polo at Chadwick. Prior to joining Chadwick, he coached at Newport Harbor High School were he took the Sailors to the CIF Division 1 semifinals twice and to three straight Sunset League titles during his three-year tenure. Prior to joining NHHS, Lynn coached and taught at Harvard-Westlake School. Lynn played varsity water polo for USC before embarking on his Olympic journey and a 13-year professional career as an international water polo player.
Coach Brad Silver
Coach Silver has been involved in the sport of water polo for over 35 years. As a player he has won the USWP Junior Olympics at every age group level. He was a high school All-American in both water polo and swimming and was a team member of the USA Junior National Team from 1983-1988.
He played water polo at USC from 1987-1991 and during his red-shirt year of 1990 was a team member of the Harvard-Westlake Water Polo Club which won USA Masters Club Olympics. After college, Coach Silver played in the Maccabiah Games (1993 and 2001) earning silver and gold medals.
He has coached both swimming and water polo at 6 high schools; Marlborough, CAMS, Peninsula, LB Millikan, Orange Lutheran and the American Community School in Abu Dhabi. When living in Cleveland, Ohio he developed a collegiate NCAA Division II men’s and women’s water polo program at Notre Dame College and coached the Cleveland Masters Water Club. He coached the California State Park’s Peace Officers which earned the Gold Medal in Police Olympics in 1995. He has coached with Northwood Water Polo Club, was the director and coach with Westside Water Polo Club and is now coaching 14U Girls, 14U boys and 16U boys with our Palos Verdes Water Polo Club.
After being away from California for 10 years he is happily back in the area. 20 years ago he taught science and math at Palos Verdes Intermediate School and at Peninsula High he taught Pre-Algebra and Algebra. He is now a Physical Education teacher at two elementary school in the Palos Verdes Unified School District and is back to coaching water polo at Peninsula High School.
Coach Steve Granick
Steve Granick comes to the Palos Verdes WPC with a successful history of playing and coaching at some of the premiere programs in the country. Steve began his playing career at the formerly named Harvard School (now Harvard-Westlake School) in 1981. He matriculated to UCLA to learn the finer points of the game from legendary Olympian, Head Coach Bob Horn. After several years of hard work, Steve earned playing time and was ultimately named the Most Improved Player in the program in his senior year – his personal highlight as a senior was scoring goals in both conference wins against crosstown rival USC in the fall of 1989.
In the summer of 1989, Steve was the starting 2M Defender for Team USA’s silver medal winning USA Maccabiah Team in Israel, playing for legendary coach Pete Cutino who won 8 NCAA championships at Cal. He also played and coached abroad for the Waitakere City WPC in Auckland, New Zealand in 1990 after graduating from UCLA. Steve coached the junior boy’s team, the junior girl’s team, the senior women’s team and was player/coach for the senior men’s team. Under his direction the club was given recognition as Top Club in New Zealand for the combined finishes of both senior teams at the NZ National Championships.
After graduating from UCLA in 1990, Steve joined the Harvard Water Polo Foundation (HWPF) coached by Olympian Rich Corso. This began a stretch where Steve was a part of multiple National Championships as a player and coach for the HWPF Senior Men’s and Masters teams in the 1990s and 2000s. He has been named a USAWP All-American 8 times – most recently at the 2010 Masters National Championships as a member of the winning team in the 40+ division.
In 1991, Steve started the youth component of the HWPF as administrator and coach. The club quickly became competitive at multiple age group levels and was integral in the development of numerous All-Americans and USA National Team players. In 1991, Steve also assisted Coach Corso as the Harvard-Westlake team won the CIF-SS 3A championship and then the following year as they played in the first ever CIF-SS Div I championship game.
Outside of the pool, after a successful stint working for the organizing committee of the U.S. Olympic Festival ‘91 in Los Angeles, Steve and his brother Rob founded S & R Sport in 1992. S & R Sport has gone on to become the leading distributor of many major water polo brands over the last 20 years. Steve and his wife Anne live in Torrance with their three boys; twins Conor and Max and younger brother Johnny.
Coach John Anderson
John Anderson spent 16 years as a member of the Canadian National Water Polo Team, culminating his water polo career as the starting “Hole Set” for the 1984 Olympic Team. He also was a two-time All American at UCSB and a member of the Harvard Water Polo Foundation (HWPF), where the team captured 2 “open” National Championships. From 1988 – 1993, he served as President and General Manager of the HWPF while Founder Rich Corso was the US Olympic Team Coach. Professionally, John is an Environmental Planner and Economist. He lives in Rancho Palos Verdes with his wife Karen, daughter Sarah, son Ryan who plays for PVWPC, two cats, two dogs and a teacup pig named Pumpkin.
