S1E2 – Jesse Smith
Jesse has an extensive history in the game of water polo. Recently Jesse has joined the 5 Olympics club participating in the Tokyo Olympics as the Team USA Captain.
Jesse played for Pepperdine University and has played Internationally in the Pan Americas game and FINA Super Finals. He has also played professionally in Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Italy and Montenegro.
Jesse played for Coronado High School in San Diego where he continues to live in southern CA where he is currently coaching soccer and being a father to 5 kids!
Jesse is also an author of the children's book Wally The Water Polo Walrus…
Want to leave a message or make a comment that we can use in the show? Hit the link and go!
Podcast Transcript
All right. We're live here with Jesse Smith and Genai Kerr, Jesse, it's a fantastic honor to have you on the show here with us today. Obviously you have an extensive history in the game of water polo, uh, and just most recent accomplishments joining the five Olympics club with a friend and teammate, uh, Tony Acevedo.
Right? And so that, and team USA, captain, I think, as in terms of review of your career, you played at Pepperdine, uh, have played internationally in both pan AMS, as well as Phoenix, super finals played professionally in Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Italy, Montenegro, um, and then graduated from Cornetto high school in San Diego where you continue to live in San Diego.
I'm not sure if you're in corenatto or not. But I do know that you have five kids and you're also in the five kid clubs. So you share that with me. So like five kids, five Olympics, I can only be on one of those. Right. And feel completely three kids, three kids for deny, but a step up my game. And then also just recently been published and an author and publisher of a children's book, Wally, the water polo walrus.
So Jay, uh, Jesse, welcome to the game on water polo pod. Thank you very much, Sean. Thanks Jenna. That's a great intro. Uh, you hit everything. Yeah, that's uh, that's what I've been doing for 20 years working with, uh, some amazing athletes, some amazing coaches try to, uh, help the U S get a metal help, uh, help our team win has been the goal and just finished up in Tokyo.
Uh, I mentioned on our pre, uh, pre-briefing that, uh, I've been working full time. And so, so life continues, you know, it seems like yesterday the games were over and uh, and here we are, it's already October. Um, at the time of recording this, so I'm very, very happy to be here. And, uh, I saw some of, some of the work that your company was doing with the broadcasting Joe's, which I think you guys did a great job in a couple of parents had mentioned that you can watch them streaming online.
So I thought, I wasn't sure who had done that. And, uh, so that's some feedback for you guys apparently did a good job. I, I felt we did a good job. I was, the Janai was, uh, was, uh, did some color color on some of the championship games and we had a ton of fun. It was, it was a great, and that during junior Olympics was kind of, when I had that thought.
Jenna. And I worked pretty well together. This is pretty fun. And like, it would be fun to talk. He has a little bit wider network of people in the water polo world than I do, but I have the microphones. So it works out that way. We actually shipped the microphone. This microphone right here, too. Quiet for me.
Have a mini game on live studio set up here at the house. Ah, there you go. I am jealous. It's not bad here in San Diego today though. So I, I live in salt lake city, Utah, uh, and so, and work here with Olympia. So I was, as I was getting ready for the podcast, I had do have one thing, a feedback for your Instagram bio, you have to upgrade to you're now a five-time Olympian.
It only says, thank you. That is very, I will go do that thing gastric and there, because you had to train for a whole nother year. So you were at five, five. Thanks. You know, the funny thing is I, yeah, I've been, uh, I love connecting with all the water pole community. I think that's one of the coolest things which I love about Janai is how, uh, how approachable he is, even though he's a successful Olympian and a great coach.
And he has other side businesses. He he's so approachable for little kids. And, uh, there's so many, there's so many water pole fans out there and it's a small sport. So sometimes we don't realize that actually is like a pretty big market, like a hundred thousand kids. That's still a lot of kids that are into a sport that you're doing really well.
And so, uh, it's really cool to see how approachable he is. And I've tried to actually emulate. And so, you know, I've always looked up to Janai and, uh, we went to the Olympics together and trained on the national team for many years. So. And alumni against your Cornell. Yeah. So I've always looked up to you Janai.
So I'm very thrilled to be here talking with you. The funny thing is, did you check out my LinkedIn because I've been so active on there. I thought you were going to talk about that and like, Hey, slow down on there. I'm a LinkedIn guy. I will do LinkedIn next for sure. I love LinkedIn, but I haven't updated Instagram cause I've been only on LinkedIn because that's the journey, the journey that I've been in and all the other athletes in Janai went through it as well.
Uh, transitioning it's, it's amazing to learn what all your friends actually do. You know, we're all, we all know each other from waterfall and sports, but it's the same thing with your company, Sean, as I was so excited to see the, you know, that you're not just podcasting and sharing information and you're also sharing content for, uh, for parents that that's, that's really cool.
So let's dive into it. I won't distract anymore. No, w N no distraction. Well, I think the very first question that I had was that w it's I think it's awesome that you and Janai have been teammates. And I think that bond of teammate brotherhood right. Is very, very important. And I'm sure you guys have some stories to tell, right?
I mean, I think that there's, that that's maybe another podcast one way or the other, but I would love to hear how you're reflecting on being a five time Olympian. Right. I mean, that is, that's been a huge part of your life since, uh, and John, I had shared before, like 2000 when you started training. So when he was in high school yeah.
As 21 years old. And so like, it's funny, cause you mentioned Tony earlier and. Tony has always been like a legend in our sport. And, uh, I had an opportunity to talk to him. He came and actually talked to our whole team, uh, two years ago, uh, before the pandemic even, and he was talking to us. And, um, I think that learning from people that go before you is such a pivotal thing that, that successful people do.
And, uh, someone recently asked me, you know, do great players make great coaches. And, uh, and I was, I was, I was really thinking about that because I think in our sport, a lot of great players do make great coaches because people have so much passion and love for what they're doing. And, and then, you know, it's not always true in other sports.
Like our community is special. Like Waterpool people like it's, it's like a cult, so, right. So I, I just, uh, I think it's funny, you know, talking about Janai, like, cause now he's a great coach. That's what, that's why I was thinking about this stuff. And, uh, you still, you're still coaching. Right? Know, you're doing that.
That's cause you don't. I was born in, I was born in, uh, in Kailua, in a wahoo because my dad's in the military and, uh, we were stationed there. And so I have some connection to Hawaii. We still have some family and friends there actually recently, uh, right before Olympics, we were there and I connected with some, some, uh, former Pepperdine, uh, uh, volleyball players specifically.
And I got hooked up with, with some Scott sandals. So, uh, have you seen those around town, Janai Scott's and then your, your former and my former high school coach, Randy Bourges lives in. Ah, that's right. That's great. That's right. Have you seen him recently, um, trying to get over to actually do a clinic with him he's as much as he's retired, he started a whole nother age group, feeder high school program all over again.
