Member Spotlight

Ryan Smith

Assistant Director of Aquatics 
Camelback Resort
Tannersville, Pennsylvania - U.S.A.

Featured in World Waterpark Magazine, February 2021

WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE? 
At age 17 I started at Dorney Park and worked eight seasons in the Operations department while studying at Penn State University for a bachelor’s degree in psychology. After graduating, I joined the Aquatics team at Camelback Resort and currently have been here for five years. 

WHAT CERTIFICATION OR LICENSING DO YOU HAVE? 
I am an Ellis & Associates ILTP Instructor and currently a Certified Pool Operator (CPO) as well. 

WHAT HONORS, AWARDS OR SPECIAL RECOGNITION HAVE YOU ACHIEVED? 
My team and I received the 2017 Platinum International Safety Award with Camelback Resort – Aquatopia. 

WHAT MADE YOU GO INTO THIS FIELD? 
When I was a teenager, I was looking for a summertime job and began working at Dorney Park. I fell in love with the job and just kept going back each new season because of the fun that you can have with the guests and coworkers. 

WHAT ASPECT OF THE WATERPARK INDUSTRY DO YOU LIKE BEST? 
I enjoy how close everyone in the waterpark industry is with one another. No matter where you are, we all share a similar mindset of safety and zero drownings that allows us to relate so easily. 

WHO HAS MOST INSPIRED YOU IN YOUR CAREER? 
Several people have come into my life at different times of my career in the industry who have each made a lasting impression and passed on a wealth of knowledge. If I had to choose, I would say Jason Bays. He was my Director at Camelback for my first two years and he encouraged me to be great, not good by always challenging me to be better today than I was yesterday. Certainly, he was one of the craziest people I have worked for, but also one of the most diligent & driven. He challenged everyone around him and always cited that we get to decide each day if we want to be a “Tigger or an Eeyore” and this is something that sticks with me every day. 

WHAT HAS BEEN THE GREATEST CHALLENGE IN YOUR WATERPARK CAREER? 
The feeling of being burnt-out, unchallenged and stagnate that sometimes seems to creep up on us. It is very hard when those feelings begin to create doubt in your personal success, but this is certainly something that we can overcome. It is usually more a state of mind than a reality of the situation. 

HOW DO YOU KEEP FOCUSED AND MOTIVATED? 
Ensuring every day that there are tasks to get accomplished, both personally and professionally. Planning out tasks/goals to move toward the betterment of yourself and the team can greatly help with keeping the motivation fire burning. 

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN WORKING IN THE WATERPARK INDUSTRY? 
Be honest, work hard, stay safe and have fun. 

WHAT BOOKS OR PUBLICATIONS DO YOU RELY ON MOST FOR INSPIRATION OR MOTIVATION? 
I rely on Good to Great by Jim Collins, Be Our Guest by The Disney Institute and Theodore Kinni and Start with Why by Simon Sinek. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB? 
The people, of course! You get to meet new people all the time. Some are a quick exchange and others become a friend for life. Some of my closest friends I met while we were working together at either Dorney Park or Camelback. 

WHAT CAREER OR BUSINESS WOULD YOU CONSIDER IF YOU WERE STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN? 
Honestly, I would not really change anything, but if I did, I’d probably go toward politics/government. I’ve always considered this as something that I would enjoy doing. It’s a great way to give back to the community. 

HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED WITH THE WWA? 
When I joined Camelback Resort, I became more familiar with WWA as many of the team would attend shows throughout my first few years. In 2018, I had the opportunity to attend my first WWA Show that took place in Las Vegas. This was quite an awesome experience and I would highly recommend it to those who have not attended. During the show there was a lot of networking, information sharing and I even got to be a speaker with two industry colleagues. 

WHAT IS SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOU THAT FEW KNOW OR WOULD GUESS? 
I have a love and passion for working on cars and having plants/gardening. These are two of my favorite pastimes. I started to learn early on about working on cars because I had a Volkswagen Jetta that just loved to constantly break down during my college career. I like to keep several plants inside, and I also have a vegetable garden during the spring/summer.