The Toughest Goodbye
The girls being recognized at the rally held before CIF finals.
February 22, 2023
The Millikan Girls Water Polo team has had an amazing 2022-2023 regular season. Like with all sports, there were many ups and downs, but the team has come a long way these past few years under the administration of Coach Jose Guzman.
Last summer, June 2022, Millikan Administration and the Aquatics program were made aware of Coach Guzman’s retirement after the 22-23 season, after coaching at Millikan for a decade. As one can expect, this has been tough on the team. Some of these girls have been working with Coach Guzman for four years which makes it an even harder goodbye, given that they have built a strong bond.
Coach Guzman recruited Alika Naone, Farrah Martin, and Sophie Garcia to support all three water polo teams. These measures have given Guzman the ability to give this last season his all and leave this chapter of his life on a positive note. He believes that the team’s success is owed to the assistant coaches, student athletes, and their dedication to the sport.
This year, the team has moved up to Division 2, putting them against some tough Division 1 teams. This season they played Corona del Mar, Yucaipa, Huntington Beach, and Mira Costa high schools. Although these have been tough games, the team holds a record of 4-0 for Moore League and have been ranked first in division 2 for CIF.
“We have been ranked first since the beginning of the season. However, that doesn’t mean diddly squat unless you are successful in the postseason,” said Guzman. “Last year we got carried away, but we learned from that mistake and we are not trying to repeat the same mistakes.”
PEACE senior and team Captain Jennine Osorio, agrees that the season has brought challenges. She believes that the girls push each other on a daily basis to be the best versions of themselves in and out of the pool. “We are all very, very close,” she said “I think what sets us apart from other teams is how much love we have for each other and how we want each and everyone of our teammates to succeed.”
These girls have been putting their blood, sweat and tears to bring home the CIF title for Millikan and Guzman’s last season. They have been putting in 25-30 hours a week of training to keep them on track and reach their goals. Coach Guzman is very proud of the team even though they didn’t win CIF, but these girls made history which is something they should carry with them forever.
Guzman leaves an amazing legacy and a group of amazing athletes with the best skill-set possible. He believes in each and every one of his athletes, and wishes the girls nothing but success, happiness, and prosperity wherever life takes them.
Rylee Noel • Mar 1, 2023 at 11:21 am
On February 22, Tere Quezada wrote an article titled “The Toughest Goodbye” The article talks about the retirement of the girls water polo coach Jose Guzman. She talks about his announcement last year that after this season he will be retiring, after being the coach for over a decade here at Millikan high school. This year alone he helped lead our girls water polo team all the way to cif finals, also moved them up to a division two ranking. He has had a huge impact for the team and it will be hard for many players, especially the ones who he’s been coaching the longest. Tere Queszada does a great job of emphasizing the achievements that Coach Guzman has accomplished with the team. She also does a great job of giving credit to the team and the work that they have put in. Not only does she express the outside achievements, she got an inside point of view from Coach Guzman but also team Captain Jennine Osorio. These inside points of view give us an inside take on the work that they have put in all season but also these past years. Even though this is a sad time for the team it is a close of one chapter and now the start of the new.
Devon Fletcher • Mar 1, 2023 at 10:05 am
I am on the water polo team and can concur with everything stated. Though I am a junior and have not been with Coach Jose as long as other girls, I have connected with him over the past three years. He dedicated so much time and effort to our program and cares about each and every athlete. I remember specifically one afternoon practice at the Belmont pool. It was an especially bright day and we were squinting through the sun to catch sight of the ball as we warmed up. After passing, Coach Jose huddled everyone together and began one of his many inspirational speeches. This one was different and is one of the reasons it will be such a tough goodbye for me. He spoke to the team about how he makes an effort to learn how each of us athletes learns individually. He gave examples of how while one girl may need more strict feedback to remind herself to push herself to her limits, another may need positive reassurance and one on one conversations to best succeed. After this, it felt as though my relationship with Jose continued to get better. I recognized through rough times, he was only testing to see what is best for me and had all good intentions. The more time I spent at practice, as the article says it was quite a lot, the better my bond with Coach Jose, the team, and the sport became. Jose was a special coach and will be greatly missed. Rather than being sad, I will continue to look at the history we have made and the contributions and lessons he has left us. Thank you for shedding light on our team.
Lucian Rankin • Mar 1, 2023 at 9:52 am
On February 22nd, Tere Quezada wrote a title articled “The Toughest Goodbye” I’m on the boy’s water polo team, and after my season was done, I watched some of the girl’s games and I can attest that it really was an amazing season. One of the best parts was the state game we had here at Millikan, I had to pay to get in, which was amazing, I’ve never seen a high school water polo game I had to pay to see. Even better, during the game there were sponsorships for the CIF like Nike or other big brands, read out by ben our awesome pool guy. I hope some profits went towards the team because they deserve it. It was a crazy game, players would pass the ball into set, and they would wrestle for control, one player’s arm barely moving forward before ripping the ball into the goal. It truly was an awesome season, and I hope that Jose found some satisfaction in this success, and I hope the girls did as well. And most of all, I hope that future generations of water polo players at Millikan can learn from these players, and become better for the future.