In recent years there haven’t been many sports on the island that can keep up with the legacy Coronado water polo has built.
From CIF championships, to the hiring of a coach with decades of experience in Olympic competitions; water polo on Coronado continues to thrive.
However, the most recent water polo standout is a Coronado native who hasn’t even entered her high school years.
Meet Maggie Ryan, a 13-year-old eighth grader who is making a name for herself on the national stage.
Cadet National Team
Ryan recently was selected to compete with the USA Water Polo’s 2023 Women’s Cadet National Team, and the Futures International Travel Team; an honor only 32 girls across the country get to have.
“I was relieved to learn that I had been picked to compete on the USA Water Polo team. The National Team Selection Camp (NTSC) was grueling and filled with emotions,” said Ryan.
The NTSC, as Ryan mentioned, was a tryout for girls born in 2007-2008 hoping to make the Cadet Team.
Ryan, born in 2009, was prepared to try out with girls her age but was asked to move up an age group at the last minute.
According to Ryan, competing against girls already in high school was a challenge.
She played against girls in her age group all year, and trying out with high school-aged athletes changed her perspective significantly.
“Size, speed and strength”
The 13-year-old standout plays for the San Diego Shores 14U team, and her coach explained Ryan’s size and strength pays dividends in the pool.
Mitchell Seeley, Ryan’s coach for the past year with the Shores, said he’s often in awe of his starting center.
“The main thing that sets Maggie apart from other talented players her age is the combination of her size, speed and strength,” Seeley continued, “I’ve had players in the past with impressive size, strength, and swim speed, but never someone as big, that moves as well, and has the type of strength Ryan has.”
According to Seeley, Ryan has undeniable, natural gifts but it’s been the work she’s put in that puts her a step ahead of her peers.
Becoming a stronger swimmer
Ryan said she’s played water polo for five years, initially joining the sport as a way to become a stronger swimmer.
Since then, Ryan and her team have practiced and scrimmaged against older girls to expose them to stronger competition.
The work Ryan’s put in with her 14U Shores team will last until mid-July, and is the perfect preparation for the type of girls she’ll have to face on her Cadet Team.
According to Ryan, she’ll also spend time outside of the pool perfecting her craft.
The coveted Cadet Team that Ryan was chosen to play on leaves for Hungary in August for matches, and to ready herself for those competitions Ryan intends on spending time in the gym and watching other water polo games.
The summer months Ryan is going to spend prepping for Hungary are really the final stretch in what has been a long process for the eighth grade phenom.
Journey started in December
Ryan and her father explained that being one of the 32 selected for the USA Team begins in December.
To make the team, Ryan entered a three-day try out towards the end of 2022. After making the Pacific Southwest Zone Team, Ryan competed in an Olympic Development Program in March.
“From this tournament, about 50 girls were asked to compete for a National Team spot in a three day tryout held in LA in May,” said Ryan.
She prevailed, making the 32-girl roster and ending a six-month long period of constant competition and scrutiny from some of the nation’s best coaches.
According to Seeley, with a unique talent like Ryan; his biggest fear is those grueling months of water polo killing Ryan’s joy for the sport.
Keeping the sport fun
While he spends a considerable amount of time with Ryan and her teammates conditioning them to work on skills like defensive discipline, Seeley makes sure water polo doesn’t become a chore for the girls.
“We don’t want such exceptional talent to burn out and decide they don’t want to play anymore. So, no matter how high the expectations are, we want them to have fun learning, growing, and getting better as individuals and together,” said Seeley.
Playing for the USA Girl’s Cadet Team is one of the highest honors an athlete in Ryan’s sport can earn, especially at the age of 13, but it’s Seeley who makes sure Ryan’s fire for the sport is still burning when she heads to Hungary.
Maggie is a rare talent, and getting to play up an age-group with the National Team is something few athletes get to do. Her natural gifts, along with the work she has put in, are nothing short of amazing.”
-Mitchell Seeley, Ryan’s coach.
“Maggie is a rare talent, and getting to play up an age-group with the National Team is something few athletes get to do. Her natural gifts, along with the work she has put in, are nothing short of amazing. It is our job to nurture her raw talent and work ethic into continued dominance and enjoyment throughout her playing career,” said Seeley.
