Generations of Sharks return to the pool for spirited competition, community pride, and celebration
Bradley Schmidt, a 1996 Malibu High graduate and a goalkeeper on the school’s first boys water polo team, was facing down Malibu Sharks boys water polo player Ryder Lippman — many decades Schmidt’s junior — who had the ball in hand and his eyes trained on scoring in the final two minutes of the Sharks’ annual alumni game at Malibu High School on Nov. 29.
Schmidt, playing on a team of older Sharks alumni, deflected Lippman’s scoring attempt. However, Lippman, competing with a mix of current Sharks and younger alumni, gathered the ball and hurled it around Schmidt for a goal.
Moments later, history repeated itself. Schmidt stopped a scoring toss, but his opponent snatched the ball again and scored.“I can only get the first one, guys,” Schmidt shouted with a laugh. The older alumni still got the win though. The squad, composed of past Sharks from the ’90s, 2000s, and 2010s, beat their younger counterparts 14-11 in front of a crowd of cheering Sharks family members, friends, and supporters. Before the boys alumni match, a squad of girls Sharks water polo players defeated the current girls team 11-10 in an action-packed contest.
Schmidt, a member of Malibu’s inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2018, called the match exhausting, but noted how much he enjoys competing against younger Sharks in the yearly contest.
“It’s a very challenging match to play against these youngsters,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for them. They weren’t making me work too hard, but it always feels good to get a block. My problem today was I could only make the first block, and then I would sink after that.”
Hayden Goldberg, a Sharks alum and the head coach of the boys and girls teams, said it is always great to see so many familiar faces.
“I’m really excited that this game is continuing,” he said. “The alumni guys were in shape and good to go. Once the guys got on the deck, they forgot their aches and pains — it’s go, go, go and we love it. It’s awesome.”
Around 60 Malibu alumni competed in the spirited clashes between generations, which have happened almost annually since the late 1990s.
Past Sharks, family members, and coaches — including Goldberg and longtime head coach Mike Mulligan, who founded the alumni game — greeted each other with hugs and high fives. Some alumni wore Malibu water polo T-shirts in celebration of the program, which has posted winning season after winning season since its founding in 1992.
The girls alumni team held a 7-4 advantage before the high school squad pulled within a point while Goldberg encouraged the teens from the pool deck and goalkeeper Neko Kincaid from the goal.
“Defense!”
“Gotta press!”
The older bunch scored once more to take an 8-6 halftime lead.
The high schoolers tied the match after halftime when the alumni turned the ball over. The teams traded goals — after the high schoolers scored a supporter yelled “Baby Sharks!” — until the game was tied 10-10.
Tallula Murphree scored the match’s final goal, giving the alumni squad a one-point win.
Goldberg said the match was a great show which featured talented players who exemplified Malibu water polo.
“It was a one-goal game that was close all the way to the end,” he said. “I have girls that got better today by playing against the older girls. I am really stoked.”
The younger Malibu squad scored first in the boys alumni game. But the alumni team stormed back and snatched a 4-1 lead after a cross-pool pass led to a goal. The younger Sharks scored their second point in the waning moments of the first quarter.
After a back-and-forth second quarter, the alumni side led 9-5 at halftime.
The mixed bunch of high schoolers and alumni from the 2020s struck twice in the third quarter before the older alumni team managed to score twice, grabbing an 11-7 lead by the end of the period.
The older team had a 13-9 lead when Lippman scored around Schmidt. The younger squad scored again before alumni team sealed their four-point win with a final goal.
Patrick Jensen, also a member of the first Sharks boys team, swam a lot this year in anticipation of the alumni match.
“I still wasn’t in enough shape,” joked Jensen, whose son, Costes Jensen, is a member of the current team. “I have to say those boys have a lot of gas in their tank and it gives you a lot of respect for what they do because it’s hard. The whole Malibu water polo program is just awesome.”
Schmidt said the only times he plays water polo now are in the alumni games, so he expects to slip on a water polo cap next November.
“It’s been a while since I actually felt like I could play the game,” he explained. “I’ll probably be back exactly one year later to play again though.”
Joshua Watts, Schmidt’s teammate in high school, is never surprised about the amount of people who participate in the annual game.
“There are a lot of people who hold the water polo team in high regard,” he said.
Mulligan, Malibu’s assistant coach, hoped the alumni game helped the younger Sharks realize they have lifelong friends who they can play water polo with.
“The water polo community is a tight-knit group who is always there to support one another,” he said.
Malibu High School Water Polo Alumni Game Photos by Steven Lippman