The World Games 2022 will undoubtedly be a monumental event — whether you’re a competing athlete, a fan in the stands, or a viewer watching from your living room. Held from July 7 through 17 at various venues across the Birmingham Metro area, The World Games will bring together 3,600 of the world’s best athletes from more than 100 countries to compete in over 30 unique, multidisciplinary sports. For softball star Haylie McCleney, competing in The World Games is even more special — it’s an opportunity to represent Team USA in her home state.
A native of Morris, Alabama (a small town located just north of Birmingham), Haylie is a 2020 Olympic silver medalist. She was also a four-time All-American at the University of Alabama, where she ended her college career as the program’s all-time leader in batting average. We caught up with Haylie to find out how she’s getting ready for The World Games and what an Olympian’s life is like. Meet our newest FACE of Birmingham, Haylie McCleney!
What does preparation for The World Games entail?
I think it looks different for everyone that’s on our roster. A lot of the college girls are still with their respective college teams, but for us full-time professional players, we’re pretty much on our own. I usually wake up in the morning and head to the gym. The hours from 9 a.m. to noon are typically when I focus on my training, whether it’s lifting, conditioning, hitting, or throwing — whatever I feel I need. I take a lunch break, and then in the afternoon, I’m typically talking to the media and running my entrepreneurial endeavors to make money because, unfortunately, we don’t really make money as professional softball players.
What are some of your entrepreneurial endeavors?
This year my agency and I founded The Halo Effect Camp and Clinic. Essentially, we wanted this camp to give young women an opportunity to develop all of the skills necessary to succeed both on and off the field. One of the foundational principles of my life is that better human beings make better athletes. This camp, which kicked off this spring, is for softball players. We’re doing strength and conditioning training, mental training, nutrition, and some defense and proper throwing mechanics while developing good leadership qualities.
Another thing that I co-founded was the Lead Sports Summit for Softball. This event is a Halo Effect Camp but on steroids. Young women ages 13 to 18 fly in, and it’s essentially a leadership development summit with a mini softball clinic in between. I also just came on as a hitting instructor for a new app called RISR. I’m filming remote hitting and mental and training lessons that young women can have at the push of a button. I’m also involved as a remote strength and conditioning coach with Wasserman Strength and High-Level Throwing.
I’ve got a lot of different plates juggling, but I get to help young athletes pretty much all day, every day, which is pretty cool!
Why do you think it’s important for girls to be exposed to sports?
I don’t think there’s a better platform for life and leadership lessons than sports. When I grew up, I played everything — basketball, football, softball, and even a stint in soccer. You name it; I played it. In terms of the mental health crisis that’s going on in our country right now, I think it’s so important for young women to have a tangible community. What better place to do that than in sports, where you’re not distracted by your cell phone or social media or anything like that? What better way to block out all the noise and focus on one common goal with a small community — your team?
How have sports helped you develop as a person?
I feel like my connections and friendships are deeper, and softball has opened so many doors for me as a woman. I’ve been to God knows how many countries just because I can hit a softball a little bit better than the average person. My world has gotten so much bigger because I decided to pick up a bat and ball.
You grew up playing sports, but when did you know you wanted to pursue it as a career?
That really didn’t really happen until my senior year of college. I never grew up with the idea that playing professional sports would be a realistic career option because I was a young woman living in a really small town in Alabama. It never crossed my mind that I would ever be an Olympian until I got to college and played with a national team every year. It opened my eyes to the experiences and opportunities that I could have.
When softball got back into the Olympics for 2020, my immediate thought was I would do whatever I had to do to make that roster and be in Tokyo. Now I’m at the point in my career where I feel I’m not necessarily just playing for me. I’m playing for the next generation of softball players so they can have that dream.
In 2020, you announced your engagement to your fiancée and came out as gay. What made you decide to share that with the world?
I wanted to make sure that if I’m going to play on the world’s biggest stage, people — especially young people — know that you can be exactly who you are and still chase after your dreams. You don’t have to pick one or the other. The majority of my close circle [of friends] and both of our families knew, but I’m very grateful I got so much public support.
What do you do when you’re not working or training?
I am a full-time dog mom. We have a Bernedoodle named Nole Tide because I went to Alabama, and my fiancée went to Florida State. We live right by the ocean. I love going to the beach and laying out in the sun. And any free chance I get, my nose is in a book. I’m a big fan of Brené Brown, Cal Newport, and Ryan Holiday.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
One of my family’s mottos is: “The best is yet to come.” My mom repeated that over the course of my softball career and my life. She never made me feel that my purpose was tied to softball. So she would always convey to me, “Your best is in front of you. You’re doing great things now but keep going.”
This relentless optimism has pushed me to keep going when things get difficult. The pandemic was difficult. Training for the Olympics was difficult. Training on my own pretty much every day is not easy. But something good is on the other side — better days are always ahead. That’s true on the really good days and the really bad days.
Name three things you can’t live without.
Coffee, my journal, and SportsCenter.
Thank you, Haylie! All photos courtesy of USA Softball.
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