Salty Splash - Brad Peercy.mp3

Salty Splash - Brad Peercy.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

Salty Splash - Brad Peercy.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

This is the Salty Splash podcast.

Welcome to the Salty Splash Waterpolo Pod, the salty splash. We'll take a look at waterpolo growth from the perspective of waterpolo, athletes, clubs, parents, referees and coaches exploring issues facing the growth of the sport we love at a local level and will seek to have interesting collaborative conversations with stakeholders to the game. My name is Shawn Stringham and I look forward to creating conversation honoring this history of waterpolo. But more importantly, talking about the future of our sport. I live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where I'm the men's head coach and club director of Olympus Waterpolo. I serve on the Utah Water Polo and USA Water Polo Mountain Zone, Borse. On this podcast, I talk with Brad Piercey. Brad is a Utah water polo icon. He has been coaching in Utah for 31 years, where he has developed the Kernes Cougar's Water Polo Club. Brad also has a responsibility is the Mountain Zone head ODP coach. We talked about the history of water polo in Utah, appreciated some key early pioneers of the game and learned about Brad's journey and contribution to the game of water polo in Utah. We also enjoyed a great discussion about the future of water polo in Utah and the mountain zone. The goal of the SÖLVI splash is to listen to the diverse voices in the game, support athletes, clubs, referees and parents to create a growth that is best for them, and the strategies that will introduce more kids to the game and create quality, competition and development opportunities in our home of Utah and Mountain Zone and ultimately across the country. Please subscribe rate. Give a five star review and share the podcast. Look forward to bringing you regular episodes. Let's work together to bring the sport we love to every floor. Feel free to engage with these and other water polo topics by finding Salty Splash Pod on Instagram and Twitter. Join the conversation and the salty splash pod Facebook group. Or just simply email me at Salty's Splash Pod at Gmail dot com. Let's keep the conversation going.

All right. We'd like to welcome Brad Piercey and to the Salty's Splash podcast. Thank you for being on, Brad. I know that you're busy and you have a lot to do, but I really appreciate the opportunity given me to come in and have this conversation as I've thinking about this podcast.

Honestly, you were the first person that came to mind, like, we've got to get Brad on there. We've got to make sure that he has a voice in this, because you've had so much to do with the development of waterpolo in Utah and in the mountain zone. Let me start by just kind of giving a brief bio. Brad Piercey is the current USA Waterpolo Mountain Zone ODP head coach. He currently works at her Kernes Oak Park Fitness Center as the aquatics manager there and I have written in my show notes. He's also serves the role as just a Utah water polo icon. If there is one, he has been involved in the sport now for 31 years. When he took on coaching job, the coaching job at Kernes in 1989. So, Brad, first of all, thanks so much for your service to the water polo community. It really I mean, I honestly have so much respect for you and for what you've done for the sport. Kids playing water polo today would not have the opportunities without the sacrifices and with the opportunities. I did that.

Thank you. I appreciate that. Give us a little history lesson. Let's start with that. How did you get involved in water polo and would love to just kind of hear your own kind of personal journey in the sport from, you know, how you got into the sport, to how you got into coaching, how you processed into where you are now and water polo?

Well, I was a swimmer and a baseball player, I think. Similar to you.

Yes. Yes. Baseball was only the second best sport.

So by I grew up in Iowa. I actually my family moved to Utah when I was twelve.

And I had I was a swimmer in Iowa and a baseball player came here and played baseball. When I got here, I thought, I don't want to swim. I played baseball kind of through junior high. That's a high school.

And I decided that I wanted to try swimming again. I joined the high school swim team with every intention of playing baseball in the spring, trying to, you know, as far as trying out for a high school team swam. And because I had swam as a kid growing up, not great, but I was more experienced than some. And I had a little success and made a lot of good friends. And they convinced me to play waterpolo in the spring instead of playing baseball. So I thought, OK, I'll try it and loved it. Right. I just been a swimmer and I could throw the ball.

It's the recipe for success. You got to keep an open mind to swim and get right ball.

And that first couple times that ball goes in the goals, like I I'm going to do this. This is great stuff.

Exactly. And so did water polo and loved it. And, you know, back then it was really just a spring high school.

You know, water polo is just a three month the year thing. And I mean, for for our for our team and for most of the team, I think just playing during that high schools that spring season and then the rest of the year you swam. That was it. Right.

And we just I think there's a few teams back then that put together a little travel teams to tournaments here and there, but it definitely wasn't anything close to a year round, any year round clubs or barely anything outside of that three month high school season.

Right. And so did you did you play for Kernes? Yes. Yes, I played for Currence High School. And so am I. You've grown up there and not in that space.

Yes. My parents, when they moved here, bought a house in Kernes Curran's or Cottonwood Heights only because at the time they said those are the real tour. Those were the two swimming communities. Really? I got it. It was a little bit for Kernes. It was a little bit beyond past the swimming success, you know. Yeah. Hearn's in the late 70s, early 80s was pretty successful with swimming late 80s, not so much, but that's what the realtor knew. Right. And so were they. My parents bought the house in and change. I went to changing the history of Utah right there.

