The Cavinder Twins can do it all. On the court they’ve been setting records and in the boardrooms they’ve been blazing trails. Last year, Haley and Hanna Cavinder changed the game when they became the first student athletes to sign Name, Image, and Likeness deals on July 1, 2021. Now, nearly a year later, they’re going harder than ever.
Following their feature in Champs Sports 2021 winter holiday campaign the two All-Mountain West ballers and Champs Sports are teaming up to form a partnership. To honor Haley and Hanna’s accomplishments for Women’s History Month, Champs and the twins are dropping exclusive content and curated looks for young women athletes. In addition, Champs Sports is making a $30,000 donation to VOICEINSPORT Foundation (VIS) to further solidify their dedication in this space. VIS is a community that connects and inspires girls and women in sport ages 13-23 through a member-only platform providing access to original content fueled by their creators. Throughout the year, the brand will continue this partnership and support the platform with additional donations.
We had a chance to chop it up with the Fresno State products and talk about their inspiration, their focus, and their future.
SoleSavy: It’s so wonderful to have you guys here. First off, I would just like to know how has everything changed since last July when you became the first student athletes to sign NIL deals?
Haley: In the beginning, July 1st, we didn’t really know what to expect with the deals. All student athletes, I think, were just pretty unsure, just because it was new. But I think as time went along, looking for longer partnerships to support mine and Hanna’s brands and just looking for long term deals to work with brands that really connect with us.
SS: Awesome. Can you tell us a little bit about the journey behind this partnership?
Hanna: Haley and I have always been huge fans of Champs and their products. As a team, we always look for partnerships that connect with us well both on and off the court. And we just see that with them so much. So we’re super grateful and being able to show our audience that is something that we know we never expected. So just being a fan of them from such a young age and then being able to work with them now is something like I said, we would never have envisioned for ourselves.
SS: That’s so dope. What is it like being at the forefront of this brand new path for student athletes? And how has it been navigating this new way forward?
Haley: I never knew that we would be at the forefront of this. So we’re just super grateful. I think having people in our corner like Jeff at ESM and our parents have been super helpful and just relying on them. So we just have a great team around us and great teammates up in Fresno. We rely heavily on a good support system and being able to talk to my parents about everything. So yeah, just super grateful for that. We take it one day at a time with all this. So just being able to process every deal brand that comes our way has been something that Hanna and I’ve been doing.
SoleSavy: Awesome. I love hearing that. I think you two are some of the most savvy business minds in basketball right now. Can you explain a little bit more about how you go about choosing your partnerships?
Hanna: At the beginning just like all the other athletes, we didn’t really know what to expect. But I think getting with our team in ESM has been a great decision. We know that we want to create long term partnerships and as well as making sure that the partnerships that we do work with connect with our brand. So that’s been so helpful. And then just making sure that I’m sharing with their audience as genuine as possible. And making sure that we’re passionate about the brands that we work with is something that we look for. Just making sure that we have great time management as well just because we are Division One athletes and we obviously need to make sure that we’re organized and having in each other as a support system has helped us a lot as well.
SS: Yeah, speak a little bit more about that, because you’re not only blazing trails with your business deals, but you’re also setting records on the court. How do you stay so locked in on the court and in the boardroom knowing that you have so much going on and so much to focus on basketball wise business wise? Can you speak a little bit more about your organizational skills, your team and how they help you manage everything that’s going on? ‘Cause I know it’s such a whirlwind. I’ve been tuned into your YouTube series and I know that you are so, so busy.
Haley: I think Hanna and I just tried to keep the main thing, the main thing. We are student athletes first. Academics and playing basketball is something we will always prioritize first. And we’ve always had open communication with our teammates about that and our coaches, we love playing basketball. That’s our favorite thing to do. So just because NIL did pass doesn’t mean that it would distract us because basketball has always been our favorite thing to do together. But yeah, I think time management and having a good team and being able to look at our schedule and plan things, because with school and the NIL deals and basketball, obviously it could get chaotic, but having time management and being able to prioritize the right things has helped Hanna and I a lot during this process.
SS: Wonderful, what would you say to other girls and women who are inspired by your moves and business and social media, but may be too afraid to dive in?
Hanna: Honestly, what I would say is just be you. Be authentic to yourself and your brand. Share your stories and passion for things that you genuinely love, and then you’ll never go wrong from there. So I would just say that and have fun along the way.
SS: Could you tell us a little bit more about what you have coming up next?
Haley I would just say we’re just super, super excited to announce this partnership with Champs. I think it’s something we never would envision for ourselves and just being huge fans of the brand and being able to work with them is something that is really hard to put into words. We’re just super grateful to be part of their team and super excited for the announcement and to work with them.
SS: Awesome. Thanks so much y’all. I really appreciate this. Best of luck for your collection and the rest of the season.
Haley and Hanna: Thank you.
Thank you for having us.
For more information on the Cavinder Twins partnership with Champs Sports and exclusive content go to champssports.com
