Coaching Staff
Brian Ruiz
Why CPD - We have a great organization, great athletes, great parents, and the best coaching staff in Illinois.
Favorite Sports Movie - McFarland USA ~ a great movie about resilience, perseverance, and heart.
Years of experience with the parks/polo - I have spent the majority of his life in and around the Chicago Park District. I both swam and played water polo for the parks, starting at the age of 11, and later transitioned into coaching. I have been an employee of the park district for 17 years, and a CPD club polo coach since 2011. I have also coached a few high school programs on both the boys and girls sides.
Favorite CPD Memory - The 2018 girls' 12u team getting the bronze medal in the Gold division at the Stanford pool.
Favorite Polo Shot - A shot from the post on a 6 on 5. This shot takes both awareness and execution and is always a beautiful shot.
Outside of the pool - Brian is a PE teacher at Jones College Prep.
Nicole Lum
Why CPD - Water polo is truly for everyone.
Favorite Sports Movie - Remember the Titans & For Love of the Game
Years of experience with the parks/polo - I began coaching with the parks in 2017. I have played polo since my freshman year of HS and continued on to play at Villanova.
Favorite CPD Memory - I was a pretty new coach with CPD at the 2018 JO's. On the third day of competition we had to win three games in order to get to the semi-finals and play at Stanford. All the girls knew was that the goal was to win three games in one day. We were about to play the third game of the day against a team from California and suddenly our entire 18U team, 14U team, coaches, and all the parents in town walked in and sat on the bleachers. You would have thought it was our home pool. Seeing a bunch of 18U and 14U girls doing sideline cheers, going crazy, and caring so much.... And when the 12s won, all the girls formed a tunnel and cheered them through. Those 12U girls felt like the most important people in the world in that moment. This is CPD. I may not have been born and raised in Chicago, but from that moment on I was all in.
Favorite Water Polo Shot - A field block…. JK, shot - A post shot on a 6-on-5
Sigfredo Cruz
Sigfredo joined the coaching staff in October of ‘23. He has a long history of coaching in Chicago at both the age group and high school level. We are thrilled he has joined us, and we look forward to filling in his bio shortly.
Peter Weiser
Why CPD:
Favorite Sports Movie:
Favorite CPD memory:
Years of Experience with the parks/polo:
Favorite Water Polo Shot:
Nate Cruz
Why CPD:
Favorite Sports Movie:
Favorite CPD memory:
Years of Experience with the parks/polo:
Favorite Water Polo Shot:
Ivan Gomez
Why CPD -
Favorite Sports Movie -
Years of experience with the parks/polo -
Favorite CPD Memory -
Favorite Polo Shot -
Outside of the pool -
Nikita Kravtsov
Why CPD -
Favorite Sports Movie -
Years of experience with the parks/polo -
Favorite CPD Memory -
Favorite Water Polo Shot -
Former Coaches
Angelo Espinoza
Beto Garcia
Club Founding Co-Head Coach
Years as club coach: ~2006 to 2022
Luis Martinez
Working to complete this section - info welcome!