Tell me when the dates are those, uh, those, the campers I'll have to send them an email. I'll get you out as a special guest. Okay. Sean, back to you. We took it away for a second. No, that's fine. So I'm just curious in terms of the Tokyo games, did that extra year after that much time given into given to the sport, was that hard for you, especially with a family of five and you know, I'm sure a very supportive wife.
H how did, how did that play out for you? That's a great question. Um, and the, the last year before the Olympics, it was definitely tough for everyone I talked to that was, that was trying to make the games. And, uh, you saw that with some amazing performances and some, some topsy turvy performances at the games, right?
Like. Performed how they were expected to, and, uh, at a much greater rate than other games. So that year for me personally, um, you know, I did everything I could to prepare and I have a lot of experience playing abroad, played in Europe for 10 years. Um, so, so I made it through and I felt really good with the amount of effort and work that I put in like smart work, not just hitting our head against the wall, but I had an amazing amount of support.
Uh, I think all the U S athletes did from, from the USO PC, from USA water polo, uh, from, you know, neighbors and friends. I ended up training with, uh, with a Navy seal here in town, uh, because he was a block away and happened to be back here because he was stationed. And so I won't mention him because he's still active duty, but, uh, you know, provided me with not only amazing team mentoring.
Uh, points to where I'm going as a captain, on our team and as a leader and as person in life, but also like the physical, like, Hey, we got to hit this. We got to go, I'll work out there with you. Cause you need partners, you know? And the U S athletes, all of us when I went to Europe to play. And so, um, so it was a little bit different environment for us, but the year, I mean, an example was I had a.
Well, I mean, does that answer your question? Yeah, that's fantastic. I actually want elaborate on even more because a majority of our men's national team athletes went and trained and played professionally in Europe versus this is one of your first year is off. So I think you actually had to overcome a bigger obstacle of staying motivated, staying in shape mentally and physically unquote on your own.
And that's why we were able to find the resources around you, even outside of the traditional water polo players, you know, uh, one thing we that's it. Yeah. Thank you tonight. One thing that, uh, I, I had a tentative agreement to go and one obstacle that I only shared with our coaches and who, uh, with our admin was that one of my, one of my kids got really sick, uh, during COVID was out for me.
Before even we knew what COVID was. Right. And, uh, the doctor is the only thing they said is like, Hey, just don't get COVID again or get it the first time we don't, we didn't even know we didn't, they weren't testing kids at that time. And I think sharing it now is part of the journey of like moving through and like debriefing Olympics.
But I didn't tell a lot of people that, and it's still personal, but it's, it's fair to put that in the water polo community. Um, and that was one major factor in me, not, not going to play early. And then I had an opportunity to go play on a Greek team later and then, uh, and then actually like visa work and stuff like that, just it fell through.
And so. Uh, I was going to play on the same team that Alex Wolf play it. And he also liked the Greek league. They had this crazy thing happened where the second half of the season just got, it didn't exist. And so he only played one game or two games for them as well, even though he was over there. And so I was supposed to go play that same half and it just didn't happen.
Right. So dealing with that unknown, like also, it was really tough because all water pole coaching was, was canceled. Right. And that's how we make, uh, our income, our livelihood is, is coaching or doing camps. And unless you have a side business or you're doing other stuff, but the, uh, yeah, it w it was very interesting.
So, uh, I appreciate that. And I think that our coaches knew how much of an effort I put in. I mean, a lot of my neighbors, like in different ways supported us and it was pretty cool to see the community kind of galvanize and like support my Olympic dream. Right. So, I mean, I think in terms of that overall journey, I think one of the, one of the things that.
W with me as, as having five kids, as well as that, you're obviously committed to your five kids. Right. And you're trying to balance this Olympic experience that you have going with it and like huge shout out to your wife and kids, because, you know, even as a regular water polo, right. You're off to tournaments you're here and there.
How great was it to come home from Tokyo and just say, okay, I'm home. Like, it's nice to see you. Yeah. And you know, it's funny because I started working right afterwards and, uh, I got a great opportunity. So it was a little bit of a different transition because it was almost, I mean, that's just how it had to happen.
And I was so grateful that it happened that way. Um, but because of that, it's been a continual, like, I feel like I'm still in that kind of like competitive environment where it's like, Hey, we gotta go. We gotta go. Um, and I think I actually, from talking to their alumni, uh, and, and Olympians is that, that I, maybe I'm really fortunate that I have that.
And then I have that experience, um, and I'm working for a startup and, and there's a lot of hats to wear and there's so many learning opportunities. And you mentioned LinkedIn before. It's like that. I read something on there. Ironically, I read there's so much good knowledge if you want to share, but it's like, if you're learning and getting paid well, then it's like, you're in the best world, you know, best opportunity you can be.
So like, yeah, usually you have to balance one of the two and, uh, I'm thrilled at the opportunity that I have. And, uh, and it is, so it has been like talking about that, like coming back to see the family, it was amazing. Um, and, and, uh, but it has felt like, like this, uh, I'm sure that, that you guys never stopped either.
Right? I mean, I feel like everybody, nobody is stopping right now. There's just so many things. There it is not, it is not stopping. And like, uh, it's been an amazing year for me personally, as well as with game on live studio, but like you're moving forward and you're just constantly trying to find the next thing.
And like I'm super excited. I'm very excited. Uh, in the next couple of weeks, we're going to go do our first college game. We're going to be doing UC Davis and Pepperdine. How about Davis? So, uh, that's going to be pretty legit. Hopefully we'll be able to get some, uh, get some additional college games as well for, for goals.
So we're excited about that's really cool, Sean. Hey, by the way, this is so funny. Cause I have my blurred background. And I think it makes my head look even bigger than it. I'm gonna have a big head, but this thing is really making it looking bigger. Did you guys mess with my setting? Sean, are you guys I'm actually to give you a compliment man.
Cause five kids, five Olympics. I don't see any grades. I see a full head of flowing blonde hair, big headed back in there. Hold on. I didn't tell him that. I think when you first came out in high school, you were actually the biggest player on the team when Rocco was first coaching us. Oh, I'm in biggest enthusiastic.
Mostly. Exactly. So Wally, Wally, the walrus loosely based on you, are you the, are you the wall man? Wallet, Wally, the walrus, you know that story it's so cool. Came, uh, the very, I won't pitch that thing right now, but the very short version of it is just, um, I told my kids that story and it almost like evolved with them and.
And it's so cool because our neighbor, one of our neighbors moved in and the military family and the wife was a collegiate summer and she didn't have that much, uh, awareness of what water pole was. And I, and I was, man, we got to get something to kind of communicate to people what our sport is. And some of the stuff out there is pretty dry.
You know, it's not right for kids like even explaining to my kids and like their friends, like what it was when we, my, my oldest son went to kindergarten in Greece and two of our friends, because we were part of the Olympiacos sports club, uh, because I was playing for them. And so all of our friends were from Olympiakos.
