A young man living out his dream earned through hard work, dedication, and passion. That is the story of ADVNC SF 2019 Goalie, Cody Wiebe. Cody is the starting goalie on both his ADVNC team as well as his Sacred Heart Prep high school team. A standout player on the field, he is also a very high achiever in the classroom. Cody is committed to play at Tufts University next year after being sought after by some of the most elite universities in America.
Wiebe is a 4 year starter in goal for SHP
It hasn’t always come easy for Cody. Heading into his freshman season at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton, Head Coach and ADVNC Founder & CEO Chris Rotelli told Cody he needed to get himself in better shape. Cody went to work. He says, “What I had to learn to become a starter as a freshman are some of the most valuable lessons in my life. I started waking up at 5:30am every day to jump rope. Then I went to school. Lifted weights after school. Then would go home, eat dinner, and study. Then went running every night. I learned how I had to work for what I want.” Cody earned the starting goalie spot as a freshman and has held it as he heads into his upcoming senior season.
Both of Cody’s parents attribute his success off the field to the lessons he’s learned on it. Cody’s mother, Carol Foster says, “He knows how to find calm in the middle of a storm. He has learned a strong work ethic for sure.” Cody’s father, Wayne Wiebe says, “Lacrosse helped focus him. Playing lacrosse prevented Cody from becoming distracted and it gave him the motivation to become excellent and to get into a very good university. It allowed him to become a leader.”
Cody began his lacrosse career as an attackman. But after Coach Rotelli suggested he try goalie, Cody tried it, liked it, and never looked back. “As a goalie, I always have to be ready,” Cody says. “I am always part of the game. I have to be absolutely dialed every time I step on the field. That’s hard for a lot of people, but for me, it takes focus and I have to calm my emotions and not let them affect my game.” Carol Foster sees the positive impact being a goalie has on her son. “Leading a defense as a short little 5’5” 14 year-old, with older kids that were 6’5” on his defense, really helped him grow as a leader. He learned discipline, leadership & an absolute love for his teammates as a goalie.”
Foster remembers a speech Coach Rotelli gave to Cody’s team when he was a young boy in saying, “Chris Rotelli told Cody when he was little, that the best players need to have a stick in their hand at all times. Cody bought into that. He takes his stick to the doctor’s office and the grocery store. He takes it everywhere.”
Cody remembers similar episodes fondly. “When my grandmother used to come to town she would be super nervous I was gonna hit her with the lacrosse ball, cause I always was playing with my stick. But my Mom would tell her not to worry, that I’m actually pretty good and won’t hit you!”
While Cody has long been a good player, colleges didn’t start recruiting him till relatively late in the process. Cody received his first college offer in the Winter of his Junior year. “When I got my first offer, I couldn’t take the smile off my face for 2 weeks,” Cody says. “It was amazing. Playing in college had been a dream of mine since I was so young. The dream started as a 4th grader, when I watched Cornell play Syracuse for the National Title in 2009. So when I had colleges interested in me and they saw me as someone who could win a championship, that meant the world to me. That was HUGE.”
Cody’s dad, Wayne Wiebe was blown away by his son’s college recruitment as well, in saying, “When he started playing lacrosse 10 years ago, there was no way I thought I’d have a son playing at the college level. But when all of a sudden college coaches start saying, ‘your son is pretty good,’ it makes a big difference. It’s like finding a pearl in a oyster. It wouldn’t be possible without ADVNC. They’re the ones who made the champion. I didn’t do that. I do work ethic and support, but ADVNC are the ones who teach championship.”
As Cody looks back on his High School and ADVNC experience, he has this advice for younger players who aspire to play in college. “Academics is everything. Having good academics was the thing that separated me from other goalies to get college offers. My grades set me apart. The academic part is so huge, and you can’t understand it till you go through it.”