In the last 13 years, Humber has won 10 provincial (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association, or OCAA) titles. In those 10 years of winning, they went on to win the national competition (Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association, or CCAA) seven times.
While Humber is renowned for having one of the best collegiate soccer programs in the country, the question now is why. What separates Humber from other teams and why does Humber keep winning?
Assistant coach Jason Mesa said that the root of this success comes from more than just players and coaches.
“It is the support that we receive from our athletics department,” he said.
A lot of the credit goes to what happens behind the scenes with club coordinators, therapists, athletic and information directors. “Everybody in that athletics department does an incredible job to provide us with all the support that we really require,” Mesa said.
In any sport, having tremendous talent on your team is something that can put you ahead of the pack.
However, to be great and rewrite history you’ll need a little more than some skills and fancy tricks.
Players with trophy Photo credit: Humber Hawks
There are a lot of aspects of a team that need to be taken care of for a team to be successful like Humber.
Duties on the field must be executed at a high level, but none of that is possible if players don’t take care of themselves off the field, mentally and physically.
These players play on a 100-yard-long surface for 90 minutes with not many stoppages apart from halftime. In order to be an effective player, being in great shape and being fit is a requirement.
Co-captain Matthew Laic shares a little bit about how he takes care of his body during the season and in the off-season.
Recovery is a huge part of maximizing your ability to perform.
Laic likes to take part in certain recovery rituals such as light-weight training, massages, ice baths, sauna and more.
He believes that yoga is also a great way to recover although some of his teammates tease him for it.
Some players on the team go the extra mile and follow dietary restrictions. Laic said that it’s not a requirement from coaches, but players chose to make that sacrifice in order to boost their performances.
In addition to the physical aspect, to be a successful team, players need to be in a great mental state and that can be extremely challenging being a student-athlete.
“A lot of people don’t understand that the role of a student-athlete is pretty difficult,” Laic said.
On top of classes, there are still tests, quizzes and assignments to worry about outside of the classroom. As well as training, games and even extra training for players to sharpen their skills.
While there’s no easy way to handle the workload, Laic says getting into a routine helps.
Pressure is another thing that players have to deal with, especially on a team that is expected to win provincials every season, according to Mesa.
The best way for players to deal with that is preparation and the coaches make it a priority to make sure the team is ready for any upcoming games.
For example, the team will hold meetings in advance of the next game where they will discuss tactics and other topics related to the upcoming game.
“It really helps,” Laic said.
Mesa said that in other meetings, they discuss what the team goals are for the season and that all the preparation and training that takes place within the team is the best way for the team to deal with pressure.
All aspects of a team are important, but with Laic and Mesa, it seems that personnel and the type of players that are in the club are what really make a team successful.
Laic said that the coaches, “Do a really good job,” at selecting players and they have an in-depth recruiting process.
Mesa said that they look for “good character” and believe that, “Bad attitude can spoil the group,” he said.
Laic and the rest of the leadership group follow the theme of good character and they do their best to create a comfortable environment.
“I realize that you’re the happiest on teams where you feel like everyone has your back,” he said.
In the end, Mesa tips his hat to all the alumni of the Humber Hawks because they are the ones who put down the foundations of this team that allowed them to be as dominant as they are now.
He said, “Our success didn’t happen overnight.”