And I just can't set a good program as good coaching and got us hooked on plumbing and waterpolo. Made it, made it fun. And so anyway, when I graduate from high school, so I go to the University of Utah and I played a little bit back then, it was even less formal than it is now. As far as a club sport. We did some things with the University of Utah. But I had a coach, my my high school coach, Lin Westberg, and asked me if I wanted to help him coach, start off with age group swimming and then high school swimming.

And then the spring came around and he didn't know waterpolo, so he asked. Motorcoach, water polo and all I knew is three years of high school and right. Actually, Andy Hayes and I coached that season in the spring and that was 1989 was your first year as coach, right.

So what year did so how how much space had taken place from when you had graduated until you started coaching waterpolo? Yeah, just yeah. Just that. Just that. So you graduated in eighty nine and graduate 88, 88.

I started coaching there, coaching, swimming in his age group in high school, swimming in 88 and then that bring Andy and I coached the water polo team together and I kept coaching nature swimming and the high school season would roll around. And then that next year Andy did something different and I coached water polo. And so for several years I was just water polo. And that's three month season. And it was primarily swimming, I think was pretty similar to a lot of. Yeah. Programs back in that day, you know.

Well, I think that's going to be we're going to we're gonna have to solve that because I graduated in 1990. So we played against each other from when I played for East High School. But Andy coached us, too.

So I don't know how Raider like I have. I have very, very specific memories of Andy. And the best thing is the Andy worked at Brockmann Brothers Bagel's at the time. So after practice, we could swing by and he would like just give us all of the extra bagels and we would just like you would have five guys eating twenty four bagels and all of the gastric distress that went along with that.

Well I mean, Andy and his brothers, I think, you know, Mike and Pat and yeah they all, they all had a big maybe it was my low back then, maybe it was Mike that to coach Mike was the big old guy because I remember talking to him, I, I, I'm going to oh.

My first apology to the Hayes clan for that. Sorry about that. Was Mike who coached East. That's right.

Yeah. Well they were all. You know, at the time, they were the family that had from Southern California that swam and played and they were so excited.

And then in your in your history, when did waterpolo in Utah start or outside? You know, in our little community, you have an eye. Do you have a sense of that? I've tried to kind of do some history, but I have not been able to figure out like, well, what year this season was that started?

Yeah, I'm pretty. I've talked to several people that that had the fill part.

So there's a fill up family from East. Yeah. And my understanding is that nineteen seventy two was the first year for waterpolo in Utah for teams Kernes, Cyprus, East and Granat. I think if I remember correctly and so in and obviously back then it was just a few of the swim coaches that got together and say, hey, let's play water polo for a couple months. And yeah, and it went on for through the 70s. And I don't know much about the 70s if teams added. But yeah, but I know that in the 80s it was mostly boys through the 70s and then it is girls teams added. And back then it was a lot, you know, was mostly Skyline and Murray. Yeah. Were the dominant in the 80s, were the dominant teams and they were the dominant swim teams. Really, for the most part it seemed like it was always either Murray or Skyline. Yeah. Even through the late 80s, early 90s, it was occasionally one would be at the end. It was mostly Skyline girls and Murray boys. I think it was rare. Maybe Cypress had a few teams in there, like in the late 80s that might have been in the finals, but it was almost always Murray skyline in those finals most of that time.

Yeah. So then you came on the scene in nineteen eighty nine and started coaching and obviously over the last thirty year, 30 years you have built huge legacy and almost that you could say a dynasty at Kernes waterpolo. Right. Lots of lots of championships, lots of games, lots of league development. Give me just a brief overview like when you started in nineteen eighty nine to start. Is that what you started with. Like that idea of like I'm going to create this or has it just kind of grown organically as you've, as you've built that and built that program.

Well, you know, I think when I started, I was I was in college, I would just probably make trying to find part time jobs to make money and. Right. I mean, just typical college student type things. And it was a good job while I went to college and nice work and even at the pool just just to make what I could. And it was good because it was flexible with college classes and. And then when I. I just got hooked. You know, I mean, I think I luckily I had some good mentors. I mean, I you know, Larry swam at Marie-Anne and Zenph, Marsing at Skyline. You know, they were great to get a young coach like me. Opportunities, you know, early, early. I mean, I remember they arranged for me to go to the holiday camp at the Olympic Training Center, I think in nineteen eighty nine. Yes. And or and then again in ninety one. And then no other other opportunities with youth camps at the Olympic training center. And. Yeah. You know, and they so they made that happen for me. And you know, when you go to those things and you see kids from all over the country and coaches from all over the country, you get. I got hooked and kept wanting to do the best I could to coach and incurrence.

