Gabrielino High School has canceled its swim team for the 2025–26 school year due to the administration’s inability to hire a qualified coach, according to Principal Vince Lopez. The decision, announced via email, follows months of unsuccessful efforts and has left many swimmers disappointed.
Swimmers checked their emails to get a notification: “The swim team will be cancelled for the 2025–26 season.”
In the previous season, the swim team was able to find a coach at the last minute after having trouble securing one. This led to administrators, athletic directors, and even students stepping in to fill the gaps left by an inexperienced coach.
This season, after months of working to find a qualified coach, the administration made the difficult decision to cut the swim team for the 2025–26 season.
Principal Vince Lopez explained the athletic department’s reasoning that, “because we haven’t been able to secure a coach, it’s tough for us to do tryouts, to prepare students, and change schedules, and then to commit to a season.” Without a coach, they cannot notify venues, leagues, and facilities to start up the new season.
The swim team was a successful sport: winning multiple CIF and league championships. Many swimmers expressed their disappointment about the decision.
Senior Archie Lai is a dedicated swimmer. He was on the Gabrielino swim team for his entire high school career and has been on club teams for 11 years, swimming for the San Gabriel Sea Gulls and Arcadia Riptides.
“I’m a little disappointed at what’s going on,” Lai stated.
Lai was a team captain last year, being one of the students who had to fill in gaps for the coach last season. He said, “I feel like there should still be some effort to try and find these coaches and find a way to bring the program back.”
Junior Lorelai Hughes shared her and her family’s disappointment. She planned to pursue swimming for all four years of high school and has been with the San Gabriel Sea Gulls for the past five years.
Varsity swimmer Angelina Dieu explains, “I wasn’t surprised that the team got cut but I’m really sad about it.”
There have been numerous efforts made by the swimmers to change the decision, but unfortunately, none of them have yet to take off.
Despite the difficulties faced this year, there is still hope for the future. Lopez stated, “we’ve been piecing it together the last few years and we hope to try again next year to see if we can bring it back.”
He expressed hope that future generations of Gabrielino swimmers will still be able to enjoy this sport that has impacted students in so many ways.
Facing this disappointing news, swimmers reflected on what they’ll miss most about the swim team: the tournaments, the team spirit, and most importantly, the people.
Lai expressed the gratitude he feels that he got to create strong bonds with other members during his time on the team. “Whether it’s lessons or advice or things that aren’t in the aspect of swimming, they’ve changed my life for the better.”
Many other members felt similarly, including Dieu, who said that “the people there make the experience really meaningful and lively.”
Even through the cancellation of the swim team, the swimmers will forever hold the memories of the team with them, from water to land.
