Friday at Campbell’s Westmont High School, it’s Seniors Night. And no senior is more deserving of honor than long-time coach Taka "Sugi" Sugimoto.Friday at Campbell’s Westmont High School, it’s Seniors Night. And no senior is more deserving of honor than long-time coach Taka "Sugi" Sugimoto.
Since the end of the Jimmy Carter administration, Coach 'Sugi' as she’s affectionately called, has lived the Warriors creed at Westmont High. Her four-decade run started in the dugout for the softball team, and ends on the sidelines during Friday night’s final home badminton match. Coach "Sugi" shuns the spotlight, and didn’t think it would cause a fuss when earlier this year, she walked into the athletic director’s office and said it was time to retire. The coach, is months shy of turning 90 years old.
Perez admits he wasn’t born when coach "Sugi" started at the school. More than four decades later, she has a student body full of fans who say life won’t be the same without her.