Interview with Adam Krikorian
Adam Krikorian is the head coach of the United States women’s national water polo team. The team won gold medals in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
“It Goes in Waves”
Contents
Max Raskin: Where I wanted to start is with your exercise routine – what do you do for exercise?
Adam Krikorian: It goes in waves. I grew up a swimmer more than anything, and I used to swim a ton, but since I've been around the pool all the time, I've kind of grown tired of it. My exercise routine today largely consists of running. I probably run five days a week for anywhere from three to four miles. Not super long, but not entirely short.
MR: When you run will you use any apps?
AK: No, I don't. I used to use the app that came with the iPhone, and I used to use Runkeeper. But what I realized was that I just get too competitive, and I don't think it's healthy for me to be able to sustain in a consistent running routine. I just push myself beyond what I think. I started competing with my last time and now the next thing you know, I'm sprinting the last mile and I'm about to pass out at the very end. And injuries happen. It's just not sustainable.
MR: Are you competitive?
AK: I am, yes – ultracompetitive.
MR: What kind of shoes do you run with?
AK: I use Hokas. They're possibly the ugliest shoe known to mankind, but they're doing a little bit better in the style element.
MR: Which kind you have?
AK: I think the biggest, the most massive one. And I'll be honest – I use it partly because I'm 5’9’’ and I've always wished I was six feet, so it gives me another two inches.
MR: What about in the pool – what kind of gear do you use in the pool?
AK: I don't use any gear. The beauty of swimming is all you need is a swimsuit and a pair of goggles, and you're set.
MR: Do you wear a headcap?
AK: No, I don't. In Europe they usually make you wear a cap so your hair doesn't clog the drains, but I don't.
MR: And what kind of bathing suit do you use?
AK: The bathing suit that is our sponsor – Turbo. Although I coach the women's team, I don't wear a women's suit. I have a men's suit that the men's national team gave me that I've been using for quite some time.
MR: And what kind of goggles do you use?
AK: They're TYR goggles.
MR: And you don't listen to music underwater?
AK: No. I've tried some devices, but it just bugs me. One of the great things about swimming and running is just getting lost in your own head and your mind. It sounds corny or trippy or however you want to phrase it, but just hearing your own thoughts.
With swimming in particular, I used to hate it as a kid, but when I look back at my childhood, I swam competitively for really my entire life and you go large chunks of time without being able to talk to anyone. Your head is in the water, you got your goggles on, just pounding out yardage. And when that's happening, you're alone with your thoughts. And so being able to navigate and push through what is coming inside your head – and many times your mind is telling you to quit and to stop – has been very helpful for my mindset as an athlete, as a coach, and as a leader.
MR: Do you listen to music when you run?
AK: I do at times. Sometimes halfway through the run I just get annoyed with the music.
MR: Did you listen to any music today when you were running?
AK: I did, I listened to my daughter's playlist that she just created.
MR: What’s on it?
AK: The playlist is called “We are Family.” It’s got “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, “Celebration”, it's got some Ariana Grande. Some Stevie Wonder, some Madonna.
Blake Krikorian
MR: What were you thinking about today when you ran?
AK: In the beginning I was thinking about all the stuff I had to do first. Then I get kind of emotional, sometimes, when I run. Today I was thinking about my brother, my brother Blake who passed away in 2016. He comes to my mind quite a bit when I run.
MR: He was paddle boarding, right?
AK: Yeah, he was stand-up surfing. He was surfing. What do you call that? Paddleboard surfing?
MR: Was he an in-shape guy?
AK: He was getting in shape. He went a good portion – I feel comfortable saying this – he went a good portion of his life trying to build a company. And when he was building this company from the ground up and developing this product, which was the Sling box that a lot of people are probably familiar with now, he got away from taking care of himself, from working out, staying healthy, eating right. And this was a guy who played water polo at UCLA. If you saw him in college, he was ripped.
He did well for himself and was able to retire, and then was just starting to get back into having an active lifestyle. He loved to stand-up paddle and surf.
MR: So that must have been such a shock.
AK: It definitely was – it was devastating. You never would've expected it. I was actually at the Olympic Games in 2016 in Rio when it happened. I think we had just been there a couple days; the games hadn't started yet. And I got a phone call from my parents, and you're just never expecting that phone call. I was really looking forward to post-the Olympic Games spending a ton of time at his new home in Malibu. I was really looking forward to learning how to surf with him. That news comes – it's never something you expect, and it's devastating. It's absolutely devastating.
MR: And you were thinking about it today? Why were you thinking about it today?
AK: I don't know. There's been times where I've thought about it, honestly, because you can feel your heart pumping, and he died from a heart attack. There’s times where I've thought about him running because you start to think about your own mortality and how you just don't know when it's going to come. But today, I don't think that was the case. Today it was more inspiration. I was struggling a little bit in my run. And when I'm searching for inspiration, sometimes those that have passed, including him or my father who passed away in May – sometimes they give me the greatest inspiration.