So we got to know, you know, football, soccer, players, basketball players, we got to know the other sports, volleyball. They have so many sports and, um, and even explaining, they all knew, but. It would have been cool to be able to explain to their kids what it was, you know, especially if you come from the UK or if you come from, uh, where, where, uh, maybe like Egypt, they have water collection.
I played in Egypt. Any other non-traditional any of the non-traditional, um, you know, countries that are traditionally playing water polo the Olympics. So that's, I mean, it's, it's just cool to get it out there. And, uh, it actually is funny because, uh, my network, uh, pre bought the book and I was really bad about like delivering it because we have.
I was trying to save a couple bucks and had a misprint and like totally blew it. And they were mostly pretty patient. And now that I'm dealing with tons of entrepreneurs and business owners, like I was like, wow, I really did a bad job. And so if you're seeing this, you haven't received your book. Please email me.
But most of them got out there and one of them in your book, I'm on a move though. So that might be an issue. Oh yeah. I'll sign that. Actually. It's funny. One of my friends did move and, uh, he was like, you gotta send it to this other address, like, come on man. But the, uh, I've tried to change it now. I'm still, I'm like a one man show it's on my website.
It's, you know, I'm publishing it myself. But now I have, I have a friend in San Diego that does it. And he like, he helped me like look through and cause we want to like make it better. So we've gotten actually a lot of feedback from people because it's, even though it's like my story in waterfall, you asked if Wally is, is me.
I think. It's not, it wasn't really like me, but Waterpool like all athletes that are saying, you know, like, Learning how to tread water is tough. Like getting in cold pools is tough, but learning to swim is tough, but how much easier is it with a little ball? You jump in there and you're floating around your buddies.
If you can stand, you can practice kind of jumping off and with a ball that makes something easier. Cause it's something like to look at it and the focus on and you can pass it and it. It's easy to do because you can do that. Right. Even if you can't swim very well. So long story short, you're not Wally, but I think from a sport growth point, we're all right.
But B I think we, and that's what, one of the things I've been working on is if we can do a better job of telling the story of water polo, right? I mean, even here, even here in salt lake city at the top of the mountains, right. If we're getting kids in the water, I CA I tell parents all the time, like you give me a week.
If I haven't made a convert, I haven't done my job. You know what I mean? Like they get in and I've got splash ball. Kids all know you were in sales. I didn't know. So if it gives you a convert in a week, ah, there we go. Like, well, at least have an eight year old that wants to learn how to play. It's really tough.
I, I, and I both will agree with you. It's really tough because I did a great job with the splash ball initiative and USA water polo, and like, yeah, I went to Atlanta and I went to Portland and I went Texas everywhere. Trying to help kids get it, get it. And. And it takes a really devoted coach to kind of get that principle.
Right. The only thing I wanted to focus back on. So Jeanette, you haven't read my book. I read it online. A little flip page. Oh man.
calling you out. This is buddy. It's at your other house, touching back a little bit. Olympia
credit card in the chat. Hold on. I got it. Let's try it, put it up there. Um, going back to like Olympiacos and playing because not everyone can be. A five-time Olympian let alone a one-time Olympian, but I've found as a coach, right? You can find a place to continue playing. Everybody's got an opportunity to even create a club team in high school.
There's over 350 club teams at the collegiate level, but then beyond from that, if you don't make the national team, you can play masters. You can go and play in Australia and New Zealand, um, Italy division one division two division three. So will you share with some of our listeners and viewers, um, a little bit more about that process of transitioning to continue to play waterfall at?
I don't want to say a higher level, but at the next level. Okay. That's it. That's an interesting question. I don't know if I'm the best person because your own personal perspective on it. Oh, my perspective on it. Yeah. Um, I would agree with you I'd say that. Yes, because I've met a lot of people that love water polo in different ways they're still involved.
Um, so I would say that's accurate. I think that, uh, Back to the point of like what water pole is, is it's really just a game and you can find ways to play a game in an, in a variety of atmospheres. Ours is constrained by you need a body of water, but I've seen a lot of water pole played in and beaches and lakes in, you know, backyard pools.
And it doesn't look like the Olympics. Right. But a lot of sports don't look like they look the pics, you know, but, uh, when they're played every day by kids. And so, yeah, I mean, I think that the answer, your question is, is you just need to get a, you need to get a ball that floats and you need some kind of goal.
And, uh, so I think that there is, there is a lot of, uh, opportunities as far as like team opportunities that, that mere the Olympics or high level college. I think that that's. I would disagree. I'd say it's less. Oh, no, I'm sorry. I wasn't saying that mirror. The Olympics, the good polar opposite. Just ways to continue staying involved.
Oh yeah. Okay. Okay. Sorry. So yes, the way you do that is, um, you just find two other people and you can start a club. I mean, um, there's a great example of like Atlanta, Atlanta, water polo a long time ago. Gosh, in like 2008 or nine, uh, my good friend, our friend Douggie man, uh, moved to Atlanta and I had, we drove out there with them and we connected them, uh, through the internet with a master's program, their DMO water polo, that Stuart Sheldon, uh, yeah.
And those guys were so welcoming and to see the development in that community, they might even have high school waterfall now in Georgia, over 20 year period, I went to the state championships. So 13 years, so 13 years. Pretty cool. Pretty cool. And, uh, another example that just right off the top is Austin, Austin.
They have the spin lob competition, which is a spin law as a fun thing in water polo, where you throw the ball to spin it as it moves through the air and you throw it an arc, like a log and as it, as it moves the air, kinda, it kind of curves a little bit and kind of like in soccer or what's another example.
So, so it's pretty cool. So it's that, it's a fun tournament, you know, and, uh, that's just got, I think, thrown together by the, uh, masters program or the sorry, the club program of, uh, a and M down there and, uh, which one? Horns, Texas long lungs. Sorry. Yeah. Sorry, Texas Longhorns. And, uh, so yeah, I mean there's like cool stuff and a lot of opportunities to play.
I think if you're. And the Texas Longhorns 10 U team actually won jails, um, in Texas. Oh, wow. That's cool. That's cool. Is there anyone from Texas on here? Any, any listeners from Texas they will be yeah. For now, for sure. So, so in terms of your international play, like Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Italy, Montenegro.
Did, do you have a favorite place or can you rank them in what you know, or is there one that's more? Yeah, I loved, we had, we got so lucky with the people that host us there and, uh, and the combination of, of getting paid to play water. Uh, and with the immersion and the culture, it was really a fantastic experience.
And, uh, and I also got an opportunity to learn about international business. Cause you know, I negotiate all my own contracts. I was in charge of, of making sure that my customer, the team was happy. And, uh, man, it was tough to, to maintain those with the stress of sports. And I understand why players have agents.