Wasn't a it wasn't a good program there for quite a few years. It took us. I mean, honestly, I think nineteen ninety eight. By the time we were even competitive with some of the better team. Right. I mean it. And, you know, and also our swim program got better through those years. And, you know, we just kept trying to do things through the 90s. It just I felt like it was mostly a high school season. There wasn't much because we weren't high school sanctioned. We could start kids in seventh grade. Right. And as the years went on, we started getting kids more involved in seventh grade. And that was a big part of least for our program to start getting more successful by having kids start playing in seventh grade instead of ninth or 10th grade. Right. Right. Those extra couple of years got us. And once we started, dad and we had more kids that have been playing for a few years before high school, then we got to be more more competitive. But we really it was really just a three months waterpolo season and swimming the rest of time. Yeah. And I was able to get on, you know, graduate from college. But decided not to pursue what I graduated in accounting.

Ok.

Good for keeping statistics, though, right? I mean, you you have. Yeah, yeah, I understand numbers the time.

That's what I thought I was going to go into in about a year left in that I, I've been coaching and realized that I really love coaching and thought about being a teacher. But oh it's too late in the process. So I didn't want to go switch degrees and everything. So I just finished out my accounting degree and then a full time job opened up at the pool. And I took that and I just getting married and starting a family. So it worked out well to have that.

And anyway, also the idea of facility was expanding from a single pool facility to a multiple pool and rec center facility.

So I saw that common and exciting. Yep. To be part of that. Yeah. So that that kind of led to things later in the 90s.

So you mentioned a couple of names as we as we kind of went through that. I think Lynn Westbrook was one you mentioned Steve Marsing. You mentioned Larry swim again. All all very important players in the early history of Utah water polo. I know for me, same Steve Marsing taking me under his wing and inviting me over to play with him during Skyline in the summertime and take me to tournaments and some of those kind of fun things. But, yeah, I think that's interesting to hear how the influence of just a few of those coaches have made such a key impact. And I also remember that one of the stories that I tell, even tell my kids to this day, is like they put me in my first or second game and we were playing Murray. And it was like I was the skinny kid at the end of the bench. And it was like 15 to zero at the time, right in the third quarter. And they put me in and I went in and scored three goals on Murray.

And I was like, it changed my life right now. And I was a starter from then on out. So, yeah. And I just remember looking over to Larry swim going. You guys got to play defense on my kid. Like, that's like one of those life changing moments for me. But what kind of influence had some of those coaches are that you've kind of based, growing the current program, becoming a better tactician or a teacher? How how have you grown as a coach over over the years? And who have who have been the influences for you, man?

It's a tough question. There's so many people to know so long ago.

But no, Larry. I mean, in I, Larry, in nineteen ninety, our pool was closed during the season and Larry invited me to come help coach and bring some players in. And Chris Horn was one of those players for sure. He was one of the best players in the state back then, and he was very good. And we played with Murray and he helped. Larry helped me a lot. Of course, I was coaching the J.V. kids. Right, Murray? But still. And then part of the varsity program and have Chris and some of the other athletes part of the program. And so, Larry was a big support. And Larry, Larry and Steve really ran the league, the high school for all those years. You know, they were the main ones. And I think it really helped that they were also swim close coaches and successful swim coaches that also did water polo.

And that brought a lot of people that got into water polo that didn't know water polo, but they thought, well, if it's Larry and Steve can do it. That sounds cool. I want to do that. I want to water pool. Looks like a great game. I want to learn about it. They were they were influential on a lot of people during that time. And they are they I know they helped a lot. They helped our program and they helped a lot more programs, too. They did. It was great.

I talked to people all the time that thank them for what they did to get them started and. So that was. And, you know, you had at ease, you had Joan Young, that Joan was my key one.

She I was going to I was going to add her. Like, without without her, I definitely wouldn't be here. For sure.

Yeah. She was she was big. To start the East program and everything. And then the other just to get kids playing in other parts. You know, John and I hit a road trip to Oklahoma City that I'll never forget. Just to get some kids some exposure and some playing with. Back when we were with part of the south west zone and her and I rented a Suburban and drove to Oklahoma City through the night. And Matt Chamberlain was in that group.

And I think Alexis Hayes, Courtney was on that. She tells that story of, like I just remember, like randomly travelling through the prairie in the back of a Bronco. You know, something you never do now, you know. So it's some great stuff. Yeah, for sure. We'll call any any. I mean, you've seen a lot of waterpolo over the last 30 years. Can you think of two or three games or moments that were defining in the sport of that in terms of your own personal growth or within the sport collectively here?

Yeah, that's when I think back at the sport through that through those 90s. And it really grew because of partly because of facilities. Yeah, through the mid to late 90s, we had more facilities being built that could foster.

All deep, you know, I mean, it's strange even to say the word right now. It was a different games. It was a different game.

I played shallow, deep. Everybody was shallow. The rare that you made 90s, you know, took until 97, 98, when we started getting away from even the high school state tournament being played in a deep pool.

Well, because one of your one of your key cap numbers was the basketball player that you recruited to come be the shallow end goalie.

