There’s a sign that hangs above the gym of ‘The Hill Academy’ reading “Family first, family forever.” It’s a theme that goes hand-in-hand with everything at the Vaughan, Ontario independent high school and its high performance training program. The gym is named after the late Evan Frustaglio, a 13-year-old alumnus who died suddenly of the H1N1 virus.
While Frustaglio is gone, his spirit lives on.
One of the motto’s of the school is “#18 #45 Hill Pride,” with #18 representing Frustaglio’s number and #45 representing Jamieson Kuhlman, another young alumnus whose life was cut short too soon after suffering a fatal head injury from a hit during a lacrosse game.
Dan Noble is the director of athlete performance at ‘The Hill Academy’ and also taught and worked with Frustaglio. He says the situation was tough, especially with a group of 13-year-olds having to understand such a level of tragedy.
“Most of the greatest opportunities in life come out of pain,” said Noble. “We’ve been able to try to take the pain from Evan and try to give it some purpose.”
A connection beyond the gym
Noble says that Evan’s death connected and bonded himself with the athletes he worked with on a daily basis. It’s a statement that most ‘Hill Academy’ alumni can echo.
While the training program aims to put their athletes in the best position to succeed academically and athletically, it’s the special, personalized connections that the staff creates with their athletes that makes this a possibility.
Robbie Demontis is the all-time leading scorer for ‘The Hill Academy’ hockey team and attended the school for four years. The 20-year-old Vaughan, Ont. Native has been training with Noble for almost 10 years.
“It’s such a close-knit group…Dan really personalizes the relationships he has with all of us,” said Demontis. “I think that’s different than a lot of sports gyms out there…he [Dan] works towards what they need specifically to improve.”
‘People first, athletes second’
Being different is something that Noble says athletes notice immediately about ‘The Hill Academy.’ “The first thing our athletes realize quickly is that we care about them as people,” said Noble. “It’s about seeing them succeed as people first and athletes second.”
Andrew Abes is the senior strength and conditioning coach at ‘The Hill Academy.’ Just like Noble, he shares the genuine care for the athletes he works with. While Abes says it’s a great feeling to help the kids he works with reach the pros, he recognizes that looking out for them is a huge reason why the Academy has earned itself a good name and why its alumni keep coming back.
“I think for young athletes to have that feeling of these coaches have my back no matter what…I think that’s something special and I think that’s what kind of brings them back, that sense of trust and that sense of belonging we instill over here at ‘The Hill Academy,’” says Abes.
Noble believes in creating a comfortable environment where no topic is off the table. He’s very open with his past and acknowledges his own mistakes as a kid were his own doing. Noble wants to appear “real” to the kids he works with and isn’t afraid to have a heart-to-heart conversation if such a situation arises.
He doesn’t give typical cliché answers to their problems and sees no sense in creating a sense of false security when there are real issues right in front of him.
“A lot of these guys don’t have people to talk to,” says Noble. “Most of these kids leave home at 15-years-old. I think that’s a big issue, especially when it comes down to the issues we see with sexual assault and violence against women. These male athletes are leaving home….and a lot of time never actually receiving any sort of positive, consistent male role models in their lives.”
Creating a foundation
Demontis describes his time at ‘The Hill Academy’ as “character building.” He felt that stepping into the gym he was just a kid and is now leaving a man. The staff preaches qualities such as leadership, and that there are different ways to lead.
You don’t necessarily have to be the most vocal person to demonstrate leadership. Everyone is encouraged to be a leader in their own way regardless of your age, skill level, and the sport they play. Demontis believes this was instrumental in becoming captain of his junior ice hockey team.
“You learn a lot about yourself and you learn a lot about how to build a certain character that can make you successful at the next level…the proper character to get through the adversity that you face,” says Demontis.
Noble believes that creating a foundation is the key to building character in young kids. He sees it as a tool that provides kids with the opportunity to explore their passions and gifts from an academic, personal, and athletic standpoint. Noble fosters growth in these areas by creating an environment where learning and being better is promoted and expected from peers.
He instills qualities that will guide athletes in all walks of life, not just sports. Those qualities include resilience, being adaptable, compassion, and purpose.
Each athlete at ‘The Hill Academy’ undergoes a program Noble calls, “the periodization of the athlete’s mindset,” where different themes are incorporated based on what’s being covered at the gym.
“Something we’ll promote is self-exploration,” says Noble. “Who are you? What do you stand for? Why are you here? They’re questions that kids cannot give very cliché and quick answers fairly quickly but when you really push them and take away things, ‘Okay. Now answer those questions without saying friends, family, and anything to do with their sport,’ they’ve got to really start thinking about what do they really stand for?”
Discovering yourself beyond sports
Noble and his staff have found that once you’ve been able to connect an individual with a greater purpose, it connects all aspects of a young athlete’s life and provides a greater platform to lean on when adversity strikes.
“If they tear their ACL, if they only solely defined themselves as an athlete at the time, it’s going to be very difficult for them to get through that,” says Noble.
Noble says that if an athlete has a greater understanding of who they are beyond just an athlete, then they’re more likely to come out of times of adversity even stronger.
‘The Hill Academy’ does just that. It’s undeniable that their athletic program has been a huge success. The school produces NHL talent with a pair of top five overall picks, Mitch Marner and Michael Dal Colle, amongst its notable alumni.
But ‘The Hill Academy’ like their athletes, define themselves beyond an “athletic factory.” Their athletes are student-athletes and they’re committed to providing the best post-secondary opportunity for their students.
Preparing for the next step
“We have a full 360° approach,” says Abes. “We have teachers who are understanding of the pressures of the schedule. The big thing for our program is communication between the teachers and administration, coaches we work together to make sure our athletes are prioritizing what they need to do at the appropriate time.”
The smaller class sizes creates a more interactive environment where everybody feels engaged in the learning experience and similar to the training room, students and teachers share a more personalized relationship.
Time management skills are also taught to help students transition into the college lifestyle where balancing school and athletics are a part of a student-athlete’s daily routine.
“Because I went to ‘The Hill’ for so long I was so used to the schedule – skating in the morning, working out during the day as well as doing all your classwork,” says Demontis. “That’s a similar schedule I’m going to have at school next year. If anything I’m going to be more prepared than anyone because I’ve been through it.”
A majority of graduates from ‘The Hill Academy’ go onto play hockey and lacrosse in the NCAA at Division I schools. This includes prestigious Ivy League schools, Harvard and Yale, the latter being where Demontis will attend school this fall.
“I want to see them [athletes] go on and do great things,” said Noble. “It’s a part of the journey that never gets old is watching people go from good to great, watching someone that struggled and prevailed on the end…it’s an amazing feeling.”
Gone but never forgotten
As stated earlier, one of the motto’s of the school is “#18 #45 Hill Pride,” in memory of two of the Hill’s very own. While they may be gone, they’re certainly not forgotten.
The moment you enter the school, you’re family.
You may leave ‘The Hill Academy’ and do great things, but you’ll always be a part of ‘The Hill’ family.
Learn more about The Hill Academy: http://www.thehillacademy.com/