Yeah. Right. Well, let's water polo in Egypt like, oh, it was really cool. Um, a great guy brought me down there that had some connections with UCF and uh, I played on the Jazeera, uh, water polo team. And they're based on this, Island's a medic. I don't sorry, my pronunciation, but uh, really cool. Uh, they, they actually have an, a pretty strong league where, you know, the younger players go to school and they practice at night games on Saturday.
And a older players go to work and they practice on night most, most weekdays, and then, uh, you know, play games and they have four teams, which are actually pretty good. Um, each team usually brings one to two foreigners. It was actually really cool seeing that higher level of water pool. Uh, I didn't expect it to be so good, but it was, it was really challenging, a competitive atmosphere.
Cool. Going back to, cause you know, as athletes throw younger screening, starting and progressing, it's mostly support from their parents. But as a parent, it's mostly now support from your wife and being fluid and flexible and supportive, going to all these different countries. What has helped your in Brittany relationship as you travel the world?
You know, it's funny. I just, uh, I can ask you that question, uh, because I just got. A, my first professional speech at an accounting conference two weeks ago in New York. And it's crazy how it was about teams and teams. You what you just said exactly. Like my wife and I, our team, same way that your family or team, like even the kids get on that.
Right. Totally. And I came up with the funniest thing. It's very short. I'm not going to put you the cat gets the rat. And I learned that methodology from Brian Alexander, our sports psych. So you can tell him that, that, that acronym, that style of teaching short cats, getting the rat, you can imagine that right, super easy character, accountability, transparency gets the results you want because it gets the actions you need to create trust so that you can, you can trust the process.
And, uh, so I would answer your question using that because it seems like in a lot of businesses and in sports teams and in relationships, having character acting with character, being accountable for your actions and acting with transparency, wow. It really gets you what you want. Um, so I think. For, for me, that would be the overarching thing.
And then the other thing I heard that I didn't come up with, but I heard from someone else, one of our community members, uh, at work is they said that they, they want to create a business where they don't feel like they need to take a vacation away from. And there's a lot of nuances to that, but like sports and, and relationships, you gotta feel like you don't have to take a break from, uh, which is tough to do long-term because everything is a commitment, right.
It's hard. But I think that's my answer is that, you know, stay committed and, and be transparent and have character and be accountable.
I think a cat getting rat. One of the, uh, one of the elements that I've been
Brian, Brian Alexander, the national team sports psychologist, and our former teammate at times, um, was actually out here visiting in Kauai. He's the cat you can't see, but he's about six properties down that way. Maybe you should just text him, have him come over and he get joined. He joined in right now.
Be a great person to interview. He is. He's amazing. I would recommend anyone to work with him. He's very, very talented, a very, very amazing sports psych and also good, uh, mentor and person to talk to. So what Jesse, one of the things that has always impressed me the most about you is just your genuineness, uh, and, and your, and your, and I think, you know, you had made that of trying to, uh, model that after Janai.
And that's one of the reasons that I really enjoy working with Janai as well. But one of the things that I think illustrates that is that during lockdown, you reached out the pandemic lockdown, you reached out to clubs all over the country and said, Hey, if you want to have a zoom with Jesse Smith, like let's just schedule it.
I mean, I know that Olympics took advantage of that. I would love to know, like, how many of those did you end up doing? Uh, I was tracking them for a while and then I stopped. I probably did two to three a week. Um, but over, you know, it was really cool about our community is that I think I was one of the first people to kind of like implement that where, where I was, we did a summer tenuously.
Yeah. Cause what happened was Janai is that after that a lot of people were willing to like everyone realized. That I was, or that you were like the cause of this, but everyone realized because we, I think we have a good, great group of people in our sport, uh, and other sports that you could see this too, but there's just a lot of outreach.
And so the demand for me personally, like, I mean, we're all pretty similar in what the message that we give as coaches. I, I believe at least, you know, it's like stay positive. Like for example, that thing, I just mentioned the CAC, the rat, like that's not, that's not new, right? Like everyone knows that character accountable and transparency is a good thing to do.
Um, but, but the way we deliver messages is a little bit different. So, uh, some groups resonate with others and, and I, I think that Jenaya, and I work really well with, with kids that don't have a lot of experience in the sport. Um, whereas other people prefer to work with like really experience. Youth players.
And like, they can help them as well. Like there's just different sides of what we as coaches prefer. And that's what I think is great tonight. You're starting waterfall in quiet or there might be some other water pool there, but you're building it. I think that's really cool. And you'll be great at that.
What, what were some of the themes of those that came out, uh, as you talked to different clubs, it was there any kind of common theme across the country of, you know, here's, here's the messages that like, no, I mean, that's like grass roots stuff right there from a sport growth standpoint of like, what are the challenges that are facing clubs out there?
That's a great question. Um, everyone was really focused on, okay. Actually, like I was really focused on creating connectivity during those calls and I wasn't getting, I think the questions were, were pretty bland, you know, it wasn't like, and the feedback that I gathered. Was not so constructive for what you just said about growth for the sport, because it was the pandemic, which was like, it's going to be over, you know, this is going to change.
Right. Um, however, if I had thought about it beforehand, I would have done a better job, you know, asking questions because I think that I did try to ask any, you know, I tried to ask questions that the kids to kind of get a feel for where they at so that I could, yeah, I could connect them. But it's interesting because now my focus is on, like now my focus is a hundred percent on, on great athletes getting connected to great businesses because that's what I've been going through for five years.
Right. And so the pandemic for me, it's, it's not over, but I'm not focused on it as much. Um, and that was one of the cool things, even about the Olympics that the Olympics happened, you know, like we're so grateful every year, Every athlete was so grateful for all the hard work that the us Olympic committee that the Tokyo committee to every country.
I mean, a lot of volunteers putting in some amazing commitments against, you know, in the backdrop of some pretty phenomenal obstacles. And so, yeah, I mean, I don't, I don't have an answer to though to your question. Sorry. I mean, yeah. Well maybe if it's, uh, let me think about asking you the next question and I'll think about it.
That's okay. So another, another one of like, one of the questions that I'm going to try to dwell on with a lot of their guests, what are the things in water polo that are going great? Like these are the things that we need to keep continuing to focus on. And what are some of the things in the culture of water polo or in the game that we could do without or improve on.
Right? As, as, as. That's a big question too. That's a very big question. What do you think the positive way tonight? What do you think is going great in water polo? Ready? I think the geographic growth is phenomenal because traditionally, especially on the men's side, it's been a California Olympic team rather than a national Olympic team.
So the fact that we're getting high level training, high level athletes, high level competitions, um, throughout the country now is going to only broaden our reach. So that's the number one thing, an athlete from the mountain zone on the Olympic team. Come on. I feel good about that, right? Yeah. Okay, that's all you got.
Give me more. Well, I got a lot more good stuff. I'm writing the online education, right? With COVID as it being as disruptive, that was for physical contact in practices. They've been able to reach out to five times Olympians and get their perspective, like from people like yourself. Um, the, the resources online with USA, water polo, looking at videos of tutorials of this is how it has the government program doing things.