MR: You said part of being an athlete is being able to push when your body's saying no. What do you tell your athletes to do?
AK: Ultimately, it's not so much what I tell them when they're going through something really difficult. It’s just trying to tell them before you get in that moment. It's words of encouragement, but mostly it's trying to convince them through understanding that before they get there, you can push yourself much further than you ever thought was possible. The power of the mind is so strong – it can easily take you down a route where it forces you to quit.
MR: My cousin played on the Duke lacrosse team, and he has the ability to just do that more than anyone that I know. Athletes just have it.
AK: A lot of people think that it's natural, but athletes have trained themselves to do it. It just doesn't happen innately. You get to those levels because you’ve learned to push yourself.
Pizza West of the Mississippi
MR: Let me ask you about your diet because you were talking about mortality. What do you eat?
AK: Well, I've just started a cleanse starting today, which is ironic because I've always laughed at them. I did one about two months ago for a week, and I felt great.
MR: What kind of cleanse was it?
AK: I don't even know. I'm eating salads and soups, essentially, for a week. I started out today with some nasty lemon pepper drink before I had my cup of coffee. But I just know that I felt great afterwards. I lost a few pounds, I felt lighter. The clarity of thought was there.
MR: Do you drink coffee?
AK: I do. I cannot live without coffee in the morning.
MR: How much do you drink?
AK: I drink a cup, maybe two.
MR: And what kind of coffee do you drink?
AK: Usually Peet's.
MR: Do you know Verve Coffee?
AK: I do, yeah! They had just opened one here in town not too far from us. We love it. We love their avocado toast.
MR: Do you snack?
AK: Not so much. When I'm eating poorly, I'm snacking at night, which isn't good. I'm a bit all over the place. When our team is in full-time training mode and we're going for it preparing for the Olympic Games, I'm eating better myself. It's the times where I step away, and then I start snacking a little bit more.
MR: After your brother died, did you make any life changes?
AK: I definitely started eating better, there's no doubt, and I've become more consistent with working out.
MR: If calories didn't count, what would you eat?
AK: Pizza and ice cream.
MR: What kind of ice cream?
AK: Anything with chocolate.
MR: I didn't know they had pizza on the West Coast. What kind of pizza?
AK: Come on! But that's the problem – we got the big thick crust pizza.
MR: Do you have a favorite pizza place?
AK: I don't, and I don't eat pizza that often anymore. I used to just crush it in college and post-college.
MR: You went to UCLA?
AK: I went to UCLA.
MR: Where was your favorite pizza place when you were in college?
AK: This place called Lamonica's.
Under the Waves
MR: Is there anything else you changed afterwards?
AK: I started to meditate – I've done some mindful meditation. This is something that actually we've done as a team. We have a sports psychologist that works with our team by the name of Peter Haberl. He's hired by the United States Olympic Committee. He's worked with us since back in 2009.
MR: Do you use an app or do you do it with him?
AK: We've used different apps. Healthy Minds is an app that I currently use when I'm doing it. But I largely prefer not to use an app, and just spend some time focusing on my breathing. It's very simple, it's focusing my breathing. The thing that I try to focus on is just being aware of the thoughts that come into your mind, acknowledging those thoughts, and then trying to bring to back to the breathing.
MR: Are you religious at all?
AK: I'm not. I grew up Armenian Orthodox, going to church pretty much every Sunday, until sports took over. My parents were fairly religious and might certainly believe in a higher power, but it's not something I necessarily practice.
MR: You must have to be a therapist to your athletes sometimes – what do they come to you with?
AK Nowadays, I'm seeing more anxiety than I've ever seen before in my career, and I've been doing this for 24 years. I can't put my finger on it – I don't know if it's necessarily because it's a safer environment to acknowledge, or if it’s the impact of social media and the use of cell phones and technology.
MR: Do you think you're on the phone too much?
AK: Yes. There's no doubt.
MR: Can you check your screen time – what’s your daily average for screen time?
AK: I'm embarrassed – three hours and 19 minutes daily.
MR: Can I tell you? That’s not bad at all compared to some other people I know who live on social media.
AK: That's good. It's frightening to watch our athletes and see how addicted they are – I think being exposed to that has probably helped me stay off my phone.
MR: Is there any sports commentator that you really like?
AK: I was listening to Dan Patrick this morning. I enjoy Dan, he seems like a humble guy.
Riches in Niches
MR: Water polo is really nice – what’s it like being the king of a really niche thing?
