Jonathan Spence

Coach

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario

Player Position: Attacker

Canadian Club Team Affiliation:

Mavericks Water Polo: 2014 - 2018
McMaster University Varsity Water Polo: 2018 - 2022
Edmonton Riptides 2022 - Present

Player/Coach Career:

U16 Eastern Conference Silver Medal (2016)
Mavericks U16 Boys Award (2016)
OUA Bronze Medal (2018)
McMaster Varsity Water Polo Co-Captain (2021)
OUA Goal Leader/All-Star 2021

FUN FACTS

What is your favourite sports movie?

A League of Their Own

What is your dream vacation?

Trip through the Serengeti and East African Rift Valley

What ice cream flavour best describes your personality?

Chocolate with Peanut Butter

How do you like to spend your free time?

Mountain Biking, Reading, Kayaking

Describe yourself in three words:

Passionate, Persistent, Analytical

What is your favourite food?

Fish and Chips

Q & A with Coach Jonathan

Q: How did you first start playing water polo?

A: I swam competitively for years and when I got bored of it, my dad, who was a water polo player himself, suggested that I should try it.

Q: What is it about water polo that made you fall in love with the sport?

A: The ability to integrate being in the water with a tactical and fun team sport.

Q: What is your favourite water polo memory?

A: Scoring a bar down skip buzzer-beater from past half-court in the 2018 OUA bronze medal match, leading McMaster to victory over Carleton.

Q: What made you want to be a coach?

A: I have always enjoyed working with kids and watching them make meaningful progress in activities they love. Additionally, I love the tactical component of water polo which is a huge part of coaching.

Q: Who was your most influential coach?

A: Impossible to choose just one. In my time at the Mavericks, my main three coaches were Fedja, Nish, and Danko, each of whom were influential in their own ways. Not only did each of them help develop me into the player I am today, but they all helped me develop into the person I am as well.

Q: Who is an athlete you admire?

A: Michael Phelps, the greatest athlete of all time. While he definitely hit some bumps along the way, his work ethic and natural ability are awe inspiring, and the way he has overcome his issues to make be a positive leader in the sporting community is admirable.

Q: What is your favourite quote?

A: “Impossible only means that you haven’t found the solution yet.”