Field hockey seniors

Photos by JENNA HICKEY LEAVING THEIR LEGACY BEHIND

THE JOURNEY OF FIELD HOCKEY TRAILBLAZERS

DRIBBLING IT WITH her field hockey stick, Palo Alto High School senior Alexa Gwyn darts down the field to the opposing team’s goal. The video shows her teammates following and supporting her, working in tandem after years of playing together. She takes a deep breath, looks at the opposing team’s goalie and shoots, scoring the point.

Along with fellow seniors Hallie Faust, Madeline Lohse and Dasha Vartanova, Gwyn began playing field hockey for Paly during the girl’s field hockey team’s inaugural season in 2019.

When Gwyn moved from Australia in middle school, she was determined to continue playing her favorite sport.

“I’ve been playing field hockey since third grade,” Gwyn said. “So when my mom said that we might be moving to “I started a petition, and we got a America, I told her that I would move only bunch of people to sign it,” Gwyn said. if there was field hockey because I loved it.” “And then I started a club, and we got the

Although there were club teams that A.D. [Athletic Director] involved.” Gwyn could join when she first moved, Paly did not have a girl’s field hockey team. With many costs for a “It was a relief to learn alongside others rather than feel like I had to Soon an opportunity arose to introduce a new girl’s sport. “Title nine states coach, equipment and uniforms, the process catch up to everyone that if you introduce just a boy’s sport, you to establish a team was else.” must also introduce complicated. However, — HALLIE FAUST, senior a girl sport,” Gwyn the Athletic Depart- said. “When boy’s ment told her that they would consider volleyball was added, they needed anothher proposal if she could find students who er girl sport. And so we got to instate field were interested. hockey.”

Gwyn was not intimidated by the challenge and began the process of creating Starting new a team her sophomore year. During the team’s first season, few players had experience in the sport. However, senior Hallie Faust says that the lack of prior exposure made it easier to enjoy being a part of the team. “Without so many high expectations and so much pressure and competition, the whole sport was much more enjoyable,” Faust said. “It was a relief to learn alongside others rather than feel like I had to catch up to everyone else.” Like Faust, senior Madeline Lohse said she believes the lack of experience was beneficial in uniting the team during their first

HUDDLE UP — The Paly Girls’ Field Hockey team meets before their big game against Valley ChristianHigh School. Paly won, 5-0. “It’s just so awesome to look back at our first year and think about how we took our record of losing almost every game and basically inverted it,” senior Hallie Faust said.

DRIBBLE AND PASS — Senior Alexa Gwyn sets up a pass for a fellow teammate in a home game against Valley Christian High School. The game was one of their eight wins this 2021 season. “Our chemistry imrpoved because we stopped being so focused on our own playing,” Gwyn said. “We started focusing on the way the team was playing as one, which was really awesome to see.”

season. and teamwork paid off in the 2021 season,

“Working with a team with so many which was their best season in three years people that have never played before was comforting in a way because everyone was on the same boat,” Lohse said. “Overall, I think “We knew where each other were at every point in the game with an 8-1 record. “It becomes really obvious when a team’s improving,” Gwyn said. “You see it in the scoreboard, it made it ... more com- and that’s why I think but also in the chemmunity-like in the be ginning.” - we won a lot of our istry of the players. We knew where each games.” other were at every More than a score — ALEXA GWYN, senior point in the game

Throughout the and that’s why I years of learning and playing together, the think we won a lot of our games.” team has evolved into a close-knit commu- Gwyn says a major contributor to the nity. team’s success and camaraderie has been

“We’ve grown so much as a team, not Head Coach Jenny Crane, a former field only on the field but also off the field,” hockey player at the University of CaliforFaust said. “There’s a special bond with the nia, Berkeley. group since we all were fairly new to the “Her focus was less on winning, and sport and it’s great to see how much closer was way more on character,” Gwyn said. we’ve gotten over the years.” “She says that if we win a game, but you’re

The players’ hard work, dedication really rude to the other team or aggressive and pushing other kids around, she doesn’t count that as a win. I think in her doing that, she taught us valuable skills about what it means to be a team.”

Future plans

While Faust and Lohse are not planning to continue playing field hockey after high school, Gwyn will be taking what she learned at Paly to her team at Vassar College.

“I think one reason why I chose Vassar is the coach,” Gwyn said. “It’s a collegiate team, of course they want to win. But, he said that he builds his team off character, and I immediately thought of Jenny.”

Even though Faust has played her final game and said goodbye to her fellow teammates, she will continue to root for her team.

“I really look forward to hearing about all the great things the team will do in the future,” Faust said. “I feel so grateful to have been a part of the inaugural team.” v