I mean, yeah, it was shallow and goalies were a big part of our game. Yeah. We recruited those guys and girls that were tall and stare down you. Yeah. Oh, man.

And it was hard to score, shoot and shallow. Still is. But we don't have to do it too often. But yeah, it was a big change and there was even some resistance from a lot of coaches to play out day because they you place you play all season shallow, deep. Right. You don't want to lose your shallowing goalie that you've worked with and all that. But I really think that 97, 98, ninety nine was a turning point for the sport because we had more facilities like Steiner.

Kearns was done in 98 and Magna Outdoor Pool and other facilities where we had enough pools to be able to play more. All these games and status, high school state especially. So, yeah, that was pretty, I think, pivotal. And then as more facilities started coming on board, you know, with the water and the current like Kernes, but others too, we had more opportunities for other parts of the year to have leagues and games and tournaments. And I think that helped get more kids playing younger and younger than seventh grade as part of the high school season. But having a fall season and at the time was mostly for the younger, you know, eighth grade and under 14 and under because they started in the Ahern's folly was like 20 years ago.

Twenty one years ago.

Yeah, we started the the Fall League in Two Thousand Cazzo, you know. And those four teams, four teams, fifty six kiante six years ago.

And it's down to what now, fifth through eighth grade and one division. And now it's for a long time we only I think for about 10 years we only did 14 and unders because at the time I thought, well the high school kids have the spring season. So this let's focus on that. Yeah, but then we added high school kids to the fall league. We thought we might as well get them playing more. And then it just grew over time and more and more teams started practicing.

Even if there's one day a week or two days, you know, he can then come out for games on Saturdays. We just try to start it off. Is just directly Eglise like just like soccer tdl, you know, volunteer coaches put in having high school kids help coach the younger kids. And it's been a great growth and it's spurred more people to want to play in the summer, the winter and other parts, or at least even even if it was only the spring and the fall, it was still, well, five or six months of the year instead of two or three months out of the.

It's just such a great bridge for those kids. Right. I mean, and as far as you're growing your own individual programs, I mean, I know that's what I've built this the growth of the Olympics on is the fact that, hey, we're gonna we're gonna use that fall time, just like you said. We're going to teach you the game. We're going to recruit in the summer. We're gonna get kids throwing the ball back and forth. And then we have a really nice low barrier to entry league, too. They can get in. The parents get hooked on it. Right. And then you can say, this is great. Right now. We're gonna go into the spring season and we're gonna have you continue to swim and train and participate in the winter. And so it really is such a fantastic tool to facilitate year round play and to facilitate the growth of the athletes. And so, I mean, that's what I've seen in an Olympics with our programs. Is that how important that fall play is in terms of just super low key, fun, low barrier to entry? Not a lot of pressure to get into the game.

So, yeah. Yeah, that's those.

I think and so now. I mean, get me out of your act now, though. You got to brag a little bit. This last fall, you had how many teams in that league?

Well, there's about 12 clubs carried like 10 divisions from tends to love fourteens eighteens that we had. So I think fifty nine teams, over six hundred kids and and two hundred and ten games over eight. Saturday eight. Right. Eight weekends. And and that's to me that's always been about as opportunities to play. Leagues like that. Anything, any league opportunities to play for the athletes, for the coaches, for the referees. You know, it's just it's just creating more opportunities to play in. I mean, I partly wanted to do that league for our kids, our club, but also for other, you know, for more opportunities to play and create. And partly because I as aquatics manager. My job, I felt like, is to promote aquatic sports. Right, for sure. And so by having the facilities that I managed, I was able to start this league and promote it and sponsor it. So that partly I think that's just what I should do as aquatics. Right. As my job there to run leagues for and needs for swimming and diving, whatever, everything.

But because you're just creating opportunities. Right. And that's obvious. Yeah. That's that's the job.

What role should be doing in that role as aquatics director?

We're in we're in the midst right now of the Cobbett it and you'd mentioned that you're starting to get some pool time open back and available. We're not going to talk about that because that's interesting and exciting and all. But I'm curious. So this is probably the. The thirty first the first time this first spring season. You haven't coached wonderful or haven't been involved in water polo. Right. During the spring. During the shutdown. So a confirm or deny that, I suppose. And then after that, what did you find that you missed the most? And then even more interesting. What were you glad to miss when the season not being there?

Yeah, that's correct. I didn't. The last couple of years I've I've stepped back from coaching club as much as I was before. And I don't think I could have done that if I wasn't still able to be around it. So by being there with my job as aquatics manager, I was still able to mean I oversee the program right now. No official title, but I oversee the program and work. We're still a part of the team coaches. I'm still part of it and able to get my polo fixed by being around it, helping the club and games and such. So and then I try to find other ways to be a part and help. I think I you know, I really think everybody does what they can. And I I've been fortunate to be in a position where I part of my job, my full time job, a lot of Rantel out there are trying to coach or trying to run a program. I have a full time job at a bank or whatever or a bank or whatever. And that that that would be tough. I know that feeling. Yeah, I, I, I feel lucky and I feel like I, I really think everybody does what for some coaches. All they can do is three months of the year and that's, that's all that their schedule and their family and everything will permit.

