Brian Fickies has been involved with the sport of water polo since 1986. As a player he was a high school All-American, a member of the US National Youth Developmental Team and played collegiate water polo. As a coach he has had the privilege in developing several high school and collegiate All-conference and national All-Americans. Coach Fickies believes the key to developing robust water polo players is establishing a strong foundation in basic skills, balanced with dynamic drills that mirror game like situations.
Water Polo Coaching Experience: Head Coach Michigan State University Men's Team (1997-2007), Head Coach Okemos Girls Team (1996-2007), Head Coach Okemos Boys Team (1996-1997), Head Coach of Former Okemos/Capital Area Water Polo Club (1996-2007), Head Coach US Water polo Midwest Zone Men's 18 and Over team (2005), Volunteer Assistant Coach US National Youth Developmental Team (1998).
Water Polo Coaching Honors: Big Ten Champions (2000, 2004, 2005, 2006), Collegiate Water Polo Club National Champions (2000, 2006), Big Ten Coach of the Year (2004, 2005, 2006), National Coach of the year (2000, 2006), Michigan High Water Polo Association Coach of the year (1996)
Coach Anderson hails from sunny Southern California. A true waterman, his youth spent surfing and swimming for the Seal Beach Swim Club led him straight into water polo as a freshman at Los Alamitos High School. At Los Al he was a 3-year varsity letterman, leading his team in goals his senior year, 1987. That year the Los Al Griffins won the competitive Orange County Empire League for the first time, toppling 7th-straight winner El Dorado High School. The ’87 team furthered their record season reaching the CIF Southern Section 3A division state finals where they once again faced off with rival, and defending champions, El Dorado. The hard-fought battle at Belmont Plaza Pool, Long Beach ultimately went to El Dorado in a tight 9-7 finish. Anderson and team finished the year with a 27-6 record.
Awards:
- All American Honorable Mention 1987
- All California CIF Southern Section 3A 2nd team 1987
- All Empire League 1st team 1987
After high school, Anderson joined the USC Trojan Water Polo Club where he played on the 1988 Junior Olympic gold medal winning squad in Orlando, FL. He later attended USC as a walk-on and earned a spot on the 16-member varsity squad as a sophomore. The following year as a redshirt junior Anderson decided it was time to hang up the suit and cap.
Thirty years later, Anderson added “Coach” before his name as a member of the St. Xavier High School (Cincinnati) varsity boy’s water polo team as assistant coach for the Fall 2021 season.
For the Fall 2022 high school season Coach Anderson led the Sycamore High School (Cincinnati) varsity girls water polo team to a 3rd place finish at the Ohio State Championships. The Lady Aves finished the season 21-7, earning All-Ohio honors for four players and Ohio girls Coach of The Year for Anderson.
A former Los Angeles-based advertising executive and small business operations consultant, Coach Anderson now resides in Dewitt, Michigan with healthcare marketing superstar wife Kara, sixth grade twin daughters Rae and Gus, and newest member of the family, Australian Shepherd Steve Rogers.
Madelyn has been involved with HOTEL Water Polo since 2014 when she started playing in high school. She moved on down the road to Michigan State University, where she obtained a degree in Mathematics, and is now a high school Algebra 1 teacher at East Lansing High School.
She took over coaching the Girls Water Polo Team in 2018 and the Boys Water Polo Team in 2021 and has been coaching them for since. She is thrilled to continue with both the girls’ and the boys' team this season and cannot wait to watch them grow and see what they can accomplish.
Katie swam competitively for 9 years with both Shillington Streaks Rec Team and Governor Mifflin Aquatics Program. She played water polo in high school for the Governor Mifflin Mustangs, playing Varsity her Junior and Senior year. During her Junior and Senior seasons, the team placed 7th in the Pennsylvania State Tournament. Katie went on to compete in inner-tube water polo at the collegiate level, her team dominating the league her freshman year. Throughout her college years, she returned home in the summer and volunteered with the Mustangs helping to prepare their new players for the coming school year.
After graduating from Northern Michigan University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and History Secondary Education, she returned home and worked as a volunteer coach with both the girls and boys Governor Mifflin Water Polo Teams for one year. Upon getting hired at East Lansing High School to manage their library, she was gifted the opportunity to be the assistant coach for the Girls Water Polo Team in 2019 and the boys team in 2021 and cannot wait to continue with both the boys & girls this year!
