In the off-season, Virginia Intermont’s Ka’Niska Hanna, better known as “Snapps,” enjoys some beach time but not in a lounge chair. The Bahamas native keeps her ball skills sharp in the sand by playing competitive beach soccer. She played in the Women’s Beach Soccer World Cup Qualifier in Nassau, Bahamas in May and will play in the USL Major Beach Soccer Tournament in Fort Myers, Fla., July 26th-29th, 2013.
According to Daria Adderley of the Bahamian National Federation, the Fort Myers tournament is an international tournament and will showcase the talent of many Bahamas players.
Hanna started playing beach soccer shortly after her introduction to traditional soccer a few years ago. When asked why she began playing on the beach, she said she thought it would be fun and challenging. She has indeed found both to be true and also that playing on sand is quite different from playing on grass.
“The dribbling and shooting techniques are different and the resistance of the sand definitely makes movement hard,” said Adderley , Hanna’s beach soccer coach. “However the strength, speed, fitness level and work ethic that Hanna puts into training and matches makes her a great addition to the program and we are looking forward to her making a great impact on national teams forthcoming.”
Hanna, a junior at Virginia Intermont, has shown her talent in many areas of athletics and academics. She is an art major and maintains a high GPA. Before joining the Lady Cobras soccer team, she played at Success Training College in the Bahamas. She was head coach of the Cavalier Football Club U5, a member of the Senior Women’s Team and the New Providence Women’s Basketball Association 2011 championship team.