Some people can do six months, some people can do a year round. You know, I don't think there's anything. Everybody does their part and feel like by having the job that I've had, I've been able to do some things at work that some people aren't able to do at work, like administratively with the USA waterpolo or Utah water polo and stuff to try to help out. So part I really feel like it's primarily been a duty. If I don't, who's going to cause it right? This is just tough to.

Yeah, yeah. A lot of task to balance for sure. So I'm going to hold you to it. What did you not miss. What was nice. About not playing water polo this spring. Anything. For instance, I know that my yard has not looked this good in 10 years. To the pleasure of my wife and probably my neighbors as well. But like people looking like me. What are you doing? Like a water polo? I have no swimming. What you want me to do? You know, I've got all this energy I burned, so anything like that.

You know, I think with for me, things were so crazy with the whole Kovar. I mean, it really made me focus more. I mean, I had to spend more time on my real job than I wanted to because of that kind of stuff, you know?

Yeah.

I mean, sometimes the the long nights or the weekends of running a tournament or. Yeah. Or games and stuff. Sometimes they're nice to not have but. But overall I just I mostly felt bad for the kids. I totally did. Yeah. And the coaches and. Yeah. But especially the fact that it was so it was just like okay we're closed, facilities are closed. And there was still that thought that we were going to be back in two weeks. Yeah, we're back in a month. And it kept going like like the kids never knew if it was gonna come back or not. They're kind of hanging on there, working out there thinking, okay, I need to stay in shape in case this comes back. And if we're able to play again and then it never does. And that closure, I think, is then tough for kids, especially the seniors, obviously. Yeah, but but everybody to feel like you put so much work into planning a season and getting ready for a season, and we were a month into it.

I'm always doing 80 percent of the work in the four, you know, before the games even start and then you start playing the game. That's the fun part. It's like eating it's frosting off the top of the cake, you know.

So, yeah, exactly. And then it's just done and you're just hoping it comes back and it never did. And that was tough.

I have to admit that in our team meetings, especially within our varsity D1 boys, that the fact that we lost an overtime shootout was the last game when we played Kernes. We talked about that game a couple of times. So we're we're all pretty motivated to get back in the water. Come, come, come next spring or this fall, hopefully we can get in there. So I think it's just great.

You know, it's fun to see and it's interesting to see the kids who are super into it, you know, you and and the kids who aren't. And so but it's it's been a fascinating kind of psychological journey with those kids. And like you said, I mean, it's really super hard to especially for those seniors. We've really tried to make those kids feel special at the same time.

I think it'll be interesting to see overall from youth sport perspective, like how just the gratitude towards the game and not wanting to take it, advantage of it, it'll be it's. Yeah, good. I thought it was out and that's a good point. So let's transition a little bit. You're also the head ODP coach for the mountain zone. I'd be curious in that position, what excites you about the mountain zone and the growth of ODP and Canada's skill, maybe the skill level and the improvement. And you've been in that role for a couple of years. What what excites you about the mountain zone ODP?

You know, mostly to see the excitement that the kids have when they are part of the camps and they make his own team and meet friends, kids from other clubs around the zone. And again, opportunities to play, you know. Yeah, specially in our zone for some of these kids. If they don't get an opportunity to play with their club as far as at Gio's or anything, it's a good chance for them to play against other zone. I think it's exciting to to see them play against other the other zone. You know, there's revenue zones in the country and and see him play as a zone team against the other zones, I think that are exciting for them, be part of that process. And I really like that. You know, we did zone teams a long time really of ODP. Our zone in the mountain zone started in 2003. Right. They were part of the Southwest Zone, a Texas primarily. And we we did zone teams back then, but especially being in Texas back, it was basically like they call me or somebody and say, OK, how about you give us six, seven kids and we're put in six or seven kids and we'll meet in Florida and introduce the kids to each other and play against the other zones. And that was.

Back then, that was eight teams and there are still some of that.

A little bit. Yeah.

I mean, we when we became the mountain zone in 03, we still did zone team processes for and then ODP started. It's gone through some phases, but really the last five years I've I've really enjoyed and bought into what John Abdou created with the current ODP process. It was really a a combination of his own team that we did as a zone back in those early days where we as a zone, we were just hierarch, a zone even higher there volunteered. We'd give volunteer pool time, the kids would and we would go play tournament against the other zones. And then the current system created this, the camp system of instruction. And John, I think, really did a good job of creating a process of as a way to grow the sport and develop players. And also what they need to do to create to select national teams for each age group. So for me, I know in our zone saw it as I want it. It's a good development tool right in. It's it's great for the kids. It's to improve. And more opportunities to play in and for the coaches. I mean, I think it's great for the kids, but coaches, the coaches that participate in ODP, it's great professional development.

