Dave Alberstein has been a water polo referee since 1967. He has officiated more than 6,000 games and has provided training and mentoring for hundreds of referees throughout the nation.
He is a graduate of Mt. Whitney High School (Visalia, CA) and has a BS in Physics from Stanford University and an MS in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois. He retired after a 47 year career in nuclear energy. He and his late wife, Kathy, were married for 42 years and have one daughter, Jennifer.
Dave was the first San Diego referee to be certified by USA Water Polo to officiate at the Sr. National Championship level (1979) and to be certified by FINA to officiate in international competition (1981). He has officiated in many CIF and collegiate conference championships, USAWP national championships, and international matches. He participated in the FINA Cup (1981 and 1983), the 1984 Olympic Games, and the 1990 Goodwill Games. In 1989, he became the first referee from the U.S. chosen to be a neutral country referee in a European-sanctioned tournament.
A founding member of the San Diego Water Polo Officials Association, he served as the association’s Instructional Chairman for nine years and President for 13 years. Under his leadership and mentorship several other referees from San Diego advanced to national or international certification, some of whom are now also in the Hall of Fame. Dave served as the USAWP National Referee Instructional Chairman for four years. His writings and training materials for officials have been published and used at both the national and international levels. In 2018 he was named a member of the NCAA National Referee Evaluators Group.