The562’s coverage of aquatic sports in Long Beach is sponsored by the Aquatic Capital of America Foundation.
The odds of knowing an Olympic level athlete are slim. The odds of becoming one are even slimmer.
But at the Dodd household, right next to the Long Beach State campus, you can find a pair of world-class water polo players ready to make their Olympic debuts this summer.
Chase and Ryder Dodd are two of the four Long Beach natives on this year’s Team USA men’s water polo roster. A pair of brothers a little over three years apart who are ready to share in the experience of a lifetime.
“Having my little brother on the team is the best thing you could ever hope for,” Chase said. “Words can’t really describe it. I have faith in him, he has faith in me. It’s always been my dream to go to the Olympics and to do it with him makes it that much sweeter.”
Chase, who recently turned 21, has played two seasons of collegiate water polo at UCLA, under the guidance of another Long Beach native, head coach Adam Wright. Chase took a hiatus from the Bruins last fall to focus on his Olympic preparation, and the work he’s put in over the past few years has paid off more than he could have imagined.
“It’s like a dream to go to the Olympics, but if you would have asked me maybe two years ago if I would be going to Paris, I would’ve said no,” he admitted.
He attributes a lot of that development to Coach Wright, who helped him grow from an All-CIF water polo player out of Huntington Beach High School into one of America’s 15 best water polo players.
“I think my career really stepped up when I did my first two years at UCLA. My knowledge of the game, my idea of where goes where, and how different players play, has really grown under Adam,” Chase said. “And having the legacy of Tony (Azevedo) and Long Beach to build off of. I’ve been in contact with him throughout the years, and he’s seen us grow up. Even if he’s not directly there, he’s always watching.”
The Dodds started their water polo journey with Shore Aquatics, learning the game at a young age from the waters of the Long Beach Yacht Club to the campus pool at Long Beach State.
Ryder’s first memory of playing the sport was as a youngster attending one of Chase’s games. Their mom, Janet, asked Ryder if he wanted to try the game.
“I said sure, and she just kinda plopped me in the pool and I started playing from there at six years old,” Ryder recalled with a laugh.
Now 12 years later, Ryder is the youngest member of Team USA for the 2024 Games, having just turned 18 back in January. He’s set to join his older brother at UCLA this fall, but they’ll get to be Olympic teammates before being teammates in college.
After playing his first two high school seasons at Huntington Beach, Ryder transferred to JSerra to join one of the best high school teams in California history. As a senior, Ryder scored a school-record 103 goals while adding 42 steals, 31 assists and 15 blocks. He led the Lions to a flawless 30-0 record, cruising to a CIF-SS Open Division and CIF State Regional title and earning CIF-SS Open Division Player of the Year honors.
Ryder made his Senior National Team debut at the tender age of 16, showing his potential to be a core member of Team USA for years to come. He’s looking to use his youth and exuberance to his advantage as he approaches the biggest stage in the sport in Paris.
“Me being so young, I think I bring the energy in the pool,” he said. “This my first Olympics, and me being so young, I really have nothing to lose … And obviously having such incredible teammates has really helped me. They’ve really brought me down to earth and have helped me stay centered.”
Having his older brother on the team has helped throughout the process as well. Ryder called it a dream come true to make the Olympic roster, and having Chase there beside him makes the experience that much sweeter.
“It’s pretty unexplainable. It’s a guy that you used to grow up with, it’s a built-in best friend, and for me to share this experience with him is pretty incredible,” Ryder said. “We always watched the Olympic Games together, so for us to be in it now, and for our parents to be able to watch us, I think it’s pretty incredible that me and my brother are giving that to our parents. They deserve that. I think a lot of our success is from them.”
You can bet the Dodd family will be watching closely when Team USA begins their Olympic journey on Sunday, July 28 at 6 a.m. PT against Italy. The Dodd brothers are a long way from the familiar waters of Long Beach, but they’ve got a strong Olympic spirit to represent not just their city, but the entire country as they seek America’s first gold medal in men’s water polo.
“I think we’ve gotta go in these games just being confident,” said Chase, who scored the game-winning goal against Greece in one of Team USA’s final Olympic tune-ups. “We know we have the potential. We know we have the talent. You just gotta be disciplined straight through, and we’ll be able to get it.”
The chance to add to Long Beach’s rich water polo tradition is not lost on these first-time Olympians. They’ve trained in the footsteps of the city’s greats, and are excited to add the “Dodd” name to that list–twice.
“Just being able to carry on their legacy is huge,” said Ryder of the hometown legends that came before him. “Those guys give a lot to the game. It’s really special to be able to follow in their footsteps and create a new name for myself and kind of relive their legacy; and grow the sport even more in Long Beach’s name.”
