Men's Soccer Alumni Update: Jason Waterman

ELON, N.C. - One of the most recognizable images in Elon men's soccer history is of Jason Waterman running shirtless on the field following his game-winning goal in double-overtime against Wofford in 2013. The tally secured a Southern Conference Championship and the third consecutive automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the Phoenix. Despite the numerous achievements throughout his soccer career, Waterman's biggest impact may have come after graduating from Elon when he began teaching English in Southeast Asia.

“The only way to describe the experience is fascinating," Waterman explained. “I taught English in a conservative, rural Muslim community, so the culture was shockingly different than other places I've lived. Everything was new and an adventure.”

"Even going out for dinner, I had to remember to follow different driving rules (like staying on the left side of the road), practiced different customs for greeting the waiter and ordering food and even ate food I didn’t know what it was with my hand.”

Experiencing life while teaching in Southeast Asia had a profound impact on Waterman. From the pace of life to experiencing different cultures, Waterman viewed each day as an opportunity to learn new things.

“Living in Southeast Asia had a dramatic impact on me,” Waterman stated. “The pace of life in the countries I lived in (Cambodia and Malaysia), as well as the countries I visited, was so much slower than anything I had ever experienced. My competitive, achievement-oriented disposition was at such odds to the peaceful way people there conducted themselves. It really made me introspective on whether my whole way of living was wise. This questioning escalated quite a bit as I attended silent meditation retreats throughout the region. The cultures and societies were far from perfect but they were all so kind and welcoming to me."

"Part of my role as a Fulbright Grantee was to be a “cultural ambassador” but I learned so much more from them than they learned from me. At least I hope so.”

Despite the great work he was doing off the field in Malaysia, Waterman recalls a moment on the field while working with the Malaysian High School soccer team as one of his favorite memories.

“One time I was coaching the soccer team at my Malaysian high school and the Principal came out to see the English that I was teaching them,” Waterman continued. “The soccer team was not very proficient in English, so I gave the team some very simple instructions, like yell “ball” to ask for the ball. As soon as we started the game, one kid yelled “ball” and I proudly told him great job, smiling smugly over at the Principal. This was a mistake because a domino effect soon took place and only seconds later the field was filled by a chorus of kids, both on offense and defense, all yelling “ball”. Even the kids on the bench started screaming “ball”. About 30 kids in total all shouting “ball”. Even the kid who currently had the ball started yelling “ball”. "

“I explained to the Principal our focus that day was working on being confident when we spoke and later I would actually teach them what English words meant.”

Although he took many lessons from his time at Elon, Waterman claims that Elon's way of helping people connect with one another on a personal level is what had the biggest impact on him and helped him to be open to the new experiences he faced in Southeast Asia.

“My time at Elon was the foundational shift of a personal focus on accomplishing things to thinking about how I can impact other people,” Waterman said. “I couldn’t name 90% of the classes I took but I remember hearing that the two kids I tutored in reading at a local elementary dramatically improved their reading scores. I couldn’t tell you what the results of my undergraduate research were but I remember my professor, Dr. Xu, going above and beyond to help me with it. And I can’t remember hardly any of the goals I scored but I remember celebrating with my teammates afterwards."

"I remember the moments of being kind to people or other people being kind to me. Basically, I learned that being connected to others supersedes whatever other goal I had in mind.”

Now working with a mediation organization, Waterman is still finding ways to make an impact on people's lives.

“I love teaching meditation and the demand for it is only going up,” Waterman explained. "It’s amazing to help people slow down and learn to actually enjoy each moment when we are so conditioned to always be chasing the next thing, lost in worries, caught up in believing happiness is some far off destination. To equip others with tools to face all the ups and downs of life and find peace within themselves is incredibly rewarding."

--ELON--