Expectations are a part of life. Whether they are self-created, or expectations made by others, expectations continue to define a large part of who people are.
For BYU women’s tennis coach Holly Parkinson Hasler, expectations have followed her from a young age.
Parkinson Hasler was a tennis prodigy. Growing up, she put in a lot of work and time into perfecting her craft. She and her family made the decision to move her to Florida, where she would train with world class players and coaches.
All her work led her to having her pick of which school she wanted to continue her career at.
Coming out of high school, she was the No. 1 ranked prospect in her class.
“I’ve always been known for my footwork, everyone from day one called me Bunny. I just loved it from day one and stuck with it all the way,“ Parkinson Hasler said.
As a freshman at BYU, she came out firing. Parkinson Hasler finished with an 11-2 record, leading BYU to a WAC Championship as well as a final national ITA ranking of No. 8, which to this day is the highest finish in school history. Along with those recognitions, Parkinson Hasler was all the WAC Freshman of the Year and an ITA All-American.
After her freshman year at BYU, Parkinson Hasler turned pro, where she would eventually reach an 83rd overall ranking in the world ITA rankings.
The decision to turn pro was not an easy one for Parkinson Hasler. In fact, the summer after her freshman year was a tumultuous one as she wrestled with the decision.
“By the end of the summer, I had received a wild card into the US open qualifying, and I had to make a decision whether to sign in as a professional or to sign in as an amateur … I just decided to go for it and checked the box for professional,” Parkinson Hasler said.
While the decision to turn pro was exciting, it also came with the drawback of no longer being able to compete collegiately at BYU. Parkinson Hasler called her coach at the time and let her team and coach know that she had made the decision to turn pro.
As a player on the WTA circuit, Parkinson Hasler had the opportunity to play against and with some of the biggest names in tennis. She had matches against Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova, and also had the opportunity to play mixed doubles with Andy Roddick.
However, the life of a professional tennis player began to weigh on Parkinson Hasler. Living life on the road, living out of a suitcase, was hard for a young Parkinson Hasler. She desired a more stable lifestyle, longing for consistency in her life.
Her desire to settle down and have a more stable life led to her searching for opportunities back in Utah. Once back in Utah, she reconnected with then- BYU women’s head tennis coach Craig Manning. Connecting with Manning led to her first coaching opportunity as a volunteer assistant.
There was an immediate draw to coaching for Parkinson Hasler, as she was able to connect with the athletes and play the game she loved. She would stay on as an assistant for nearly seven years at BYU. Eventually, her coaching career led her to being named the head coach of the BYU women’s tennis team in 2018.
As the coach of the BYU women’s tennis team, coach Parkinson Hasler holds the enormous responsibility of managing her team. Managing and coaching a Division I tennis team is a difficult task for anyone. So how does one manage this? Strong relationships with her assistant coach Anastasia Hayden and all her players.
On her relationship with Parkinson Hasler, BYU tennis player Chelsea Bluestein said, ”When I first met Holly, she didn’t get my humor at all. Even when she was offering me my scholarship, she told me she was starting to understand my humor, but it just showed me that they she has the best intentions, she really try’s to help everyone as much as she can.”
“Its just a really fulfilling job … to be able to be an impact for good, to be able to help [the student athletes] be better people and players … I love tennis and I love competing. It's just really fun to be able to help these women problem solve and being able to be an influence in their life,” Parkinson Hasler said.
Regarding her relationship with Parkinson Hasler, BYU tennis player Sue Yan Tan said, “[She] just show lots of love and support … [she’s] always there for me. When I had my first panic attack during a match, she was there to comfort me … she’s just awesome.”
Another BYU player, Hiba Heni, said about her relationship with her coach,
"[She] was hard on me initially, I thought. However, I knew it was because she wanted the best for me … she wanted me to become the best me.”
BYU tennis player Grace Levelston added about her relationship with her coach: ”I thought Holly was extremely high energy, I fell like she always brings that energy for us. She always brings the energy, whether it to support you and get you going, she’s always there.”
“One of the biggest things when it comes to the women on my team, is instilling belief in themselves," Parkinson Hasler said. "We are working on 'I can' statement with the athletes … It's so important that we as coaches install belief in our players.”