Maestas leaves fields for success in the water

After 11 years of playing soccer competitively, a stress fracture in his back forced Tiane Maestas to find a new venue to feed his need for competition.

The move proved to be a successful one as Maestas has starred for Fallbrook High School as a swimmer, diver and water polo player, and just recently, he was named as one of Fallbrook High's Senior Athletes of the Year.

As captain of the swim team, he swam the 100-meter breaststroke and 100-meter butterfly during his four years on the Warriors varsity team and was a league champion.

This past fall, he was named to the San Diego Senior All-Star Team in water polo after being named first team all-league, scoring 87 goals even though he missed three games.

Before that, during his freshman year, he was league champion as a diver.

"I'm very proud of my water polo accomplishments because of how well I did individually," Maestas said. "We had a rough year as a team but I managed to do really well under (the) circumstances."

Though the Warriors had a rough year in water polo, Maestras said he is proud of his team for beating Del Norte High School – a team they had rarely beaten – even though they weren't playing well.

Maestras said he just loves to compete.

"I'm always much happier when I'm healthy, in shape and actively working out," he said. "I always feel so much better and have so much fun playing sports. I'm a very competitive person and that shows when I play. Competing is a big part of my personality and that has only been shaped by sports."

Water polo gave him a great opportunity to act on that competitiveness.

"Water polo is said to be the hardest sport out of all sports, outside of wrestling, and the physical shape it puts you in is very rewarding," Maestras said. "I've always loved working out, and I like how hard the practices are because of that. I also think it's just such a cool concept. It's like soccer but in the water. I've also always loved swimming and have known how to swim since a very young age. My family is Polynesian, and a lot of my uncles played water polo, so I thought it would be fun too.

Water polo and swim are just some of the most rewarding sports for your body and extremely fun inside and out of a competitive field."

He said his favorite memory in sports came early on at Fallbrook High.

"My favorite memory is my first-ever morning practice," Maestras said. "I have to wake up at 5 a.m. to be in the water swimming at 6 a.m. They put me in with the varsity team because I was better than all the incoming freshman, but I just remember how hard it was for me.

"It makes me think about how far I've come. I've come from a full-on soccer player and runner to a full-on swimmer/water polo player," he said.

Maestras said he plans on playing club or intramural during his time as a student at University of California San Diego but won't be playing on the team, and that's OK with him.

"I just plan to stay active and work hard with my studies," he said. "I'm going to UCSD under a physics major."

Maestras said he would thank Warriors coach Bill Richardson for inspiring him to push himself to be the best he can be, and for "being one of the most level headed and supportive people I have ever met.

"He is the most talented coach I have ever met. He really knows how to teach his sports and does it very effectively," Maestras said.

Get to know Tiane Maestas

Favorite subject in school?

"Math, computers and most of all physics. I'm not very good with English or anything of the sort, but I love the sciences and math. I'm majoring in physics, and it is my favorite subject because it's the explanation for how everything we know works and how everything we know might even be false."

Favorite teacher?

"I don't have a favorite teacher. I have had a lot of very good teachers but I have no favorite."

Favorite band/musical artist?

"My favorite artist is Jon Bellion. He is the most underrated and one of the most talented music creators of this generation."

Favorite TV show?

I don't watch TV.

Favorite movie?

"The Lion King" and "Avengers Endgame"

Favorite book?

"A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking

Jeff Pack can be reached by email at [email protected].