Viking coach Tom Atwell (far right), in his 25th year
on campus, holds his favorite tennis ball--a stress
reducer--as his players get ready for the opening
sprint Fri., Dec. 5., at Rancho Bernardo High.
(Photo by Ed Piper)
By Ed Piper
Coach Tom Atwell keeps up a pretty "crazy" schedule.
Someone commented on that.
Under his black cap, peeking up, pool-side, he chuckled a little. "Not getting much sleep," he said, in a conversation before La Jolla's girls water polo team took on LCC Friday, Dec. 5. "After the game (a night game--the Viking boys competed in the semifinals of the Southern California Regionals Thurs., Nov. 27, at Coggan Complex), I drove a van up to Manhattan Beach with 15 girls.
"The next day we toured UCLA. Nick Thomson (older brother of senior Nate) is a sophomore there. He plays for a club team.
"Nick is in a group of six guys who scrimmage against the UCLA women's team." (Pretty elite experience.)
The visit was good, Atwell, somehow, was good, then the team, coach, and van departed for Ventura, an hour-plus away, for the first tournament of the season.
"We played well," he said.
Atwell, in his 25th year teaching and coaching at LJHS after a short stay at Scripps Ranch, teaches AP European History, and coaches all three seasons, fall, winter, and spring--boys water polo, girls water polo, and swimming.
When he finds himself with extra time on his hands, he is running ultramarathons to raise money for cancer. If you ever see him run his many miles on the Edwards Stadium track, running in the evening, overnight (with rest breaks), and into the next day, don't cross the track at the wrong time. (He had to tell this reporter one time to watch out as he buzzed by on mile number zillion.)
All for a great cause, near and dear to his heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment