You heard the same gratitude is an attitude, but it's also an effective leadership strategy for team USA water polo. Captain Maggie Stephens, the US women have won three consecutive Olympic gold medals winning 1/4 this summer in Paris would make history. No team men's or women's has won four straight Maggie Steens, leadership and mentorship to younger players and fans is *** huge reason for the team's popularity and success on this time to ask what happens when the Olympic mindset meets mentorship. And you'll hear from coach Adam Krikorian about what could make 1/4 straight gold tricky. You can download the audio version of dying to ask wherever you listen to podcasts. Enjoy this conversation with Maggie Steffens and coach Adam Krikorian. Well, it was an awesome game tonight. Thank you. It was so much fun. And I think for me like looking up and seeing sold out women's sports, so many kids up here who were really like watching and listening to their coaches in the stands, it was really pretty empowering. Yeah, I think every opportunity we get to play at home is an opportunity to inspire and empower the next generation. I was once that little girl on *** pool deck looking up and seeing role models and saying that's something I wanna do. And so the more we can put ourselves in those environments where we can be seen and hopefully be good role models and provide these opportunities to, to young girls and young boys as well. Um, is *** really big opportunity for us and something I know that for me in our team, it's something we, we definitely focus on. One of the club coaches said the best thing is that they're seeing things that we do in practice and they're seeing how to do that. Yes. No, it's so true. Yeah, it's so true. Just being able, you know, if you can see it, you can be it. And that's not just as *** woman athlete or *** female athlete, it's also the fundamentals. You know, I saw this funny thing on Instagram of the March madness for the women's uh bracket and they're warming up and these kids made *** joke about, hey, those are the same drills we do. I'm like, yes, even on the highest level, we're still doing the same skills and drills. So it's just *** good message as well. Yeah, as *** captain, um those are the kind of messages that you're always, I'm sure trying to not only like embody but also kind of teach to the younger players as you go into this Olympics. What, what are the main things that you hope that they're kind of pulling off of watching you and being around you and the more veteran players, I definitely hope that when people watch, they're empowered to go try something. I think water polo is one of the toughest sports out there and it can teach you so much, but it's so fun and it really becomes *** family. It's all about teamwork. And so if *** young girl can watch and see how tough it is, but see how empowering it is to be *** female in that sport and say, I'm gonna go try that or maybe they already play water polo and they have this dream, they have this goal to feel empowered to go for. It. Don't be shy to say, hey, I can be great whether it's in your sport that you do, whether it's in *** skill that you're doing, whether it's *** endemically but not being shy to go for greatness and try to enjoy doing it as well. Do you find that your perspective has changed? Going into 1/4 Olympics? I mean, obviously all major life experiences give you *** different place being, but going into 1/4 like where you are in life right now. What's the shift that you feel? Yeah, I mean, 15 years ago, I definitely wasn't thinking as *** big picture and of course, when I was 1819 at my first Olympics, of course, I wanted to inspire and empower, but in *** different way. Um Whereas now I'm really thinking about how can I leave the sport in *** better place than how I found it and not just water polo, but all women's sports as well. And how can we use this platform and opportunity to be *** role model? And for the girls on our team, how can I make sure that their journeys moving forward are brighter? One thing I always tell our girls is carry the torch. That's, that's our job. You know, when you get out there and you play and not just in front of the lights, but behind the lights, you carry the torch, you carry the responsibility of all the women that came before you and fought to give you this opportunity. And now it's our job to make that torch brighter, make that torch shine *** little brighter. And so for me, that's one thing that going into this Olympics. You know, just gratitude is one of my biggest things of how cool is it that I get this opportunity and how can I make sure that torch is *** little brighter for the future of our sport? Well, certainly winning 1/4 straight gold would help. Definitely never been done by *** men's or women's team. Um How, how big *** deal is that? Yeah, I mean, it's definitely *** big deal, but it's not something you necessarily think about. One thing that we talk *** lot about as *** team is, each quad is its own independent journey. And this group that I'm with right now, we've never won an Olympics. We don't have that Olympic gold medal. And so whether you've done it once, twice or three times, to me, this is our first as this team. And so of course, the idea of making history is something that I would love to do. I, I love, like I said, I dream big. I wanna, you know, reach for the stars. But then what's past that? You know, that's my mentality. But at the same time, we haven't done anything yet. And so we gotta go out there, we gotta earn it and that's what's gonna make it so much more meaningful. I follow you on Instagram. You had some spectacular wedding pictures here in the last few months. Congratulations. Thank you so much. How has your life changed? Just having kind of *** different home life as well and, and going into *** different phase personally. Definitely, I mean, like I mentioned, gratitude is probably one of the biggest values that I felt. This squad that I've always felt in the past. But um you know, after being on the team for so long and also now getting to share this experience with my husband, which I love being married, it's so fun. Um It just adds *** new element and family has always been one of my most important values and I'm really close with my family, I got to play with my older sister back in 2012. Um, you know, for me that's one of my biggest whys and so to add Bobby, my husband been to that. Why has been ***, *** very important part of this process? For me, it seems like you're having as much fun, if not more fun than when I first interviewed you back in 2012. