Plummer Leaves Water Polo Program He Founded

February 10, 2017

Charlie Plummer, founder of the water polo program at Cate, is congratulated at his final home game of his career. ©Ashleigh Mower for Cate School

1986 brought all sorts of new elements to the American lexicon. People were rooting for a young man playing hooky from school in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and felt the need for speed in Top Gun. Cate athletics also saw some change that year, as the first ever water polo team took to the pool led by science teacher Charles Plummer. 2017 will mark Plummer’s final year on the Mesa after guiding team after team of Rams water polo players.

The program started at the request of two students, Mark Metherell ’87 and Joe Ueberroth ’87. Mr. Plummer, being the servant he is, took the reigns of the program in its first year. The boys had heard a rumor swirling around campus that the physics teacher had a deep background in the sport. Those rumors, as many often are, turned out to be exaggerated, as Mr. Plummer had just one season of water polo under his belt. Mr. Plummer and his can-do spirit didn’t let that stop him; he picked up books on coaching the game and jumped in head first.

Much has changed for Cate water polo between then and now. The first goals in the pool were a humble creation, constructed of simple PVC pipe from campus. When the team first began, there was little to no experience from the student body; everyone was new to the game and in true Cate fashion, learned on the job. Water polo started as a boys sport at Cate, with a few girls joining the boys team before forming their own squad (a team Mr. Plummer would also coach at different points throughout his Cate career) thanks in large part to former math teacher Erin Habelt.

With a team of novices and very humble equipment, Mr. Plummer had his work cut out for him to turn this program into a winner. However, in just four years the team went from learning the rules of the game to competing for a spot in the CIF Playoffs. Plummer’s teams would become mainstays in the CIF playoffs throughout his coaching tenure, including this year’s crop of Rams.

Whether it’s the coaches he’s been poolside with or the student-athletes he’s impacted, Plummer’s water polo legacy will continue to live on at Cate. He laid the groundwork and foundation for a program that is always competitive. In true Plummer fashion, he succinctly summed up what he’ll miss the most about leaving coaching.

“Interaction with the players.”

The feeling is mutual.