And you can actually watch a kid or a national team athlete doing perfect examples. Um, yeah. What do you think about Jenny? What do you think about as far as growth and good stuff going on about ODP and how I think that that might be a component of how the U S Olympic development program, because I use that in Atlanta example, and I've gone out there for a couple of times.
Uh, they're doing a pretty good job of kind of like getting exposure of, of standardized times and. So to around the country, or at least more coaches, or like getting involved in that, do you see other things that are really impacting that, that growth factor? I think that makes it easy and replicable. Um, uh, you see, you know, Tony's six, eight programs with, with Maggie as well.
Um, it's funny because I've never really coached that style, but it's something that you can duplicate. Right. Um, but for me personally, you, you can't experience the Jessie enthusiasm, the joy of waterfall in life, unless you have a one-on-one, you know, right there, but the next back, the next best thing is to have a standardized one size fits all for the general masses.
But I think as people get more and more involved and engaged, there has to be. Consistent high-level competition. And I think those peers are what's going to actually propel each other the next level, right. Coming from a smaller like Coronado, you saw lane Bobby and you saw Jeff knew and, and you know, the other guys reaching to those levels.
So you knew it was possible. And then they came back for a competitions, you know, same thing for you at Pepperdine. And then national team being in California, you don't have to travel very far. Sean, you have a few club teams in salt lake, but a lot of your competition is driving. You're in the vans, right.
To Reno or to back to California. So I think as you get these standardized groups set up, then they can create a leap competition, unique experiences, and grow from those. I'll build a I'll build on that too, because that's a one thing I think that's really fascinating about our sport is the diversity of coaching styles.
Uh, as you go across the U S and I've noticed. As you bring a standardized program or as like you bring that, what you're talking about, like that replicatable I came, I don't know if I pronounced that correctly. Sorry. You're gonna have to edit that. But, uh, as you, as you produce that style of something that can, that can take it and pass it to many people at once past like the online coaching and all this stuff to coaches have picked up on that too.
And I'm so impressed by the strengths that they have unique strengths for them. And then they've taken this body of knowledge that's available from USA, water polo from other, like you mentioned, other other areas and, uh, and kind of just brought their game up. And, and I'm always, I always learn stuff from the coaches when I go on those things.
And when you'd be, that's surprising a little bit, cause I've been in this sport for a long time. And, um, and even just that life, like they're, they're lifelong learners. And that's good to have in a coach, you know, and I think that that's a really positive thing, is that a majority of like high, high percentage of the coaches that I'm interacting with at a national team, as a representative of the national team, as an ambassador kind of style person.
Right. Uh, impress me. And so it's, I mean, it's always easy to say negative things and sometimes our sport, because it's small has that like where it's like a lot of talking, uh, that isn't productive, isn't isn't growth oriented. Um, but man, I'm really been impressed with the growth. That's one thing to answer your original question, Sean.
And then the second thing listening to Janai is that, um, I think there's a huge, huge opportunity, uh, to teach a lot of kids, a lot of kids to swim through water polo and Janai, bringing it back to that. Uh, sorry. I have one of my kids pencils right here, but, uh, so it's all, it's all broken. What happened to the racer?
Probably someone ate it, but the. Um, the opportunity, the opportunity to tie that in could teach a lot of people to swim through a game. So it's fun and it's not scary because I'll tell you jumping into the deep end is scary for a kid, even if they're a swimmer, you know, even if you're, uh, you've been swimming and you're trained at swimming and you have to go take a lifeguard test to pass the quote-unquote deep water test.
I don't know if they still use that, but to jump in that's, you know, that is difficult. And so if you can make it fun to teach kids, um, huge opportunity for USA waterfall. And I think they're stepping up to that. Um, I know John do, uh, the chief performance officer has been involved in that. And I think Jenny, you might be involved in that too.
I'm not sure who now or who's doing what, but, uh, I love to volunteer my time for that. And I've talked to a couple of people randomly about. Um, if any readers or listeners, sorry, listeners to this, want to connect on like a volunteer? Effort for that, like reach out to Janai and he'll connect you to me. No, that's fair enough, because this is, this has been a life passion of mine long before I was involved officially with USA.
Waterpool I've done camps and non-California states since the nineties and Jesse, and I've done stuff together. And I would say that not one of my camps has been identical because you have different levels of athletes, different styles of coaching, different facilities. Um, you know, we've done stuff in the shallow.
When we've done stuff with noodles, who've done stuff. You know, people hanging on the wall. I, one of my favorite spots ball clinics was with Ashley. Johnson's younger sister, Chelsea Johnson. If it wasn't for her, we're going to build a clinic because she's got ridiculously strong legs from playing two meters at Princeton.
She had two or three kids on this arm, two or three kids on this song because they didn't have noodles. Pickable ball shoot. It. She'd rotate for the other kids to take the train, but you can't, you can't script a practice like that, but. Make it happen with, for the big smile and they had a positive and they said, Hey, I want to try that again.
And, uh, and they have splash ball going now. That's, that's pretty special. That's all that bit. And they will come. And what I love about the cap seven is these easy and affordable courses. So I'm and change it to inflate it and then, and inflate it. And they will come well on. And for our splash program, stockpile program, we bought the little, uh, splash ball belts.
Like, do you throw on, you throw in on the new swimmers and they like help you see them and they help the egg bait. It's like, fantastic, good job. I'm only laughing because I think it's phenomenal for the pool. My, he just turned forward about three-year-old was trying to use it for body surfing and waves bigger than him.
And so he's going upside down, look like a duck, like feet up in the air with a little bell flirting. But no, those, um, it's called the water pole trainer. Yeah, it was actually patented by Bruce Weigel with. Well, we, we use them in love. I'm here at Olympus and salt lake. That's good stuff. Cool. For sure. So Jesse, you've crisscrossed the world.
You have obviously five Olympics you've played all over the world. What are one or two things that a club can do to increase their membership or to just create community support, right. To make sure the community knows about water polo. That's a very good question. Um, I do a lot of community outreach here in, in San Diego, especially in Cornado like Janai does, you know, we are, I think always ambassadors for our sport.
And, um, so I, I, I believe that. So I try to do that. Um, that's a good question. I think the first thing is, is you have to be a coach, so it depends. There's like different angles. Is this for the owner of the club or is this for like the coaches? However you want to go? Okay. I would structure it in two ways.
Um, cause it is different for different roles, but one thing I've seen that really effective is to have a coach. Parents can believe in. Right. Um, so you don't have to worry about like the day-to-day minutia of like, what's going on. You just know you're on track with that. Person's not, not their like beliefs, but like their, their feelings and thoughts on sports and the purpose of being there, like why they're there at practice, if you can match up and find out what the parents want in that community and match up a coach with that, that is super powerful.
