A Conversation with USC Football Player Jake Olson

I remember the day when my wifey said, “Honey, you need to sit your blind butt down and listen to this special on ESPN.” I scratched my head and replied, “How about a little later? I’m hungry right now.” My wifey’s voice became more stern, “No, you need to listen to this. It’s a story about a Division I football player who is a long snapper for USC.” I furrowed my brow and replied, “A long snapper? Well, I like football, but can I just stop in the kitchen first.” My wifey then simply stated, “Honey, the long snapper is blind.” I immediately sat my own blind butt on the couch and said, “I’m going to need a lot of buffalo wings for this.”

On Sunday, March 1 I had the honor of talking to Jake Olson on the phone. I quickly learned that Jake and I have a lot in common. We are both athletes, we love bodybuilding, we enjoy adventures and we have both learned how to thrive against adversity. Jake and I both know the importance of surrounding ourselves with great people to help us achieve success in a world without our sight. Jake has an amazing right-hand man and business partner named Daniel Hennes. This guy was so professional and so good that he made me jealous of how easy he made this conversation possible. Jake has the incredible, Daniel Hennes by his side. I have wifey. Here are some samples of what my wifey said during my conversation with Jake:

 “Hey Jake, every time I make Aaron go downhill skiing with me, people think I’m trying to kill him.” I reminded my wifey that it’s not just downhill skiing. At our wedding, one of her bridesmaids read a very long list of “All the Ways Lauren Is Trying To Kill Aaron.” Then my wifey told Jake, “Good thing they didn’t know the part about me making Aaron ride an elephant during our Honeymoon in Thailand.” 

We talked about my interest in playing golf. Jake is quite a golfer and has inspired me to give the sport a try. Jake and I really connected on our love of lifting weights. We even made plans of doing some funny gym videos together when he travels to Connecticut, this coming fall. My wifey decided to let Jake know about the trip we took to Muscle Beach. I have always wanted to pump iron at Muscle Beach like Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was a dream to be there out on the sand lifting weights. My wifey, of course, had to tell Jake about another part of the story. She started giggling about how I was acting really strange on Muscle Beach because while I was working out I kept inhaling all the vapors from the medical marijuana facility next door.

If that wasn’t enough, my wifey kept on rolling with the stories. She told him, “I saw the video of you driving a race car. I once let Aaron drive my Jeep.” My wifey still wasn’t done so she topped it off with, “You know, Jake, I really do enjoy working for my husband’s company, Blind River Studios, but I have to tell you, the pay really sucks.”

Yes, it was a memorable conversation with Jake Olson. I am grateful we stayed connected after my talk. Thankfully, my wifey didn’t scare him away and I’m glad because there isn’t anyone else who I would rather have by my side than my wife, Lauren. We are both looking forward to meeting Jake and we are dreaming of the day when hopefully a blind filmmaker, like myself, will tell the story of a blind long snapper who played football for USC.