Jaiya Labana '23 Recruiting Profile

I have always dreamed of playing field hockey at a competitive level and becoming the first female in my family to continue the tradition that has been passed down through my family for generations.  I was introduced to the game since I can remember and started to develop a real passion for the game after attending the 2012 Olympic games in London.  I played for a small club in New York until I moved to the Bay area at age 9 in 2014.  Back in NY, there was no problem finding a club and getting the support I needed, field hockey is popular among my peers in NY, however, after moving to the West Coast, I saw less interest in the sport and I struggled to find a club in my area. My mom and I reached out to a small club that was struggling to get recruits in the East Bay and managed to secure a spot on the team.  It’s there that I was able to use my skills and passion to develop and solicit interest from my classmates and friends and develop a stronger team in the East Bay.  We entered our first tournament CalCup in Southern California 3 months after moving to California and we received exposure in front of stronger more skilled East Coast teams but that made me develop our club and we were ready for subsequent years in SoCal attending CalCup.  Despite the lack of support in the Bay area, I continued follow my dreams and interest in the sport and eventually dropped my other passion of swimming.  I really wanted to continue playing field hockey at the club and High School level but was disappointed to discover that field hockey was not offered at my local high school.  I applied to a private high school that supported field hockey and I was so thrilled that I was accepted.  I practiced with my dad all summer so when tryouts occurred I was very strong and made the JV team.  It’s always a struggle finding playing opportunities since the end of field hockey in our area by two top Universities.  The interest and support is especially lacking in the Bay area so I’m always eager to seek any opportunity to play back East at the Futures or at showcases in Florida. I will continue to lobby for field hockey support in the Bay area to keep the sport alive.  

My goal is to continue this passion well into college playing at the D1 level and follow in my dad's footsteps at Masters tournaments around the world.  In addition to my field hockey passion, I also want to study astrophysics at an accredited University.  I believe having a strong and supportive field hockey community will allow me to grow and perfect this sport while pursuing my academic dreams.  I look forward to balancing my athletic and academic opportunities in college.

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