About SoPen

South Peninsula Water Polo Foundation (SoPen) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that was founded to teach and promote the sport of water polo among youths in the high school and middle school communities of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. SoPen is a proud member of USA Water Polo (club # 1417) of the Pacific Zone (Zone # 6). SoPen is committed to offering a high quality training program that is fun and challenging in a positive coaching environment where players can attain their maximum potential.

SoPen Water Polo Foundation | P.O. Box 591 | Menlo Park, CA 94026

About Coach Jack

Jack graduated from Stanford University with Honors in Human Biology and went on to earn a Masters in Philosophy with an emphasis in Sport Ethics, graduating summa cum laude from California State University, Long Beach.

While at Stanford, Jack was a 2-time All-American water polo player and NCAA MVP and the alternate goalie on the 1996 Olympic Team. 

He has coached water polo at Menlo School since 2000, winning the league championship 18 times and the section championship 5 times. In 2011, he was named by the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) as the National Award Winner and then named in 2016 as one of 13 CIF Model Coach State Award Winners. In 2017 Jack was selected by USA Water Polo as the National High School Coach of the Year.   

Jack has published four books, his most recent being, “Sport, Ethics and Leadership,” (Routledge, 2017). Others include, “If You Can Read This: The Philosophy of Bumper Stickers” (Random House, 2010), a college-level philosophy book, and a philosophical novel, “The Dream Weaver” (Penguin, 2008) which was an Amazon top-500 book featured in The New York Times.

He teaches philosophy and ethics at Menlo School and serves as a College Athletics Counselor and also writes a sports ethics blog for the Positive Coaching Alliance as well as the University of the Pacific's Institute of Sports Law and Ethics.

About Coach Eddie

Coach Eddie has been playing and coaching water polo for the past 13 years. He has coached with Coach Bowen at Menlo School for the past two seasons as the head JV Coach, finishing top-4 in the WCAL both years. Before Menlo Simonin was the head JV boys coach at Archbishop Mitty. He even spent a season officiating during the fall of 2018. Along with coaching at Menlo School and South Peninsula, Eddie has coached the Stanford Club 14U Program for the past 3 years, taking teams to the Junior Olympics each of those years.