In its first-ever showing at the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, the Cayman Islands water polo delegation captured a medal in every division entered.
Cayman’s representation at the 2025 championships, which took place in Coral Springs, Florida, from 7-9 Nov., included three teams: under-16 girls, under-19 girls and under-19 boys.
Against a field that included fellow Caribbean competitors like Curacao, Bonaire, the Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago, alongside Florida clubs, Cayman’s under-16 girls won silver, while the under-19 girls and under-19 boys teams each secured bronze.
Grant Ferguson, Cayman water polo head coach, reflected on the Cayman delegation’s performance saying, “First of all, I’m incredibly proud of every single Cayman athlete who stepped into the pool. Remember, a year and a half ago we didn’t even have competitive water polo on the island.
“To now take three divisions to an international championship, compete with nations who have been playing for decades and hold our own – that’s massive for Cayman,” he added.
Ferguson singled out the teams’ attitude, noting that they “swam hard, they fought for every ball and they never once backed down”.
“Even when games got tough, they stayed together, listened, adjusted and kept working. For such a young program, that says everything about where we’re heading,” he said.
With the CARIFTA success now firmly in the past, Ferguson said the focus shifts to “building on the experience”.
Key areas he said they will be working on include game management and decision-making under pressure, cleaner passing and ball control, defensive structure, counterattacks and building strength and conditioning.
Ferguson emphasised that the “foundation is there,” with the players eager to learn and “hungry to play”.
The next competition set for the Cayman teams is the Beast of the East Tournament in Florida from 12-14 Dec.
