Olympian Beaubien To Speak at Gensler Group's Tuesday Wealth Symposium

Coronado is no stranger to water polo. Coronado High School's water polo coach, Randy Burgess, has coached more than a few athletes to greatness.

Among them is Layne Beaubien, who has had quite an exceptional water polo career spanning the last two decades, including high school championships, international play and the Olympics.

Come hear him share more of his story of commitment and perseverance at The Gensler Group's next Wealth Management Symposium on Tuesday, Jan. 8th, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the Coronado Library's Winn Room. 

Beaubien has been named one of the sport's top center defenders while boasting one of the strongest shooting arms and has emerged as one of the top all-around players in the world today. At 36, Beaubien most recently competed with Team USA in the London 2012 Olympics.

Water polo is arguably one of the hardest sports in the world. It comprises swimming, basketball, and hockey into one game. Lifting weights and training hours on end in the pool, water polo players have to be incredible athletes. Water polo is played in deep water so the players cannot touch pool bottom at any time.

Players, when not swimming, are staying afloat by "egg beating" (kicking their legs in the motion of an egg-beater). Add getting kicked, hit, and scratched repeatedly, with chlorine-clouded fields of vision and splashing water, these players are constantly battling the elements as well as each other. In any instance of the game one will find athletes entangled, dunking, grabbing and fouling (if they can get away with it!) 

An "All American Boy," born and raised in Coronado, Beaubien was most appropriately born on July 4, 1976. He was privileged to grow up in this beachside, patriotic Navy community with his grandparents living blocks away. Layne's grandfather once told him that two of the greatest accomplishments in life were a Congressional Medal of Honor and an Olympic Gold Medal. "That comment stayed with me, and pushed me to constantly strive to achieve one of them," said Beaubien. 

Beaubien chose to play water polo in high school because it was the school's most successful sport. The team won three CIF championships in his four years at CHS and Beaubien was named San Diego County "Student Athlete of the Year" in 1994.   

He went on to play water polo at Stanford University, earning top League Player of the Year honors and an NCAA Championship even while taking a year break in the middle of his college career to travel and experience the world. 

After graduating from Stanford, he became the first American ever to play in the Hungarian professional league. "Being the first and only American, other players came at me with a vengeance," said Beaubien. Beaubien has played professionally all over the world, has been on National Championship teams on three continents, and has competed in three Olympics - winning the silver medal in 2008.  

For more information on the event, call Jadi at (619) 554-1300 or email jadi@genslergroup.com.