Coach Dopf

I started playing water polo my freshman year at Fontana High School.  I was one of  the  few freshmen on the inaugural Women’s Water Polo team that lasted all four years through high school.  I have NO idea what made me want to play polo…I went in to high school a die hard softball player. I had played softball since I was 4 years old and my all-time goal in life was to make the varsity team once I got to FoHi.  BUT water polo was played during a different season and I’m not sure what made me think it was a good idea but either way…I’m very happy I did start playing polo. I ended up being part of the varsity team all 4 years both in water polo and softball. And after thinking my whole life I’d play softball in college, I was very ready to  hang up the cleats upon graduation and say good bye to softball!! I went on to “play” water polo at Riverside Community College and then again at California State University San Bernardino. This is my water polo picture from my senior year in high school…back in 2000!

Now I  say “played” at RCC because those first two years I did a lot of watching (from the bench) and cheering (from the bench) Oh and don’t let me forget taping the games from the sidelines too haha. I was NO where near as good as my team-mates and I was ok with that but I can’t explain to you how much fun I still had while being part of the RCC Women’s water polo team.

When I walked onto the pool deck at RCC in August 2000 I thought I was a decent player…never realizing that I was coming from Fontana which was NOT a very good program (I was SO CLUELESS!!!). Coach Dopf was the girls coach at RCC and a well known Fontana guy. He coached at FoHi in the 80’s and tried coaching my team at FoHi but lost that coaching job b/c of politics. Coach Dopf was an amazing man to me…he knew I wasn’t a great player but found a place in his heart for me and a place for me on the RCC team. I worked hard, tried my best and just had fun!!!

 

This was just the freshman class in ‘00 in Morro Bay, California!

 

 

 

 

Pics From my sophomore year…including a swim banquet pic…

Sorry like I said the picture quality it horrible.  But during those 2 years I made some amazing memories and even more amazing friends whom I still hold dear to me today!

I continued to play polo at CSUSB, had an amazing time and actually PLAYED! All that watching, taping and analyzing from the deck really paid off!!

But back to Dopf!! He never drifted far from my life! After leaving RCC I met a young man (who is now my hubby!)…and he just so happened to have played polo for Coach Dopf as well…but way before me in the mid 90’s at Chaffey College.  When I started dating Yosh, Coach Dopf called me…wanted to make sure I knew that he also knew Yosh and that he approved of us dating! Dopf was seriously like a father figure, whether I wanted it or not haha!!!  When Yosh and I got married Dopf was there to help us celebrate. Yosh and I started coaching polo together at Roosevelt, Dopf would come to a lot of our games to cheer us on (and recruit for his Chaffey team too of course).  But in 2009 when I was diagnosed with cancer Coach Dopf was one of the first people to call and check on us. During my treatment, a friend had a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society…and Dopf and Paula showed up (along with other friends and college coaches)! But I got the chance to sit with the Dopfs and just catch up and chat. I remember that evening so well…I was so uncomfortable from being bald, heavier than usual, Owen was squirmy, I had many hot flashes all night…oh it was just a rough night. And I was very emotional for some reason…not often did I cry during treatment…but that night it was different. I sat at the table at BJ’s and just cried from stories that Coach Dopf was sharing about his family and illness. It was weird.

After many many years of coaching…Dopf has decided to finally retire from coaching water polo (he is continuing to coach swimming at Chaffey College for I’m not sure how long)…and last night TONS of his old players came together to surprise him and celebrate! Dopf’s assistant coach, Jen Moon and daughter Tina, started planning this surprise back in June. They created a secret facebook page as  a way to get in contact with as many past players as possible. The plan was that at the end of their Chaffey Water Polo banquet, we’d all walk in and surprise him. And man it worked…it was so cool to see his face…just shocked!

 

Those sitting were attending the banquet…and all those standing in the back were a tiny portion of his past players!

 

 

 

Yosh had soo much fun catching up with old teammates. Some of the guys he hasn’t seen in over 15 years!! It was cute to see him switching numbers and talking about organizing play dates with dudes!! haha And the generations of polo was cool too…some of the athletes we coached ended up also playing for Dopf…it was like keeping it in the family!! haha

Thank you for being so supportive to me and my family Coach Dopf. You mean so much to us!!!! You have been a rock for me during some of the most difficult times in my life…when I came to play for you at RCC in August of 2000 I was emotionally a mess…my brother was killed 5 months prior to me walking on that deck…whether you or I realized it or not, I needed you and that team during those times. Some of my darkest days back then were brightened by being a RCC Tiger and getting the therapy through exercising, swimming and playing water polo!! And again in 2009…yes 9 years later you were there again when I was battling for my life. The phone calls and deck appearances were always nice and comforting!! Thank you!! You are a special person to many people…and like Tina Rivera said last night at the party…”you have the ability to seriously make everyone feel like they were your favorite” Congratulations on your retirement from coaching…it seriously takes a special person to do it for so long and be so successful! Heck I “retired” from coaching polo after 3 long years! haha

I love looking back at pictures from college…it was so fun…and I would totally go back and do it all over again…(a little differently though).