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| Wednesday, July 16 |
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| Cruising at Coronado By Mark A. Woodworth SchoolSports.com | |||
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They are the best two players on the best water polo team in San Diego, Calif. They have both won All-America honors, and they are both incredible students. But Jon Hopkins and Jesse Smith, the only two seniors on the Coronado High boys' water polo team, can't really explain their personal success without invoking their team and their coach, Randy Burgess. "We have two practices a day and we're all really focused," says Hopkins, the captain of the team. "We're all friends. When you have a good team to work with, it helps. You can't be just an individual." "Mr. Burgess gives the players at Coronado an opportunity to play with other players," adds Smith. "That's how I've gotten better, by playing with older players." But it can't be as simple as that, can it? Coronado, winner of 13 of the last 19 San Diego Section titles, is, in short, a dynasty. In a community surrounded by water, it's only natural that the town's children grow up with the goal of swimming or playing water polo for the high school. With coach Randy Burgess keeping an eye on the burgeoning talent in the youth ranks, it seems like Coronado is always able to reload. Then, there is the commitment from the players. When Hopkins describes a typical week working out in the summer, it almost sounds like a job. "We have morning practice in the summer every day at 4:45 until 7," says Hopkins, who also plays varsity basketball and was the CIF runner-up in doubles tennis with his brother Tom, a junior, last spring. "There's weight training in the middle of the day, three times a week, night practices on Thursday, games on Wednesday and tournaments on Saturday." That type of commitment reaps dividends. Hopkins and Smith were both named All-American water polo players last season. Smith has been an All-American since his freshman season and played for the U.S. Junior National team in the Junior Pan-Am Games in Venezuela this summer. Hopkins was named the SchoolSports.com San Diego water polo Player of the Year last season, thanks in large part to his 72 assists and 105 steals. Smith was named the San Diego Union-Tribune's 1999 water polo Player of the Year after leading his team in scoring with 95. "I think it's because I live next to the beach and I swam as a child, so water polo is something to do in the water," says Smith. "It just turned out to be really fun." "I have the desire to wake up (for practice) because it's fun," says Hopkins, who scored 87 goals last season. "You think to yourself, it's another chance to better yourself." Both players have the same approach in the classroom, where they somehow manage to not only get their schoolwork done, but perform exceptionally well. "My grades have been higher outside of water polo season, but I think it's a good experience because it really works on your time management," says Hopkins, who is interested in attending M.I.T. or Princeton, among other colleges. "You don't have time to sit around and do nothing." Despite Hopkins' and Smith's accomplishments -- both in and out of the pool -- neither seems comfortable taking any attention or kudos away from Coronado and its water polo program. "There's a lot of people better than I am," says Smith. "For my age, I guess I'm pretty good. When I was a freshman and I saw the seniors and stuff, I'd just try to keep up with them. That's how I got better. You make mistakes, then you learn from mistakes. You have to find a good coach. It's about the program."
Material from SchoolSports.com.Visit their web site at www.schoolsports.com | |
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