Nado Natterings
A weekly column by David Axelson Back to Index

14 July 2010 Issue #28

Now that the World Cup Soccer Tournament has concluded, the next major international sporting event is the Summer Olympic Games to be held London in 2012. Since the summer Olympic Games have a history of local significance in the sport of water polo, clearly it’s time for a water polo update.
Currently there are three Coronado High School water polo program alumni on the United States National Team. Jesse Smith (CHS ’01), who competed in the Athens Olympics in 2004 and was a member of the silver medal winning U.S. squad in Beijing in 2008, is again in the mix at the defender position. Smith is considered to be one the best defenders in the world.
Making the 16-man National Team for the European tour that began last week is Tommy Corcoran (CHS ’04), who plays center forward. Corcoran has the added footnote on his resume that he was an NCAA Division I champion during his collegiate playing days at USC.
Past Olympians in different stages of their careers are Genai Kerr (CHS ’95) who has retired from the sport. Kerr, an Olympian as a goalie at the Athens Games, is now working on the non-profit world, according to the third current National Team Member Thomas Hopkins (CHS ’02). “Genai is working in leadership and guidance for young student-athletes. He is using water polo camps and clinics to connect with the kids. He does that all over California. He started that last year.”You can follow the progress of Kerr’s non-profit organization through Olympicacademy.com.
Another Coronado Olympian Lane Beaubien, who played in both Athens and Beijing, is taking the current training season off. He has time to resume training and is a defender who has had continued success at the international level. All five of the athletes mentioned began their careers under the tutelage of CHS Head Coach Randy Burgess.
Hopkins, who graduated from Stanford in 2006 and earned an NCAA ring with the Cardinal, is in his second campaign to make the U.S. Olympic Team. He is a driver, or the water polo equivalent of a point guard in basketball. One of the last players released from the team just prior to the Olympics in 2008, Hopkins knows making the move from the larger National Team squad, to his ultimate goal of playing in the Olympics, is a long process.
“It’s still early,” but as we get closer and closer to the Olympics, each year we pick up on or two more guys. There are eight returning players from the Olympic team and a total of 13 spots. There will be 11 field players and two goalies.”
But Hopkins hasn’t been sitting around collecting dust. For the last two years he has been the leading scorer for the Budapest Villamos Sports Club (BVSC), which plays in the Budapest Division I Professional League. To make sure he keeps busy, Hopkins is currently in graduate school at Corvinus University of Budapest and is working on a masters in business administration. “It’s the top economics and business school in Hungary and in the central European region,” Hopkins said. “I just completed the first year of a two-year degree.”
Perhaps the biggest surprise in the interview with Hopkins came next. “All of the classes and class work is done in English. In Budapest, pretty much half of the people speak fluent English. Another 25 percent mostly understand it. That has made for a very easy transition for me. Hungary has a very good education system. They pride themselves on that. They started the English thing a while back. As a result, for the last 15 years Hungary is the fastest growing economy for emerging markets. It’s a great place to be for school and business.”
According to Hopkins, among the topics he studies at Corvinus University are marketing, finance, human resources, operations management, process management, and entrepreneurship.
During the professional water polo season in Hungary, which runs from mid-September through the end of May, here is a typical Hopkins day. “We practice twice a day for a total of four hours from Monday through Friday and we have a game every Saturday. I have 20 hours of class time a week and I’m taking 30 units per semester. It’s like being back at Stanford again. With school and water polo, that’s a lot. It’s been a good experience and I’ve enjoyed it. Playing in Hungary has helped me grow as a person and it has helped be grow as a professional athlete and water polo player. I enjoy the international atmosphere in Budapest. It’s extremely diverse and the school has a diverse student body. It’s great to be in such an international community. ”
Water polo at the international level is extremely physical, some would say dirty, and Hopkins thinks playing in Hungary has had its benefits. “I’ve had (been on the receiving end of) every type of foul there is. The Hungarian guys are really nice and the culture is great for foreigners. But in the pool everybody is out to win. That has helped me with my composure in the water when I play for the U.S. team”
For now, the firm of Hopkins, Smith and Corcoran have their hands full as training for the U.S. National Team, currently ranked fourth in the world behind Serbia, Spain, Croatia and just ahead of Hungary, has begun in earnest. Along with the training come international tournaments for almost the entire month of July. “We always train straight through,” Hopkins explained. “There is no taper for water polo. We have consistent conditioning throughout the tournaments, including weight lifting and swimming.”
Among the stops this month for the three Coronado grads are the World League Super Finals in Nis, Italy from July 13-18; next is a combined training camp and tournament in Sicily from July 21-25; which in turn are followed by FINA Super-Finals in Oradea, Romania from July 27-August 1.
Hopkins, who has been traveling internationally to play water polo since his high school days, has gone through one passport with extra pages inserted, and is now on his second passport. “One more summer and the following summer is it,” said Hopkins of his Olympic campaign.
Hopkins said his future plans include eventually moving back to San Diego and starting a business locally, possibly something in education or recruitment. It would appear that the education portion of the equation should provide for a pretty easy transition.