Cyerra Hibbert Story

 

By the time she reached high school, Toronto Blizzard alumnus Cyerra Hibbert was laser focused on a path that would allow her to continue to play soccer when she was ready to graduate.

“I decided I wanted to go to university and pursue soccer so that’s when I felt I needed to start looking at my options,” said Cyerra.

She heard about the Blizzard through one of her friends and decided to attend a tryout and learn more about the program.

“I heard that Joe (Parolini) was university driven and that was his objective. Once I talked to him and figured out what school would be my best fit, that’s how I knew I wanted to train with the program and become a better player.”

Joining the Blizzard program allowed Cyerra to sharpen her skills and become a more complete player in order to be ready to take the next step.

“They teach certain skills that universities look for in players,” said Cyerra. “Beyond the technical and tactical on the field, you’re a player and a person. You have to understand game play and game management and Joe helped you understand that.”

“Every training session we’d focus on ball control,” Cyerra stated. “I think the little things coaches stress helped you to play a full 90 minutes against university players.”

Cyerra’s path to university wasn’t a straight one however. Covid limited her ability to play in tournaments and complicated her progress so she was forced to take the Junior College route. But with the help of her coaches, Cyerra was able to fast track her way through JUCO and ultimately reach her goal of attaining a university scholarship at Illinois State.

“As soon as I got there I fell in love with the campus,” Cyerra admitted. “The small school feeling, the program itself is reputable, especially talking to some of the girls before I decided to commit. The coaches there were great, really inclusive, but beyond that it was the education. They had high standards for biology, which I’m currently studying. They were able to incorporate how I learned and how my day would look which I appreciated.”

From an academic standpoint, Cyerra liked that she had access to hands on research opportunities.

“One thing I really liked was that I was able to connect with an adviser to look at what I really wanted to go into so beforehand I’d know what I’d be interested in,” she said.

On the field, Cyerra transitioned from her natural centre back role to outside back, something she said she was prepared for.

“It was a bit of an adjustment but nothing that Joe hadn’t already taught me within the backline so it was quite easy to go along with it,” Cyerra stated. “Position changes and formation changes were constant but I was also introduced to those things by Joe so it was familiar.   

“By my sophomore year, I was a fullback and I was also made captain so I was able to interact with the girls more and get more into my comfort zone, especially with a big freshman class coming in. I was able to connect with them because I also still felt new to the team.”

As she looks toward her senior year at Illinois State, Cyerra reflects on her time in the Blizzard program and offers two words of advice to aspiring players who may look to follow her path.

“Trust and discipline,” Cyerra said. “Those are the two big things Joe has made me believe in, even though some days you may question practices and question your training. Not everything is dedicated to what you specifically need to work on but overall everything makes you a better player.

“One thing I’m happy about was working on our fitness and health and making sure you show up to practice every day even though you may not want to. The Blizzard program taught me that working through all the long days, the long weekends, helped me balance high school and soccer so when I transitioned to university I had a grasp on it.”