After Mutiny at Poolside, Calm Waters Return to El Dorado

Chris Ames, El Dorado’s first-year water polo coach, described his team’s season thus far as “interesting.”

Now there’s a slippery word, one that can describe a trip to Tibet or any film directed by David Lynch. Also very handy when that special someone asks what you thought of the tofu stew he/she served last night.

OK, so the 1991 edition of El Dorado water polo might not be quite that interesting. You be the judge.

But first, a look back.

A year or so ago, El Dorado was a team in turmoil. One of the county’s longtime powers was being torn apart by dissension. Players against coaches, coaches against players, parents against coaches, players against players . . . Plenty of vibes, all bad.

Plenty of blame, in every direction.

Many of the players pointed to the coach, John Bowman, as the source of the problem.

Bowman, a longtime assistant under Tom Milich, took over in the fall of 1989 when Milich accepted a position at Fresno State. It was not an easy spot to fill.

Milich, a tough but charming sort, made El Dorado water polo what it was--an Empire League power, the pride of North County, the most successful athletic program at the school.

Most of last year’s seniors had played for Milich since they were 10. He was respected and somewhat feared. He’d berate players and not allow them to play other sports, but he’d also treat them to weekend stays at his beach house and praise them for a match well played.

When he left, the respect for the head coach left with him.

Bowman, a math teacher at El Dorado, admits he is not a great communicator, by any means. Neither is he particularly charismatic, as Milich was. Partly because of this, Bowman’s relationship with the players suffered from the beginning.

There were too many strong personalities, he said. Too many players who wanted him to be something he wasn’t. He spent a lot of time yelling.

But players yelled back, and Bowman says he didn’t know how to respond. He’d threaten discipline, but he wouldn’t go through with it. Team chemistry turned to anarchy. There was mutiny by the minute.

Some of the players’ parents went to the principal demanding Bowman be fired. Early last fall, they got their wish--sort of.

John Kolias, a walk-on, replaced Bowman but Bowman stayed on, technically as a varsity assistant and freshman/sophomore coach, a position he still holds.

But things didn’t improve. The Golden Hawks, who entered the 1990 season touted as the most talented team in the state, got knocked out of the Southern Section playoffs in the first round.

By all accounts, it was a very bad year. Kolias quit, saying he needed a teaching job. Ames was hired as his replacement.

Ames, a standout for El Dorado in the mid-1980s, had heard the horror stories but figured he could handle it. His only previous coaching had been the 1988 season at St. John Bosco, not exactly a water polo power. But he led the team to a league title and the second round of the playoffs--the furthest the program had gone to that point.

Coaching a powerhouse program such as El Dorado would be a breeze, he thought.

Until he met the El Dorado players. After two years of nearly running their own show, many of them weren’t about to give in to another new coach.

Especially Ames, a 25-year-old who looks more like 18.

“At first, I’d tell them to do something and they’d just refuse,” Ames says. “They’d talk back. They’d complain. . . . I had my doubts for a while, wondering if I was going to be able to pull it off.”

He did. El Dorado got off to an 8-0 start, won the league title and, with a 3-2 victory over Tustin Friday, advanced to the second round of the 4-A playoffs.

The Golden Hawks (19-8) will play host to Capistrano Valley (23-4), the second-seeded team, Tuesday afternoon.

Ames can’t take all of the credit, though. Bowman has helped the program in many ways. Although some of the players still harbor ill feelings, they admit that when it comes to water polo, he knows what he’s talking about.

Although he specifically requested that Bowman not do any on-deck coaching most of the season, Ames is now having Bowman join him on the bench during games. Ames says Bowman has taught him some technical things and praises his organizational skills. Bowman says Ames has shown him what good communication skills can do for a coach.

It’s working out for the players, too.

“A year ago, I figured, ‘My senior year? Oh well. We’ll be lucky just to win league,’ ” team captain Jason Gall said. “I never thought it would turn out this good. I never would’ve even imagined it.”

Or thought it would have been this interesting.

Barbie Ludovise’s column appears Wednesday and Sunday. Readers may reach Ludovise by writing The Times Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, 92626 or by calling 966-5847.