Hailey’s story

 

On a Saturday afternoon in mid-December during a regular weekend training session with the Toronto Blizzard Academy, Hailey Knapp was asked to speak to her Blizzard colleagues about the process of college recruitment and visiting a university campus. Little did she know that, during her talk, Blizzard Head Coach Joe Parolini would surprise her by having her read a text from Wagner College Head Coach Phil Casella offering her a full ride scholarship to the New York area school next fall.

Hailey expressed shock and delight at the same time when she read the text out loud, while her colleagues applauded her appreciatively. Hailey is just the latest in a long line of Blizzard Academy players who have graduated from the program to continue their playing careers at the collegiate level either in the United States or Canada.

Hailey’s experience in her college pursuit was not unlike many other Blizzard graduates who have visited multiple schools and entertained scholarship offers from various college coaches. Ultimately, each athlete will choose the path that’s right for them but it is important for both parents and players to understand the process and make a decision that has the best interests of the athlete at heart.

“The coaches and players were very comforting,” Hailey said of her visit to Wagner College, a liberal arts school on Staten Island, a borough of New York City. “I was able to get a perspective of what the players thought of the coach, the program and the school. The players took me on a tour of the athletic facility and the dorms. They talked about how you’re going to have to leave a day before to get to away games, so you have to be on top of your schooling.”

Even though she also considered the University of Michigan, Hailey said she preferred a smaller school because the class sizes would be smaller and she’d have more one on one time with her professors.

“They’re more understanding of the fact that you’re on the soccer team,” she said.

Hailey was also very complimentary of her coach who talked to her about what the program would offer.

“He’s a coach that likes if you work hard in training,” she stated. “He doesn’t care if you’re only a freshman, but if you’re better than a senior, you’re going to play. He also said what we’re doing (at the Blizzard) is beyond what other teams are doing. He said the biggest adjustment for freshmen is the training load. They train six days a week. In pre-season, you’ll train twice a day.”

Coach Casella told Hailey that, coming from the Blizzard program, she might actually find it easier with the fitness load because of how much the Blizzard group does during the week.

Hailey’s dad Herman was also very complimentary of the coach and the program at Wagner College.

“For me the most important thing was what the coach was going to be like,” Herman said.  “What was my daughter getting into? The key thing I liked was when he said ‘I want to be your mom and dad while you’re away’. There was an understanding that his door was always open to Hailey.”

Mr. Knapp was also impressed by the fact that what the Blizzard is doing made him feel more comfortable about sending Hailey to Wagner.

“We actually train more hours a week than they do,” Herman said. “My opinion is, while I was there, it made me feel good to hear right from the coaches and understand where my daughter would be going.”

Blizzard head coach Joe Parolini remarked that there are strict training rules in place at the American collegiate level.

“By law, NCAA players are only allowed to be on the field with the ball and the coach for four hours, that’s it,” Joe said. “Every other training session is fitness and weights.”

Mr. Knapp also said it was very important to keep Joe up to date on the player’s recruitment process.

“Every time Hailey or I talked to the coach, we relayed back to Joe what we talked about,” Herman stated. “It’s important to always keep Joe engaged.”

Hailey will continue training with the Blizzard through the winter and spring at their new 360 Soccer Centre training base before making the trip back to New York City to start her freshman year at Wagner College later this summer. Congratulations Hailey and good luck in the Big Apple!

Hailey has committed to Wagner College (NCAA Div. 1) in New York for 2024: https://wagner.edu/ | https://wagnerathletics.com/sports/womens-soccer