|
In 1978 a Chaffey High School student graduated.In his sport of water polo
he made All-American.He achieved the same status at UC Irvine as well.
In 1996, 1997, and 1998 he made the USA Olympic Water Polo team, and in
1998 won a silver medal.
On September 11, 1999 he was inducted
into the Chaffey High School's Aquatics Hall of Fame and is the National
Scoring Leader in water polo.Who accomplished all this? Mike Evans.On September
24, he returned to CHS, where it all began, to meet and greet students,
pose for pictures, and sign autographs.
|
A champion maker and a champion. Coach Hauder
and Mike Evans pose with Chaffey pride. |
Today, Evans plays on a recreational water polo
team, and looks back on his accomplishments with a humble perspective.
“I’ve enjoyed it and had fun doing it. That’s the main thing.”
Being such an accomplished athlete, hanging
around with a bunch of teens wouldn’t seem like much fun. But not for Evans.
“I love it,” he admits. “It keeps me moving.”
The day was for the students, especially the
current water polo players. Coach Hauder, CHS’ Water Polo Coach, feels
Evans’ presence was a great example of how far dedication can take a person.
“With Mike being here, it’s a perfect example of a Chaffey water polo student
making it to the top of their sport,” Coach Hauder continues, “because
he walked the same hallways and played and practiced in the same pool they
do today.”
Coach Hauder also shared his ideas for the future
of the water polo team. “What we’re trying to do is link the past to the
present and rebuild a tradition.”
|
Olympian Mike Evans lunches with staff and students.
|
Evans’ homecoming definitely linked the past
with the present. Chaffey’s water polo program helped create a champion.
And hopefully someday, the students present at Chaffey now will return
and talk to the students about all of their accomplishments, just as Mike
Evans was gracious enough to do.
“It’s just so great,” proclaimed Coach Hauder.“I’m
so impressed that somebody of his stature, to that of the water polo community,
would come back to his old school.” Everyone can be proud of Chaffey’s
own Mike Evans. |