Yeah, a lot of obviously a lot of it's for the athletes, but really to grow the sport on a longer term basis. It's about developing coaches. Because they're the ones often that are going to be around longer and pass on that knowledge, you know. Yeah, the athletes will will learn things and get better.

But if they don't necessarily pass it on to their teammates, as much an opportunity for the coaches is is a big part of.

And that part is so important because one of the kind of my next follow up question to that is I've noticed over the last five, 10 years that the mountain zone play, the level of actual play has improved. Right. I mean, you've we've seen the kids are better. They're getting better coaching. They're getting better development. The coaches are getting develop better, which leads to better athletes, et cetera. How would you quantify the improvement in the mountain zone over the last several years in terms of a nationally competitive standpoint?

I think it's definitely helped. We've improved. You know, I think with every team. Within teams, you know, you go through waves and phases of athletes. But we've definitely seen more coaches. You know, ODP is not going to say this is the clubs, it's the club coaches that are doing the work.

The mountain zone, the zone teams, the ODP only gonna be as good as the clubs and the club coaches in the work they're doing there and trying to supplement what, you know, make the kids get better and the coaches that do it get better.

And they learn things by going to and participating and learning. The national team system will play and. Yeah, and and that's great. But, you know, if the club coaches aren't doing it on a daily basis, it doesn't matter what we're doing with ODP, honestly. You know, I mean, like, we really have to hopefully whatever reason it's gotten better is is more club coaches are getting involved in and learning and improving their knowledge of the game and their techniques. And that's going to. So for those makers zone teams better.

Yeah. So for those club coaches that are out there, even maybe this spring league three month coaches out there, what what are some of the specific steps as a coach or resources they can invest in to improve themselves? Right. To improve the game, to improve them as a coaching to. Then you get a lot of kids that are coming out back and say, oh, I coached 20 years ago and now I'm ready to get back into waterpolo. How can a coach invest in those skills?

Technology is amazing these days. I mean, I look back in those ten years when our program was struggling and I don't I didn't know what I was doing as well as I should have. And I look back and I think, man, if I had the resources today that the coaches have with technology and the Internet to watch games, yeah. USL Waterpolo is doing so much now to help coaches through the online resources, the coaches manual. That thing is it's also everything you have. If you really want to be a successful coach right on a club and if you read that and look through that, that's huge compared to before. And and those and the mobile coach have access to to that technology is amazing. And I think they can fast track so much quicker than we used used to. I mean, I feel like I was fortunate to be able to go to some camps, development camps, young and go to some tournaments, you know, go watch and see two ways. Stuff like that that you just learn a ton from. But these days, I think if coaches will just take advantage of the resources. Yeah. No run when we run a coach's clinic or even ODP, if they come out to ODP and spend a few hours and watch what coaches are doing, talk to coaches. It's there. Yeah. You know, I know everybody like I said, everybody does what they can and then some people don't have the time to. Put into it, but if you want to, it's there and I've never seen a lack of willingness from anybody right. To help.

I mean, I think even more so, like even if you're watching or listening on the national perspective, there are so many opportunities out there to learn from the best coaches in the sport right now. You're not I mean, you just have to kind of tune in and watch and follow and be able to listen. Yeah, you're absolutely right in terms of the technology. I mean, you go back and you get the opportunity to stream games or watch games or connect with other coaches and be a part of the conversation is amazing.

So, yeah, it's it's especially been out of California, I think. Yeah. The people in California, they want the sport to grow across the country. And I've always seen that they're willing to spend time with coaches and help them and give them tips about their club or coaching or tactics or all that. So it's it's out there if coaches want to take advantage of it.

So outside of coach development, one or two things that a new club or or a smaller club or knife and small club, any any club, any team. What can they do to attract and retain athletes?

I mean, how. What are some key strategies that a club can use to help grow the sport in your perspective of over 30 years of growing it and doing it?

Well, I mean, I think consistency is a big helps. I mean, I think part of Kearns's success was probably consistency for me and and Chris and the other coaches we've had that, you know, I think that helps with the stability of and for parents to see that the program is stable. I think consistency is is helpful if coach is showing passion for the sport. And they just share their love of the game. I think it's is huge to keep kids hooked. I think, you know, we have to we have to treat it. We have to treat the client. Whether it's three months or a year round club. I think it has to be treated as a business and recognize who your customer is.

Yeah.

And create ways of making them, especially now as social media and things to keep them connected and hooked. And part of this thing that's bigger than them creating, you know, and social opportunities that, you know, kids, parents, families want to be part of something that they can meet. People make kids. I think traveling is important to not just I mean, it makes that team better. And it them you see things and it helps them improve. And as a coach, do you take a team or group on a weekend and you have them for the weekend?

You can be sitting there talking to them about water polo while you're sitting in McDonald's, eating lunch with them and all through you.

I love those big buses. You guys, you guys.