And a lot of sporting organizations do that. Um, but then you need to get the word out. You need the parents to know about it and, and the parents need to know that that person's there. And, uh, I think that's the number one, most powerful thing I've seen happen. And then the second Janette, you got something to add on that one.
Oh, sorry, laughing. What's going on? Why are you laughing and watching the same brain brain. Oh, okay. Cause the second thing, see if you agree or disagree, this, the second thing is, uh, you need to have, you actually need to do it in like two different areas or three different areas you need to spread out.
And, uh, a great, there's a couple of documents that have been put out about like starting sports or starting brands and areas. And like that is really powerful to have like partners, you know, so that you're not just you in one little spot and you know, you have here, this is one here's here's Janai.
Here's Jesse here tonight. Here's Shawn. And just like this call, you know, kind of create that collaboration. And then all of a sudden you get everyone in that triangle, geographically, you know, like, yeah, that is real. And even that creates competition and it just creates, like, it grows the. It's so cool. I would love to see that more.
And, uh, again, reach out to on an, up on an apparel level, think about a company like Lulu lemon that reaches out to the community before they even launch a store. Then they do a little pop-up store. So Jesse, if I was, had a big smile on my face is really how you have to have a coach that believes them process and that are going to attract and retain not just students, but also families.
Um, and then I think we have to go out and think outside the box, because I think one thing we can improve on is not just marking to our pre-existing water pole base, right. Reaching out to schools that don't even have a swimming pool and doing something on campus. I've had people throw water pole balls to me, you know, and just do water poll motions.
Uh, Santee went to Ghana and started doing stuff on giant land before they even had pools. But Jesse and I were talking about doing something that at, um, Brittany's uncle's golf course. Right. Okay. Oh, okay. Okay. Yeah. So do you wanna elaborate on that crazy idea because that doesn't happen? Nope. I don't want to share that with anyone.
Don't share the idea, but if that doesn't happen, I think some will take an idea like that and do it other events, right? Yeah. Um, you know, we, you know, the different athletes are going, lesbians are going and throwing out the first pitch, you know, as a wallpaper at have a baseball or, you know, halftime at a basketball game.
But I would love to see a lot of people go down on that field. And so maybe back a baseball and try and score on somebody or do whatever, just actually get sold visually visually get water, pull into a much broader, bigger market. No, a really good point. Because one thing I have noticed, that's super funny that you just said is there's a lot of water polo goals throughout the United States at random pools, but people don't know what they are.
They're like, they're just like sits there. Sit there. They have no idea what it's for. Um, and, and that is interesting. And that was actually part of the reason for the water polo book. Um, which is funny. It's just like, For people to know, like, and we're obviously not it's me distributing them. So like, there's not that many of them out there, but, but, uh, it's a pretty cool concept.
I'd love to see more people know what the sport is for sure. Just so they can try to have fun learning how to swim. So I'm making a request from our listeners and viewers, if anybody wants to help Jesse Smith on a volunteer basis, distribute some more water, the walrus waterproof books, reach out to me at dot com and I'll connect you with Jesse.
Are you sure that I've gotten a couple emails that I should get like fulfillment service? Um, so I, I think there's going to be families that can actually help with that process. We'll for sure. Put the order in the link bio and oh no, you don't have to do that. Don't do that. Don't do that. You can. No, no, no, you can do I'm just teasing.
Yeah, please, please do it. You know, I wouldn't say if you want to reach out to me on LinkedIn, I would love to learn about what Waterpool people do for work. Um, cause that's one of the things I like, I was surprised like transitioning. Um, I mean, now I'm working full time, but every one of us learning what other people, how they'd gotten there, like that kind of like visualizing the same way, like getting to the Olympics, like, okay.
I saw, I saw lane Bobi and go there so I can go there. You know, I saw and I go there so I can go there. Um, and I grew up with them. So, you know, kind of same thing was work, you know, it's crazy. Like all of us athletes, like we're trying to Tran transition from something we're super successful at. And like, it takes a lot, you start to start a little kind of down again to get back up and even, you know, as you go through.
Uh, there's a great book that Brian shared with me called mastery, where that's like the graph, right? It's like to get good at something. You go down a little bit, then you go up and then you hit plateau and you go down with it and get up. And that's like, life, Brian Alexander, good work. You just talked about entrepreneurialship right there.
A whole thing. Right? It's like trying to figure out things that you're not very good at. You don't even know this Jesse, but actually started working with Sotheby's international real estate. And same thing like is those, I am, as much as I know about real estate, it's a new career for me. Um, and so making a full time is a little bit.
Unfamiliar a little bit challenging and the life lessons we learned from Waterpool of being able to make yourself vulnerable, but to try new things to go in at eight better in the deep end, right? Like, oh, I got this. Can't be any harder than raising kids and going to double day practices. You're either going to sink or you're going to someone.
Exactly. It's that simple. Yeah, no worries. That's funny. Okay. I'm not gonna I'm I'm uh, I'm not going to bring another story. I have another funny story, but the, uh, No, we need to hear Sean. Sean, do you have any more questions? Listen, people don't want to hear us. They want to hear Jesse Swan here, Jesse. So I just wanted to know if you connected with Laird Hamilton, he's one of your neighbors out there.
We should, we should just shoot him this podcast. So that guy around there. Oh, I seen her a couple of times. I don't think, I think he knows who I am, but we haven't actually talked. He drives around in those little mule. I can't keep up with this 4runner. Yes. Yeah. I have a question about Laird because I've, I've been following his XPT stuff.
Did I think at some point you evolved that training, right? Yes. I think that is the link for water polo is the next like underwater, like strength type stuff happening. Is that, is that a thing or not? I don't think it's the next thing for water polo. No, I really don't. And the reason why is that you do a lot of that stuff in water pole already.
Right? So I think that it's like parallel. So it's not, I don't think it's going to. I don't think so, but as far as, um, a normal athlete agreeing with you. Yeah. Like, like athletes in general, I think work in a safe environment, uh, that Wim Hoff stuff, the layered XPT stuff, uh, being aware, doing some meditation and acting with intention that is a hundred percent where we are in all aspects, right?
Like athletes, employers, businesses. I mean, we need to act with intention and it comes through some, some people say through your breath, um, now XPT, I will say the one thing that's really cool is they strap a ton of weight on you and then you're in the water. And so the impact is way less. And I think that the same way that yoga has, you know, impact over a range of motion.
So it has like some, some tension, but it's, it's building. And reducing the risk of injury. I think that that aspect of XPT and the mindfulness aspect is brilliant and they layered and Gabby are the people to do it. They're so kind so generous. I'm sure they'll buy a house from UGI as soon as we send them this to get your Sotheby's.
