He's also Taylor Dent's dad. Taylor has won four ATP singles titles during his career, and was also the 1996 CIF singles champion while he attended CdM.
"For tennis, Southern California is one of the toughest places to play tennis in the country," said Damion, who is headed to UC Santa Barbara. "It helps that Southern California is such a breeding ground for tennis. Also, it helps that we live in an affluent area, because tennis is expensive. Outside of the high school tennis, everyone on the team had really good coaches. That helps a lot."
Ask the Corona del Mar High volleyball players who got to play in this summer's Junior Olympics, and they'd probably say that helped out a lot, too. Recent graduates like UCLA-bound Julianne Piggott, as well as incoming seniors like Gus Ellis on the boys' side, went to the Junior Olympics with the instruction of coaches like Orange Coast College head man Travis Turner, who coached the Balboa Bay Club Volleyball Club team that Ellis helped lead to a third-place finish in the Gold division 18s.
Some different experiences than just heading on a school bus for a Pacific Coast League match at Beckman, to be sure. But these off-campus adventures are also key reasons why the Corona del Mar High athletic program had a banner year in 2006-07, capturing a section-high five CIF Southern Section titles.
Wednesday the Daily Pilot featured the reasons for the success, including CdM's achievements in the classroom and a stable of more-than-competent coaches.
But the CIF titles probably also wouldn't be possible without a very positive environment in which to play sports. More than passing grades and aggressive coaching, it's about being given opportunities to succeed.
In the Back Bay, sports clearly don't take a back seat for many families.
It's not always talked about openly, but one of the edges CdM enjoys is money — and Newport Beach is one of the wealthiest places in California.
