Tipping the scales a ton on all ends

Rick Devereux

Hard work brings prosperity, and Brian Tipton worked so hard that the

entire aquatics program at Costa Mesa High prospered.

Tipton, the Mustangs’ Male Athlete of the Year, helped turn around

the swimming and water polo programs through his hard work and

dedication.

“Brian was committed to the program,” former swimming and water

polo coach Bob Shupp said. “The program was horrible when I took it

over [before Tipton’s sophomore year], he was one of the few bright

spots. He immediately became a team leader because the juniors and

seniors on the team wanted to do it old way of not working hard. He

had the future in front of him and worked so hard he was named the

Most Valuable Swimmer and Most Valuable Water Polo Player as a

sophomore.”

Tim Postiff, who was Tipton’s co-coach in water polo for one year

with Shupp and then the head coach last year, said Tipton’s work

ethic is what made him special.

“He worked harder than anyone,” Postiff said. “He would come to

practice early and stay later.”

Tipton knew that in order for him to achieve the level of success

he planned, he would need to devote himself to whatever endeavor he

undertook.

“I had to set goals and had to work hard to reach those goals,” he

said. “Coach Shupp showed me what can be accomplished if you work

hard at something.”

Tipton was a goalie for the Mustangs as a freshman, but the team

failed to win a league game, missed the playoffs for the second

straight year and finished with a losing record for the third

consecutive season.

Then Shupp came out of retirement to reinvigorate a program he

lead to prominence in his first stint as head coach from 1977-84.

Shupp guided the water polo team to a 6-12 record and Tipton was

named the MVP as a sophomore goalie and driver.

“Brian and myself wanted to make the program as good as we could

make it,” Shupp said. “Not for any selfish reasons, but because it

was the right thing to do.”

As a junior, Tipton spent all his time as the driver instead of in

the net, and was rewarded with his second team MVP award.

As a senior he led the Mustangs with 48 goals and Mesa finished

second in the Golden West League (15-8) and advanced to the CIF

Southern Section Division II playoffs. Tipton earned first-team

all-league status for his efforts.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily his ability [that set Tipton

apart],” Postiff said. “It’s his work ethic.”

Tipton credits his two coaches for helping change the fortunes of

the Costa Mesa aquatics program.

“It was nice to see a program that was in shambles turn around,”

he said. “It was mostly Coach Shupp and I when I was a sophomore.

Then Coach Postiff came in and really got involved when Shupp left.”

Shupp gives all the praise for restoring the program to the player

with the work ethic of Boxer from Orwell’s “Animal Farm.”

“Tipton wasn’t the biggest guy and he wasn’t overly gifted as an

athlete,” he said. “But he had some fire. He had fire to do well. He

loved the team. He loved water polo and swimming.”

Tipton helped Costa Mesa return to swimming glory even as a

freshman. His contributions to the 200-yard breaststroke relay squad

resulted in a trip to the CIF Southern Section Relays to return the

Mesa boys swim team to the Belmont Plaza Pool after not qualifying

for the event the year before.

By his junior year, Tipton’s hard work equated to a Golden West

League title. Tipton swam on the league-winning 200-yard medley team,

and he finished second in league in the 100 breaststroke and 200

individual medley to qualify for the CIF Division III preliminaries,

where he finished 16th in the breaststroke.

Tipton won the league title in the 200 IM and 200-medley relay as

a senior and came in second in the 100 breaststroke. He set a

personal record (1:05.58) in the 100 breaststroke at the CIF Southern

Section preliminaries.

Tipton will attend UC San Diego in the fall and hopes to be a math

teacher and water polo coach in the future. He said he will

concentrate on his academics his freshman year before trying out of

the water polo team as a driver his sophomore year. Those that knew

him have confidence that he will succeed in anything he tries because

of his strong work ethic.

“Wherever he wants to go in life he will get to because of his

work ethic,” Postiff said. “He worked hard at everything including

his academics. That’s why he’s able to go to UCSD.”

Tipton’s dedication made him memorable to those around him.

“He’s an overachiever,” Shupp said. “In my 30-odd years of

education and athletics, he will be a kid I will remember for a long

time because he was an all-around great kid.”

Tipton said he was proud of all he accomplished while at Costa

Mesa, including achieving his athletic goals.

“My goals were I wanted us to win more games in water polo and I

wanted us to go to CIF in swimming,” he said. “We won only one game

my freshman year and we won 15 by the time I was a senior in water

polo. And I was able to go to two CIF championships in swimming.”