No pressure guys. No pressure. Jessie and Ross lives out here. They're Goodman. No way. No, no, no, no, no, no. The founder of foundation training trainer back in oh seven. Yes, yes, yes. Yeah. He lives in poo and he actually is growing. His brand has become a worldwide. Now he has practitioners, I think in like 20 different countries worldwide.
Um, all helping people with posture and form and relieving back injuries. Well, that's really cool. Sean, let me ask you a couple of questions. I just, I just gotta ask you if you have three more minutes, you bet. Absolutely. Okay. So you mentioned entrepreneurship and do you have any employees. Yeah, I do. How many, how many businesses you have or what's, I'd have no idea.
So tell me, tell me, so currently just work well, working on two different businesses right now. So I, I founded Olympus aquatics, which is, uh, age group swimming, high leads into high school, swimming, water polo, masters, triathlon. Right? So we've been doing that for about the past 10 years as kind of a side gig.
Uh, and then as the, I had left my corporate health and coach. Uh, corporate health and wellness coaching gig that I had helped develop and grow for 15 years just before the pandemic hit, um, left my next thing. And I've just started game. I wanted to do something that I was passionate about. And so, yeah. Uh, I have created game on live studio to help broadcast sports across the country for, you know, and obviously Waterpool is easy because I'm very involved in that and coach, coach water polo.
Um, but last week you were just doing mountain biking though. Yeah. Do mountain biking. We're done a ton of like cycling here in Utah. So cyclocross, uh, we've got a big volleyball combined coming up this weekend, so we're doing sports all over the country. So the reason I asked you is, so what I got exposed, this idea, which I'm, which is so interesting to me is like working on your business versus in your business.
And I was just curious, like, if there's any. Or how do you differentiate? How do you set it apart times you have so much going on, especially with like where you guys are at, you have employees, everything. So how do you separate on your business versus N or anything to an aspiring entrepreneur that was a water pool player or anything like that?
So I think my, my advice is take care of yourself first. Right. And I I'm do I do that better sometimes than I, than not like, but the mornings that I get up and do yoga and do, uh, go for a run or go to the gym and do some strength work, uh, are, I am way more productive and I have to do a better job of like, I feel like I'm kind of working all the time, because game online studio rules into, I have to go to practice.
The nice thing is that I have currently have three of my five kids going to water polo practice. My wife is awesome and very supportive and she runs the best like table of all time, like for games and stuff like that. Right. And so it's, it's a balance like entrepreneurship is hard because you, it's hard to say like, oh, I'm going to take a vacation.
I'm going to take a break right now because yeah. But if you love it, like, I love it. It's like it's not work, which is kind of the fun part as well. So how do you have any advice for like water pole players in general? And for me and my Olympic teammates that like, as we learn more about businesses and business, and we have like so much experience in water polo, any advice about like staying true to your passion, but with that time constraint, with the energy constraint or how do you any, anything like diving into that?
Yeah. I mean, I think if you, um, I think you have. The very, uh, present for lack of a better word, which is why, like I've been drawn to the stuff that Laird and Gabby have been doing as well as being very intentional of what you're trying to do. Uh, I think that water polo players make great entrepreneurship entrepreneurs because they know how to do hard things, right.
I mean, we, we, we work in a hard sport and you have the physical grind and demand of that. Um, and so, you know, how, what work feels like, right? And so let's give the ability to work hard and to have that physical demand and have the ability to say, okay, now I also recognize that I need to recover, right.
That I need to take, take, take 20 minutes, 30 minutes to like, just to reset before I go into. Uh, before I go into my next set. Okay. One last question. Now, actually, I'm going to fall by, on my own auntie don't leave though. Genetics. I have one more question. We got you, Jesse is one investing yourself, right?
Especially for wallpaper players that know how much hard work it takes to become successful. Don't forget that when you're going and trying something new and it's not working out right away. And then too, when you're talking about when you're working on and in differentiate the times, okay. Really dedicate some time to work on your business when you know, it's after hours, wherever it is, but how the start and stop time.
So you don't get burnout. And then also recognize that while you're working in your business, you're, you can learn to reflect on that and see what's working well. When you go and work on those notes of what you're going to do to improve the business itself. Okay. That was funny. So my next question was going to be my last question.
I promise on this note, but for tonight, so for other players that have gone through transition and left the sport and then, you know, stayed in his coaching, come back as a player. You've done that a couple of times and then, you know, dabbled in business and gone back to visit and move. What do you, how do you find successful partnerships and who do you like to work with?
What type of. Yeah, just like-minded individuals. Um, a lot of people look at accolades, right. But you really need to sit down, spend some time with somebody, right? Like Sean, I didn't know how well we're going to work together until we literally sat next to each other and really hot weather, um, calling, calling games and like, you know what?
This is fun. This is exciting. You know, Shaw's got the experience and the technical side of things down and the passion for it. And this is who I enjoy being around. Because what you said the very beginning of the podcast is your partners trying to create a business that you don't want to take a vacation from.
Right? Like I have, I have, I was going to say kids, but we also have adults that will come on vacation back. Hey, I heard you start quiet. Waterpool can I play the beach water? Pour on Sundays with you. So people are going on vacation and they love water posts so much that will still want to do it. So if you do something right, yeah.
Have you ever been. Of a dinner or something come across another water polo player and not talked about water polo. It's hard to do, right? So this isn't a job for Sean. This is just a passion. Um, you know, it's funny that that's actually, you know, what's amazing about that. Uh, and it's, so it's such an, it's so weird that it occurred to me, but a couple of really, really successful people that were waterfall players.
We only talk about business because that's what their passion is now. Right. But we are aligned on water polo, but it's actually fascinating because I geek out on this stuff and I'm so thrilled. Like the only reason they gave me a time of day is because of water pole, you know, but we don't talk about waterfall at all.
We didn't even talk about the Olympics because we were just like, it was really interesting, but she was taking the same. I don't want to say aspects. No, it was
no, it just occurred to me now because it's like, I didn't even realize at the time that we didn't talk. But I just think that was interesting. Cause I, I agree though, it always comes up and it's like, I was walking randomly in Dublin. Uh, we were there, I was playing in this to moment to Ireland and we were walking through and this giant guy was like, Hey, you play waterfall.
I was like, what? And it was this giant Mexican guy that literally was, he was like, I have a Mexican restaurant come on in and we go and I can't remember his name, but he played I right now to my notes. He played on the, uh, was it 68 Mexico city. He played on the Mexican Waterpool team, the Olympics to Olympics, and he had three kids and he was so fired up.
Cause Tony had just done a wonderful camp in Dublin. And, uh, so he's married to an Irish woman and he was so thrilled and we got Mexican food and of course, you know, we had fun. He was awesome, like the best host ever. Uh, and it was cause I had not, not have my hair comb for you guys. My hair was crazy all over.
Like you can't give up on the crazy water polo hair. Like that's like, like this is a new Jesse. I know I was funny because really my coworkers or my teams or, or some of my clients see this, I was on a call on Monday. And, uh, I was at the WSO waterfall golf tournament and I stopped to take a call. I had, you know, I had to work.