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, I'm having *** ton of fun. Um I think that aspect of I've been there before with some of these younger girls and so knowing um what they're going through and how I can be *** mentor and *** leader in that way. But also they can lead and mentor me just like I had that opportunity with some of the older girls. And so really diving into that learning my teammates having fun with them, like I said, gratitude just allows you to be really present and enjoy every moment and that's what I trying to do it. I love coming into *** pool and it's sold out for *** women's sport and that happens to you guys *** lot when you do these, it does. I mean, I don't think, you know, we're not here, we don't play on home soil that often. You know, when you're, when you're, this is the difference between, you know, collegiate sports or high school sports and what we do internationally. We uh we either need to invite teams to come here and they need to travel *** long way or we need to travel *** long way to get our competition. So, uh when it happens, you know, it's, um it's *** great opportunity to, to get in front of our, our fans, especially as we get closer to the Olympic Games and the excitement builds and everyone gets excited about, um, you know, watching and rooting for, for the country and, and supporting our team. And, you know, I'm, I may be biased, but I think our team deserve, deserves it. They've earned, um, um, their status and they've earned the right to have *** sold out crowd. You know, I think, um, people, especially in southern California, like, like winners and this is *** team that's had *** lot of success. And so when you have *** lot of success, people, people will show up. I mean, it's awesome for the fans, but I would imagine having these exhibition matches as *** coach is great for your players because you can't simulate game all the time. You cannot, we try to as coaches. This is kind of one of our goals, always try to simulate *** game as much as possible, do things game, speed and practice, but the reality is there's just always *** different energy and *** different intensity and yeah, focus and even distraction that comes along with, with games. So, uh, we have 12 games, you know, leading up to the Olympics and um, every single one of these is precious for us. What do the next couple of months look like for you from *** coaching perspective? What do you, what do you change? If anything, not *** whole lot of changing going on? I think, you know, more fine tuning than anything. We're still in the process of selections. So, evaluating athletes and um, you know, trying to decipher who are going to be the 13, we have 17 on *** roster right now. So who are going to be the 13 that eventually represent this, this team and this program in, in the Olympics. And then at the same time, as much as it's fine tuning, it's also never forgetting about the fundamentals and the simple things, I think people would be surprised to learn sometimes how much the fundamentals are still taught and, and, and *** part of such an emphasis in our training on *** daily basis, but even the best players in the world in any sport, you know, essentially it comes down to doing the fundamentals correctly and, you know, building that cohesion as *** team. That's always one of the most important things in big moments. What's the joke in basketball? You got to be able to make your free throws, you got to be able to have your fundamentals, same thing. What in this, with this team have you been really impressed with in terms of just chemistry and the way the more veteran players, like *** maggie work with the more newbie players. Yeah, it's, yeah. Um, it's, I think one of the things that it really gives me goose bumps is just to, to see our veterans, the players that have been around the, the three time, the two time, even the one time Olympians, the ones that have been in the program, the ones that know the system of play, know the culture and how we want to be and how we want to operate and just seeing them pass that down in their attempt and passing it down to the next generation and building those connections and bridging that gap between, you know, again, the Olympians and the ones that are trying to do it for the very first time to get them to feel *** little bit more comfortable in what we're doing. But then ultimately to build that cohesiveness that's so important. And this is one of the things I've really enjoyed about this group is, is not just that leadership from top to bottom, but the willingness from the bottom to, to listen to those that have been there before and apply what they're learning and what they're hearing from the, the players, the more experienced players and this group is I think, very cohesive. Um And I think we have to be, we're not quite as talented as we've been in the past. So we're going to have to be *** little bit tougher *** little bit more tough and, and together there's *** big target for you guys because people see that fourth straight gold and it's, that's ***, that's *** great goal for them to try to prevent it from happening. Yeah. You know, we don't look at it that way like III, I mean, it's great for the, the media and you, and, and TV, I mean, it's like the four, you know, the four times, but the, the reality is this team has never won *** gold medal and we have people that uh I have never been Olympians before. So this is their first experience and it would be in my mind, it would be selfish of me or any of the older players to say that we're trying to repeat. No, this is *** new experience with this new, new team. Yes, the program has had *** lot of success. Yes, there is pre pressure associated with that. Um But we, we love that all. Um And certainly we want to achieve the, the highest possible placing we can, but this is ***, this is *** new group. Um The mission may be may be same. Um But the direction and the path is is going to be *** little bit different. Um Do you enjoy coaching as much or more than you did even 10 years ago? 15 years ago, I think I enjoy coaching more. I enjoy coaching more now because there is *** little bit more of *** sense of where this fits in, in the grand scheme of things. And when I say grand scheme of things, this is like the um essentially life. I was gonna say it's *** lot of life perspective. I think, you know, the older the older you get, um when, when you have Children and you see their journey and you experience some incredible times, but also some really tough times, you know, losing people along the way. It puts everything in perspective. And, you know, sometimes when you're younger, like myself, it was just, I'm just trying to run to the top of the mountain as fast as I can without enjoying everything that's going on around me. And now I take it in *** little bit more. Um maybe not as much as I should still. But um there's *** calmness and *** Peacefulness to what I do now that I don't think I had before and it makes it more enjoyable for me. What *** shame we can't have that when we're young. Seriously. Oh, my Lord. Really? I love it. That's pretty cool. It's very cool. Well, thank you, coach. We appreciate it. Best of luck. Thank you. Thanks for listening. You can find our podcast dying to ask the road to Paris, wherever podcasts are found, we're hearing from athletes and experts ahead of the games.