Coach Scott Leonard
Scott started his water polo career at Los Alamitos High School where he was team MVP as a senior before heading to Long Beach City College, where he led the team to the California Community College Championships at which he garnered Team MVP, Community College MVP, and the All-American MVP honors.
After leaving LBCC, Scott went to UCLA where he again received NCAA All–American honors in his senior year. Scott was a member of the USA National Water Polo program from the age of 17 until he retired in 1992. During that time he traveled extensively, playing in numerous national and international tournaments including: 1989 Gold Medalist in the US Olympic Festival in Oklahoma, 1990 Silver Medalist in the US Olympic Festival in Minneapolis, 1991 Gold Medalist World University Games in England, 1989 Bronze Medal in the Pan-Am Festival de Olympiad in Mexico City and series split with Russia in the 1990 Pre-Good Will Games tour in Chicago.
Over the years, Scott also played professional water polo in Yugoslavia, won a silver medal in New Zealand’s National championships, and won either a gold or silver medal in virtually every indoor and outdoor US National Championship from 1988 to 1992. Most recently, Scott won a gold medal at 2015 Masters Nationals on the 45 and over team.
Scott has coached 12U at the South Bay United club prior to joining PVWPC, and he has been assistant coaching PVPWPC’s 16U team for the past year.
Scott Leonard is the founder and managing partner of the wealth management firm Navigoe, LLC. Scott, his wife Mandi, and their three water polo enthusiast sons, Griffin, Jake, and Luke are residents of the Palos Verdes High School pool deck.
Coach Steven Kan
Steven Kan began his polo career at Miraleste High School in 1984. He played goalkeeper for 2 years before dropping 4 seconds off his 100 freestyle time in a single week, whereupon his coach immediately converted him to a field player. He co-captained the team during his Senior season to an undefeated record in the Pioneer League, during which he was named All League MVP. Highlights include two wins each over PV High and Rolling Hills (now Peninsula) High and a backhand shot from half pool.
Steven then played four years at Harvard where they never lost to cross-town rival MIT. Highlights include winning 2.5 out of 4 sprints against defending national champs Cal, scoring a skip-bar-head-in against Stanford, and being named All-Ivy 3rd Team his senior season. Post college, Coach Kan teamed with Steve Granick at the Harvard Water Polo Foundation to win a Masters National title, and has also won the Desert Duel 40+ with Mira Costa Masters, with whom he plays weekly.
Steven has been coaching with PV Water Polo club since 2012, assisting with the Development and 12U teams.
Professionally, Steven manufactures test equipment for infrared imaging and satellite communications. Steven lives with his 12U son, Kyle, in Palos Verdes, where they battle peafowl and squirrels for dominance of the vegetable garden.
Coach Chay Lapin
Chay Lapin has established a very successful career in water polo. Internationally, he recorded eight saves for Team USA at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England; served as backup goalkeeper for Team USA at the 2012 FINA World League Super Final; served as backup goalkeeper in fourth place finish at the 2011 FINA World League Super Final; and was a member of 2007 Junior World Championship Team in Long Beach, CA.
Chay played collegiately at UCLA. He finished his four-year career as one of the most decorated goalkeepers in program history and established UCLA’s career saves record, totaling 719 stops through his senior season (2009). Chay ranks eighth, ninth and 11th on UCLA’s single-season saves list and also ranks second and third on the Bruins’ single-season goals against average list. He is the only goalkeeper in school history to earn All-MPSF Team honors all four season (only other Bruins to accomplish that feat include Brett Ormsby and Adam Wright). Chay helped UCLA to the NCAA Championship match against USC as a senior (in Dec. 2009) after having won the MPSF Tournament title at USC (Nov. 2009).
In High School Chay lettered in water polo and swimming at Long Beach Wilson for coaches Tony Martinho and Klaus Barth. He earned first-team California-Hawaii All-America honors in 2004 and fourth-team accolades in 2003; captured 2003-04 fifth-team NISCA All-America accolades; helped lead Long Beach Wilson to CIF Southern Section Division I titles in each of his four seasons (2001-04); and was named 2004 CIF player of the year.
Born February 25, 1987 in Fountain Valley, CA, Chay is the oldest of Paul Chandler and Tammy Lapin’s four children. He enjoys surfing and playing golf in his free time.
Coach Brian Robinson
During his career at PV High earned second-team All-CIF Southern Section Division IV honors and won a CIF championship during his Junior year, followed by earning All-CIF Southern Section Division III honors and being named the Daily Breeze Player of the Year as a Senior after setting the school single season scoring record.
He played at UCLA for 2 years and the UCLA Club team 1 year, including winning an NCAA title.
He recently graduated from UCLA and plans on playing in New Zealand in the near future. Brian is the son of PVWPC founder Ed Robinson and has served as Assistant Coach to many of our teams for several years running.