But we did a lot of bus trips that I think was a big part of that. Yes. Half of the trip is the experience those kids had on the bus, watching movies together, hanging out on an eight hour bus ride or get some better. And they see they play against different competition and they get better from it. But it's also big for growing a club, right, that they have. Kids want to, even if it is twice a year, an opportunity to travel. So they look forward to a lot. Parents love to travel, too. And I think they look for an opportunity to get out of town and have fun.

I never looked me right. Steve Marsing taking me down to that Tucson Empy tournament as like this is the best thing in the world. Oh, my gosh. This is fun.

Yeah. Yeah, that's awesome.

So great tips all the way around. We have we have some big goals that we want to do. Let's move to the future a little bit. We've talked about this. We've talked about this with a lot of the coaches in Utah, the future of the sport, future of waterpolo in Utah over the next five to 10 years. What what are the goals, Brad?

Oh, man. Well, I think we do know that the coaches at that Utah is doing a lot of great things and as to grow the sport and get kids playing more throughout the year. There's a lot of people doing a lot of things like like you've done with the Olympics and with all over the state. The teams are doing more to get to grow the sport. So I think I, I would love to see the zone grow to the point where we have enough athletes. And that is our our zone is so big that it's GraphicLy big. Yeah, GraphicLy big. It's difficult. There's some challenges there that some zones don't have. We really have worked 10 hours between cities and stuff and it's just more expensive and it's harder to train as his own team. I would love to see us grow so that we could potentially split our zone, at least for ODP not maybe not for the zone as a. So waterpolo, but at least Roedy P similar to the Midwest, the Midwest split into Midwest and Great Lakes. Right. Because of numbers and geography. I would love to see us get to the point where we can grow and whether we split north, south or east west, which would give more coaches more opportunities to play as his own team. Against other zones. Yeah, yeah, I'd love to see that within the zone and within Utah. We'd love to see the number of teams keep growing and and participation keep growing and hopefully one day become high school sanctioned, you know? Absolutely. Yeah. We've been a close eye high school sport for a long time, and I think high school sports are great.

I hate the children level and fun right now to represent your school as so import.

Exactly. And I think the more high school teams we can get and the more if we can ever become high school same way and work towards that. You know, obviously we saw Texas become high school sanctioned. It took a lot of work for them and it took a lot of work and a lot of politics and a lot of work to grow sports and grow the number of teams. But I would I would love to see and Utah become high school sanctioned so that we have the support of the schools. And I just think it will grow the sport. Right. Both in quantity and quality. I know a lot of people ask me, you know, why do I. Why is it why is California so great? You know why? Why is the sports why is it so dominant there, you know? What do we have to do to get.

Because kids choose waterpolo instead of football so they can play for their high school.

And I think high school sport, I think high school waterpolo is a has been a big part of California. You know, I think high school sanctioned sports in the 40s or 50s, I don't unadapted, don't know when it was, but that just it trickles down into clubs, sports and and it makes it and it's grown college water polo in California because we're kids.

So the markets have an opportunity to play in college and just see it as something that would be huge and a goal for me to see it happen in Utah.

Well, I think that's maybe 10 years. But, yeah, I think that when we've come out of our coaches meetings, I think it's very it's very inspiring.

It's very encouraging that I feel like the coaches in Utah are starting to come together, starting to recognize that we're all on the same track in terms of what we want to get to and to organize around that. But, yeah, being able to work towards that Utah High School Athletic Association sanctioning, I think is is a very real goal. And that, you know, with emerging sports status that we're getting within you H.S. a you know, we're looking forward to working with you and the remainder. And the other coaches out there to attain that. I think that in the next five to 10 years is something that as an organizing body and as a coaching group that we can probably attain and go after. And yeah. So that'll be fun to do. It'll be a fun thing to Mike. My favorite comment of yours was like for I'm out of this. This is going to be high school athletic. This is gonna be a high school sport.

So let's make that happen, right?

I hope so. I hope so. So that would be to me, that would be great to see. And you know, where there's there's a pool and a swim team.

They can have a water polo team and have a water polo team. Absolutely. So I've spent I've taken a lot of your time here. I appreciate. I'm sorry. We're gonna have to do an entire podcast just on the high school sport aspect of this. And I think that's going to be an ongoing conversation piece for us as we wrap up here. One of the things that I'm trying to do with the podcast is develop the best waterpolo playlist ever. So I know that you, when wherever out occurs, there's always some good tunings happening out there. And so I'm curious, what's your favorite waterpolo pump up song? Like, what do you want to listen to to as from a coach or as an administrator? It just gets you ready to play some great waterpolo.

I do enjoy music. I know you do.

Is is a big part of life and care and a mood changing. And that's but like with every mood, it sometimes depends on the mood you're in.

And I know as a coach sometimes since you've been in it for 30 years, Brad, you can have two. How about that?

Ok, it's one thing. Pre 1990 and one thing at nine.