So I signed on zoom and the clubhouse was closed. Cause it was Monday at like two o'clock. It was so windy that my laptop was like moving my hair was like literally everywhere. And I felt. I thought that that's why my, my, uh, my bout my, uh, what's it called is on right now, the, uh, background, uh, cause it was like such a distraction for the call, but they were cool.
They were cool. They were like, you know, we're happy you're here. And one of the things we always turn on our cameras to like, make sure you're there and present and everything like that. And that's one thing I learned from Waterpool. Right. It's like, it makes it, it makes a difference that you, you go the extra mile to be accountable to show up and okay.
That's all. That's all I can got. Now you guys distracting me. Oh man. We took it all over the place. Thanks Sean. Thanks for that. That was awesome. Well, I wanted to title this, this podcast, um, the joy of water pool in life with Jesse Smith, because that's what you've always brought to the pool, the deck, this word.
So thank you Jesse. Jesse. One last question that I ask everybody. That's so nice. What's your favorite hype song? What's the song that you listened to right before. Oh man. That's a really good question. I actually don't have a favorite hype song. Um,
that's really funny, but I will say that one of my younger teammates had me playing Cardi B's up. And, uh,
so that fired me up. It was pretty funny, but you know, that's one of the interesting things is that, uh, being on a team where, you know, I'm 38. And so my teammates are at sometimes they were 18, 19, 20 years old, other guys, 27. And like what Jan, I talked about where, you know, everyone's coming from other places, even though a lot of them did end up in California for college or for some reason, but they are, you know, it's a, it's an interesting group of guys from different, different walks of life.
And, uh, and you know, we bonded over, over a lot of different things, but bringing us together and music, I think was one. Um, which is funny, but we just, we spent a lot of time in the gym. Listen to sound, remember, remember the game when we play, we'd always be like name that song or something. Was it like, I mean, that was never ending.
That was, yeah. I mean, that's the thing is like, when you're with your best friends, you know, the world, you make games out of everything. Okay. I'm going to play a song and you guys tell me, you guys tell me because my wife is actually the best. Hold on, hold on. Let's see. Um,
yeah, that was the song that I just, I just did it on Spotify. I was just always trying to trick you guys. I'm a, I'm a bad person. You're not a bad person. You're a great person. Jesse Gray, Brad gray, the great leader. And that's what actually really admired, um, being removed from you guys on day to day. But, you know, hearing the books and the interviews you were doing to be a great captain.
So it, wasn't just being a great outfit. You will trying to challenge yourself, um, and branch out to be able to help lead this Tokyo team in the past. You guys want to hear something really cool. Yeah. I heard her. You're saying July. Sorry. I really, really appreciate that. Thank you. Let's hear the cool thing.
No, this is insane. Um, okay, so I'm gonna tell you guys a story. Um, it's gonna take five minutes here. Are you guys good with that? Yeah. Okay. Then we have a hard stop. We're going to have a rim of part two of this interview. So during the Olympics, one of my former teammates sent me. Sent me a musical. I don't know what it's called.
I sent him a pawn and he made it in the song to try to fire us up. And, uh, is this hardened? No, but he's also, Hutton's a very good musician. This is another person that I can't tell who it is, but, uh, it wasn't him. And, uh, cause Dan Klatt said I could play his Rhumbix Snoop robbery mix. No, that wasn't. Hold on.
Let me find this. This is a, oh my gosh. This is so funny, Sean. So we're gonna have to try and guess who's singing. You guys will never guess. You don't know. Maybe, you know tonight it's not for national team. Oh, do I at least know the person's going to shot another person I'm willing to guess you won't guess.
Uh, okay, hold on. Sorry. I'm distracted. Let me find it. Okay. I don't know. No. Oh, he's he's also a musician. Okay. Hold on and take off my. Okay. Let's see. Can you guys still hear me? Yep. We can still hear you.
I can hear a pin drop. Yeah. I mean, so
we to for pay, turn it up, put it on speaker Jesse.
No, yeah. Okay. I'll just send it. I'll send it to you. But, uh, it was so cool. It fired me up. It was it's he's uh, now he's going through a false, uh, he he's saying, you know, pretty well. He's amazing. He lives in Nashville right now. So that's what instruments deeply. I remember you bringing up was a guitar.
One of our national team trips and the same time, but I didn't know how to play the guitar, but the, uh, yeah, Tim, Tim Hutton really did that. Guy's amazing. He really knew how to play, play instruments. He was amazing, but anyways, it was so cool. We played your wedding. What are you going to do? What are you doing on the Wednesday?
We put back from this trip. What could you all get free tickets to go over to ketamine and get married in the grand ballroom casino. We're going to have to do a part two. We're going to have to hang in there. Let's see if anyone likes listening to us talk, we're going to have to pull the crowd. If you like listening to us, you want to part two email Sean on me.
email Jessie. You get back to I'll get a PO, get a part two. So, yeah, in Hawaii, that'll be the hardest thing. LinkedIn live. Let's do it. I'm in Jesse. If you ever come to salt lake, I'll take you skiing. That's my goal is to take all the five time Olympian, water, polo players, skiing.
okay. Fine. Okay. That's all right. Officially retired. I can't go get to know. Okay. You heard it here first. Not, not officially retired, but if you are, we can go cross country skiing maybe, but make it, make that happen. Yeah, for sure. Go. Yeah. Have you guys ever gone? Snip? What's it called with the shoes? No shoes, no shirt, no shoes.
Ready to go for you. Are you serious? Yes. For sure. Yes. Size 14. I did that with one of, well, they had, they, I think you can use different sizes, right? Or no? Yeah. Yeah. I did that Janai with one of, I'm not going to say his name on here. You know who he is, but one of my, that Navy seal. Apparently, uh, they're really good at running up Hills and snowshoes and I'm not, I'm not, I remember playing soccer and you were definitely a man based, um, you know, I'm now a soccer coach.
I coach soccer all the time. Yeah. I love coaching soccer. I crush all the eight year olds. I am definitely the best out there. Well, fantastic. Jesse. Let's end on that. We'll do part two. That's fantastic. You didn't, you didn't cut that way earlier. Oh my gosh.
The magic of editing, we can make it happen. Thanks Jesse. Bye guys.
Contributor Details
Jesse Smith
Jesse has an extensive history in the game of water polo. Recently Jesse has joined the 5 Olympics club participating in the Tokyo Olympics as the Team USA Captain.
Jesse played for Pepperdine University and has played Internationally in the Pan Americas game and FINA Super Finals. He has also played professionally in Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Italy and Montenegro.
Jesse played for Coronado High School in San Diego where he continues to live in southern CA where he is currently coaching soccer and being a father to 5 kids!
Jesse is also an author of the children's book Wally The Water Polo Walrus…