May 13, 2025, is the last official day this year’s seniors have before they move on from FHC and start a new chapter of their lives. But for senior Nora Magers, a lot is going to happen between now and then.
For starters, spring break will be around in about a month, but more importantly, water polo season starts on Monday.
For any normal person, that may not seem like quite a big deal, but for Magers, it’s her senior season and her last time ever participating in a sport for the Rangers. While she’s ready to move on from high school, she’s not quite ready to leave her team.
“One thing I’m going to really miss about polo is the girls,” Magers said. “I have met some of my best friends through this team, and it’s going to be sad leaving them.”
Nora has been on the Forest Hills Water Polo team since her freshman year of high school, but she has been involved in the program since middle school. Since then, she has excelled as a leader in and outside of the pool.
Magers was nominated for a captainship role for the upcoming season, but it’s not something that she has taken lightly. She recognizes the responsibility that is associated with the position, and she also knows that she is ready to assume the role.
“Being a captain this year really means a lot,” Nora said. “I was put in the position because the girls voted for me last year, and I want to live up to their expectations and make the atmosphere of the team more cohesive.”
While Nora has been preparing for the season on her own time in the offseason by participating in both club swim and club polo, one thing she could not prepare for was the unexpected news that the team received just last week about their coaching situation.
Yet, despite that, Magers isn’t phased at all. She has goals that are focused more on her team and what she needs to do to help them find success in the new season.
“Due to us having a new coach and a younger team this year, a lot of my goals have changed,” Nora said. “However, my main goal this season is to teach the younger players how to play more efficiently and to set a good example for the underclassmen. Overall, I hope that our team can work together to make it past the regionals.”
For the team to make it to regionals, which they have been able to do the past 2 years, teamwork and communication will need to be of the utmost importance. Water polo is too much of a team sport for those factors to be left out of the game.
The amount of teamwork and communication will foster as the team makes its way through the season, but it’s also the reason why Magers is excited about the number of games the team has this year.
“I’m really looking forward to all of the tournaments that we have coming up,” Nora said. “It’s a great way to grow as a team, and it’s where a lot of the bonding takes place.”
Focusing on helping the team is not the only thing Magers has on her mind.
After high school, she’ll be going on to GVSU to study exercise science on a pre-physical therapy track and maybe even play for their club polo team.
Yet, as Nora looks forward to what is sure to come, she can’t leave FHC without reminiscing on what her time on the polo team has taught her. It’s something that she’ll even be able to apply to her life outside of school.
“Polo has taught me that just going through the motions isn’t going to get you anywhere,” Magers said. “You have to really want to move forward and grow to see any changes.”
But of course, every career has to come to an end, eventually. While Magers has just a few months left as a Ranger and as a member of the water polo team before making the transition into a laker, she’s going to cherish all the time she has left.
Nora is also as committed to her role as a captain as she’ll ever be. Even though she will be gone next year and will be leaving the role of leader in a different set of hands, she’ll leave her teammates with a lasting piece of advice.
“One piece of advice I have for the younger teammates is don’t beat yourself up over the small things. No one will remember the one shot you didn’t make, so just keep moving forward!”