AK: If I was a three-time gold medalist in, say, basketball, I can imagine what that life would be like, and that's not a life that I would enjoy living. I think what I enjoy about the niche aspect of it, other than the solemness or the serenity to it, is just kind of this "small sport" feel where we're a family. Everyone knows everyone. And it goes both ways.
MR: What did you think about the USC admissions scandal and water polo?
AK: I would just say it's not surprising. I know Jovan, the coach there, very, very well. We were the fiercest of rivals, but also cordial and friends. I say it's not surprising in that it's not surprising to hear of anything of that matter in higher education. This isn't just a USC problem, and it's not just a water polo problem. You see it all over higher education. If you think that type of stuff isn't happening at some of the biggest and best universities in our country…
MR: Have you ever picked up any new hobbies recently?
AK: Nothing new, although I'm trying to golf a lot more these days.
MR: And are you trying to get better at it?
AK: I am, I am.
MR: Do people actually bite their gold medals?
AK: One thing you probably don't know is that coaches don't get gold medals. So although my team has won three gold medals, I do not own one gold medal.
MR: Really? Why don't coaches get the medals?
AK: That's just a stance that the International Olympic Committee has taken. There's so many coaches involved on the individual sport level that I'm sure it's difficult to separate the individual sport to the team sport. For instance, in track and field or swimming, there may be a head coach for the US Olympic team, but the amount of time that that head coach spends with those athletes is very limited. They each have their own individual coach. And so to be able to hand out gold medals to all these people, I think you have to draw the line somewhere.
MR: When a team wins, people who don't play get a gold medal, right?
AK: Yes. But in our sport, everyone plays. We have 13 members of our team, and everyone gets some action.
MR: After someone wins a gold medal, do they feel like an emptiness or something?
AK: I think it depends on the person. I think often you hear about this post-Olympic depression. And this probably goes with anything. When you dedicate so much of your life and time to this one event out in the distance, and you get to that point, and whether you have success or you don't have success, and then all of a sudden it just ends. This is not like your normal business routine. Within your company, you may have certain earnings that you want to hit by the end of the year, but once that end of the year comes, you just restart. And in this process, there's a large break. Even if you want to continue moving in our sport, there's ... The pinnacle is so high, and then everything else is so low. So it's almost inevitable.
The Yips
MR: Do you have therapists on staff?
AK: We have a sports psychologist that we work with, and then he works with our athletes per their choice.
MR: Have you ever seen a therapist?
AK: I have not, but I consider him my therapist. I joke with our team – and it's not a joke – that I use our sports psychologist more than our athletes do. He gives me just a different perspective and he's been someone I've really leaned on at times when he does have advice. But usually he doesn't give advice.
MR: How often do you talk to him?
AK: I haven't talked to him in a while, but when we're in the thick of things, I talk to him. He travels with us, so when he's traveling with us, I'm talking to him every day, multiple times a day.
MR: Are the yips a real thing?
AK: In golf?
MR: No, in water polo. Are the yips a thing?
AK: No, when I think of yips, I think of golf. There's nerves in water polo, there's no doubt.
MR: Do any of your athletes get nervous? Do they ever take medication before they play a game?
AK: No.
MR: Are they allowed to?
AK: It depends what that medication is…but there's very strict rules to that. And everyone's drug tested all the time. You'd be shocked to know how often our athletes get drug tested. It's off the charts.
But everyone gets nervous. The one thing I don't like that I hear all the time in sport is this perception that these athletes are always confident all the time. That even the best athletes in the world don't get nervous. And that's just the furthest thing from the truth. The best athletes in the world are still getting nervous, they still have doubts.
Peeing in the Pool
MR: Do people throw up before games?
AK: No, I've never seen it.
MR: You've never seen someone throw up before a match?
AK: I've never seen someone throw up. I've seen people that look like they're going to throw up, but I've never seen someone throw up.
I threw up once, during a game in college. I was never that elite to compete at the Olympic level, but I threw up one time when we were playing our rivals USC, right before we went into overtime. I took a look at the crowd, and it was my junior year. And I started to get really nervous, and I just went underwater and threw up. And that's the only time I've seen it.
MR: If you threw up underwater, where did it go?
AK: Exactly. It goes all over the place, but the chlorine kills it.
MR: Did anyone notice?
AK: No, I don't think so. No. That's why I went underwater, to make sure no one noticed.
MR: So how did people not notice?
AK: Well, it was right before we started the sprint, so we're all kind of lined up. I'm by myself, there's probably no one within about six or seven feet.
MR: You know what, now I have to ask.
AK: Okay.
MR: It’s the prurient question, which is: do people pee while they play?
AK: Yes. Yeah, yeah. You're not peeing while you're playing, but everyone's peeing in the pool.
MR: I’ve always heard this myth about dye in the pool that turns red when you pee. Is this an urban legend?
AK: I've never seen that.
MR: But people pee in the pool all the time?
AK: All the time.