Fair enough. Yeah. Work. Sometimes it's just a matter of sometimes you need to relax. And if I if I'm feeling like I need to relax, I go to Bob Marley. There you go. OK. Do you have a specific song to feel, IRA? Three little birds. You know, I get to relax, you know.

Don't worry. Yeah, just kind of. Sometimes, you know, sometimes you need to find ways to calm yourself down. I think athletes and coach is sometimes you're too hyped up. You need to round down sometimes if you need to get yourself pumped up. For me, it's probably Metallica or like fuel.

Ok, thank you all for Metallica.

Or you go to the Metallica concert when they were here last last November and last year, I did not actually signed it, but I was a IT show. Yeah, I went I saw him at the Delta Center and we were up on the roof rafters and the sound just bounced off the ceiling. And I didn't know what song they were singing until.

Fair enough.

So I have to ask, though, there's been a ton of references over the years to incurrence suits and t shirts to the Grateful Dead. Are you a Deadhead?

I am. I am. Yeah, we did. Have you done Grateful Dead shows before?

Yeah, I've seen him a few some some in Vegas in 90, and I saw him in Salt Lake in 93, 94. I'm definitely a Deadhead. Probably not as far as waterpolo is a little too mellow to wrap up.

But we have to use the Grateful Dead logo and some some of our designs tactic.

I too am a Deadhead Brad. I was at the 93 94 Sam Boyd Silver Bowl shows as well as I was.

I think did that mine is in a row. And when I was in Vegas, I think I went to Vegas for those for one of those 93. 94. Yeah, that's right. Because I remember my wife and I said she was pregnant and my wife and I thought, oh, we can take him, take him to the Grateful Dead show.

No, no.

So, yeah, I did. I did go to Vegas. One of those Vegas shows. And then and they wrote the Delta Center in 93 and 94.

Delta Center was a great show as well. I remember that very I wouldn't know.

There were three nights I went to the three nights. Yeah. Yeah. By myself.

I went well, I drove same kind of thing. I drove from Salt Lake down to Vegas by myself. But what I'm pretty sure was a was a fraud ticket. Right. And then got in, came out, slept in my car about four o'clock in the morning. The cops came and swept me out of my car.

I had to go drive somewhere else to park. And then I drove home overnight, went to the next show and went home the other night. And I barely made it home.

So it was it was there's nothing about going to the Grateful Dead shows by yourself. That's a loser. Thank you for sharing all of your perspectives clearly. Thanks for your investment in the sport in Utah. Any last closing thoughts that you have for coaches or athletes that are out there listening?

Now, thanks for having me. I think it's cool you're doing this, and I think that, you know, whether anything like this will grow the sport and get people involved and more connected and invested, I think it's huge.

And, you know, I think it's, you know, for me, just as a coach, what I enjoy the most, especially now I think probably that I'm getting older is just to see coaches, see people that are still either playing or coaching or refereeing. You know, I've seen former players that are still involved with the sport in some way. Yeah. And I think keeping that's what we need to grow the sport. We need to continue getting kids to college, playing in college, coming back and coaching or reffing doing doing what they can to help grow the sport. And I think hopefully as a coach and we we as coaches should share that passion and we get them so that they're hooked on the sport like we are. Yeah. Five year, ten years. They're still involved with the sport somehow. Right. Like I said, everybody does what they can. Everybody can coach. Some people don't want to play anymore. Some people want to ref. So they want to help run a club, whatever it is.

I think as long as if we're creating creating opportunities, know that for them or they feel like they love the sport. And hopefully that comes from us sharing our passion for the sport. And they love the sport. Want to keep being a part of it. That's I think as a coach when the best things we can do.

Fantastic.

Well, again, Brad, all of the all of the respect that I can give, I'll give. I really appreciate all of the investment you've done in this part of the sport has changed my life. And you have a very you have a lot of branches on your coaching tree. Right. All of the athletes and people that you conspired to invest back in the game. So thank you again so much everything you've done.

I really, truly appreciate you being on here. Has it been fun for me? I hope it's fun for you. Thanks, Brad. Appreciate it. OK. Thank you. Have a great one. Day two of.

Thanks again to Brad Piercey, Kernes, Oak Park Fitness Center aquatics manager, Kernes waterpolo guru and USA Water Polo Mountain Zone. ODP head coach. Please subscribe. Great. Give a five star review and share the podcast. It just can't get enough waterpolo podcasts. Check out Steve Careers, Bob off the deck where Steve talks to many of the best coaches in the game. You'll also like Tony Acevedo's podcast, the Tony Azevedo podcast hosted by Dave Williamson. As they look at waterpolo through the lens of Tony's five Olympic Games and future focused mindset. Check out what's going on in Texas at the Texas Waterpolo podcast and into the Midwest at the nearside LO podcast. All very interesting conversations working to support the game we love. We are just trying to make a journey to be a voice for sport growth in the waterpolo wilderness.

Always honor the game and keep your head on a pivot until next time. Peace.

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