Coasters: John Carpenter

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - One memorable day in the 1960s, John Carpenter’s

mother, at the time a den mother for Cub Scouts, packed up the troop and

headed out to tour the Newport Beach Lifeguards.

Carpenter was older, a Boy Scout. But during his merit-badge climb, he

never once saw what it was like inside a lifeguard station or knew how

those tanned, muscle-bound gentlemen in red trunks could swim so fast.

So he went along that day, signed up for the Newport Beach Junior

Lifeguards and became an aquatics standout at Costa Mesa High (circa

1971).

Part of an All-American 400-yard free relay team for the Mustangs,

Carpenter later played water polo for two years at Orange Coast College

and was a driver and playmaker on the 1973 state championship squad. The

year before, the Pirates finished as state runners-up.

“The best time I had was on that ’73 team that won a state JC title,

because all seven players who started had all played together at Mesa,”

said Carpenter, whose Mustangs reached the CIF Southern Section

quarterfinals in ’71. “By the time we all got to Orange Coast, there

wasn’t much to stop us.”

Carpenter, Estancia High’s longtime aquatics coach, went on to play

water polo for two years at Cal State Fullerton, which placed fourth at

the NCAA Championships in ‘75, when Carpenter was a senior.

But that fateful day at the Newport Beach Lifeguards ignited an

aquatics flame in Carpenter that has never ceased.

“Before that, I wasn’t into aquatics,” said Carpenter, who grew up in

Alhambra, lived in El Paso, Texas, for two years, then moved to Costa

Mesa with his family at age 11.

Carpenter hasn’t left since.

“I have no reason to leave,” said Carpenter, entering his 22nd year as

the Estancia boys water polo and swimming coach, winning one water polo

league championship (in the Sea View League) in 1979, his first year at

the helm.

“That was kind of a nice baptism, winning league my first year,” he

added.

Carpenter spent one year at Saddleback High in 1982-83, because of

mandatory staff reduction at Estancia forced by the Newport-Mesa School

District. But since the fall of ‘79, Carpenter has been synonymous with

Estancia aquatics, despite declining enrollment figures.

“When I first started, there were 2,200 to 2,300 kids and the teams

were very big,” he said. “There were full varsity and frosh/soph teams,

and 40 to 50 kids out for water polo and it was very competitive for

spots.”

Carpenter, who has struggled in recent years to fill roster spots,

said his most memorable Eagles squad was the ’79 title team with Joe

Drake, Rob Wyatt, Wing Lam (of Wahoo’s Fish Taco fame), Greg Carrol, Jeff

Donnell and goalie Rick Trom.

In the 1990s, Estancia produced several top-notch swimmers and water

polo players, including the trio of Bollenbach brothers: Ryan (circa

‘92), Adam (‘94) and Chad (‘96).

But the only water polo title team was in ’79. “That team, we made it

to the (CIF) quarterfinals against Newport Harbor, at Newport Harbor, and

I think we were only down 5-2 at halftime,” Carpenter said. “But (the

Sailors) ended up winning 12-5 or 12-6. They had three All-Americans,

including Tom Taylor (and CIF 4-A Player of the Year Mike Grier). They

had an awesome team that year.”

The only other league championship water polo team at Estancia came in

1976.

Even though Carpenter realizes there are schools in the district that

are considered aquatics powerhouses, he loves his job at Estancia, where

he started in driver’s education, taught math for a couple of years and

has been a science teacher for the last 16 years.

“I’ve enjoyed (teaching at Estancia) so much,” said Carpenter, who

returned to the graduate classroom and earned a biology credential, so he

could teach science.

These days, Carpenter lives a half-mile from Estancia High School, he

likes the administration and other faculty members and couldn’t think of

a better way to procure a steady paycheck than to teach and coach.

“So I have no reason to go anywhere,” said Carpenter.

Carpenter and his wife, Eileen, have been married 17 years and have

two daughters, Taylor, 10, and Kylie, 7.