Purpose, power, passion: McGuire family transforms aquatic sports culture at Tulare Western
The rise of the Tulare Western High School girls aquatics programs has been historical under head coach Jenna McGuire.
The Mustangs captured their first water polo league championship, a West Yosemite League title, for the first time in 21 years in 2022.
They followed that this past fall by repeating as WYL champions with a perfect 10-0 record. That sparked a deep postseason run as Tulare Western finished runner-up for the 2023 Central Section Division II championship.
Then in May, with McGuire also leading the charge as coach, the Mustangs made school history, becoming the first Tulare Western team to win a Central Section team championship in girls swimming by claiming the 2024 Central Section Division II plaque.
Anchoring both water teams was McGuire's daughter — Makayla McGuire.
How did Jenna McGuire elevate both programs?
"A big part of it was accountability," Jenna McGuire said. "I am a big fan of accountability. We have standards. We abide by those standards and if you don't, there's accountability from my people who are more used in practice to star-studded team members. I try to keep consistency so everybody knows, 'Hey, look, this is not going to fly. We have to make sure that we're performing at this level. We have to make sure that we're showing up for practice. We have to make sure that we have all of our gear that we need.' Those are kind of the things."
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The little things
For Jenna McGuire's teams, everything starts with the little things.
That meant preaching former legendary UCLA college basketball coach John Wooden's Pyramid of Success, which includes short and simple inspirational messages.
Jenna McGuire introduced small tasks such as "How to tie your shoes" or "How to put on your socks."
"That was a big inspiration for me," Jenna McGuire said. "We started with things like, 'We all wear the same polo on gameday.' So everybody has this uniformity, and people feel like they're part of the team."
That led to the team slogan: "Purpose, power, passion."
And it stuck.
"Everything you do, you do it with a purpose, with power and with passion," Jenna McGuire said. "That's our big thing. I think these little things really built our culture and to buy in, and wanting to build something great. That was a huge start."
A dedicated team-first mentality has also assisted in the Mustangs' elevation.
"I'm just so proud of them," Jenna McGuire said. "They come every day. They put in the work. They support each other. They love each other. I don't have the 'girl drama' that girl programs may experience or I don't have the jealousy issues that maybe people have experienced. I've been very blessed that everyone found their niche."
That was displayed in the Central Section Division II championship swim meet on May 4 at Sierra Pacific High School in Hanford.
The Mustangs did not have one student-athlete win an individual section title but did have a competitor for every event.
Tulare Western had a top-eight finish in every event except the 100-yard butterfly:
Savannah Goodwin (sixth place, 200-yard freestyle; seventh place, 500-yard freestyle)
Sierra Hodson (eighth place, 200-yard individual medley)
Makayla McGuire (fourth place, 100-yard freestyle; seventh place, 100-yard backstroke)
Lauren Starr (second place, 50-yard freestyle; seventh place, 100-yard breaststroke)
"I have a girl who loves doing the 200 IM and the butterfly," Jenna McGuire said. "Those are hard events to fill. I have a girl who loves to do the 100 free and 500 back. One who loves the 200 free and 500 free. There's not a lot fighting, 'Oh, that's what I want to swim. Can I swim that?' Everybody found their niche and has really taken ownership of that. I think that's a huge testament to the depth of our program and just how well they've been able to spread the wealth and support each other."
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A family sport
The McGuire family has been instrumental to Tulare Western's success in the pool.
Makayla McGuire has been one of the top Mustangs' standouts this school year.
In water polo, Makayla McGuire led the nation in scoring and registered a school-record 218 goals to lead the Mustangs to a 27-win season. In stats reported to MaxPreps.com, she ranked first nationally in goals and points (256).
High school water polo is played across the country in the fall, winter and spring seasons.
Makayla McGuire's stellar success rolled into the spring as well. She helped Tulare Western win the Central Section Division II's 200-yard freestyle relay championship, anchoring the Mustangs to a new school record at 1 minute and 43.80 seconds.
"I'm very blessed," Jenna McGuire said of her daughter. "She's a funny kid because she's very even. I don't ever see her get super upset. She's never super hyper. She's very even until she gets into that pool, whether it's water polo or swim, then it's like the flick of a switch and she's on. She's like this speedy, strong, compassionate person."
Makayla McGuire learned how to swim and play water polo from her mom.
Those two sports connected the mother-daughter duo and when Makayla McGuire reached the Tulare Western campus in 2022, there were already high expectations for the McGuires.
Why?
Because of their passion and love for swim and water polo.
"It's been a really good experience," Makayla McGuire said. "I could have totally loved a different sport but it's crazy that we both ended up loving the same ones. It's been such a good experience because she gets to come to every one of my things. It's not, 'Oh, is my mom going to come?' She gets to be here. She gets to be my coach and she gets to be so involved. It's like really, really good."
What's it like having mom as coach?
"It's definitely good but there are some aspects where it could be hard," Makayla McGuire said. "I'm definitely more comfortable with her as her own daughter but overall, I think it's really amazing because she gets to see my progress. How hard I'm working. She gets to see how I get to interact with my teammates. It's just not like she gets to me from the sidelines. She's in there and she knows what's happening. It's really cool."
How does Jenna McGuire separate her roles as coach and mom?
"It's really hard," said McGuire, who also teaches U.S. History and psychology at Tulare Western.
So much so that she sought advice early on from El Diamante coach Kristen Ruby, who previously coached her daughter, McKenna, during her swim and water polo days with the Miners.
"Sometimes, you have to say, 'Do you want my feedback as a mom or my feedback as a coach?'" Jenna McGuire said. "Some of those drives home, luckily, she has her license now so we don't always have to take the same car home, but back in the day, some of those long drive homes, she'd go, 'How do you think I did? Or how do you think I played? How do you think I swam?' I would say, 'Do you want the mom answer or the coach answer?' Sometimes, she says, 'The mom answer,' and I go, 'I'm so proud of you. You did great.' Sometimes, she wants the coach answer, 'Well, I thought you hit your turns not super great. I thought your dives were a little low.' It be feedback like that but kind of having boundaries like that that we both know. Those co-words."
Only a junior, Makayla McGuire will have the rest of her senior year next season to build even more lasting memories with her mother.
Has mom already looked ahead?
"Tears, tears, tears and lots of tears," Jenna McGuire said. "I wish that time could just stop right now. Stand still for just a little bit. Maybe not forever because there are still things that need to be accomplished but to just live in this moment, going on a Valley championship with her and enjoying it for a while. Next year is going to be sad, you know. She's my only daughter. We had so many good times here, and to watch her graduate and start off on a new path is going to be bittersweet. That's the best word to put it. I'm excited to see what she does but I'm sad to see her go."
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: McGuire family transforms aqautic sports culture at Tulare Western
