When eighth-grader Alexa Gwyn moved from Sydney, Australia to Palo Alto in 2015, she had one condition: she wanted to continue playing field hockey, her childhood passion. Upon arrival, she was discouraged to learn that while she could join a club team, Paly offered no field hockey program, meaning she would eventually fall behind when her teammates started their respective high school seasons. Refusing to accept this, Gwyn decided to tackle the issue head-on. With the support of her family, club coaches, USA Field Hockey and Athletic Director Jenny Crane — a former Division I field hockey player — she established a program that would double in size in just six years.
Field hockey is one of the most popular sports on the planet, with more than 2 billion fans and 30 million players worldwide. However, field hockey has historically struggled to gain traction in California, due to a lack of media coverage and competition from other sports like soccer. Prior to 2018, a field hockey team had never touched the fields of Palo Alto High School. Thanks to Gwyn’s vision, Paly’s field hockey program has become a formidable presence with a thriving community.
Establishing this program was no easy task for Gwyn.
“The whole process took about two years,” Gwyn said. “I started planning in eighth grade, and began my first season sophomore year.”
In order to institute an athletic program, Gwyn was informed that she would need a substantial amount of resources, including equipment for players, a league to join, individuals willing to participate and a coach.
“It seemed like I had some pretty large hurdles to get over, but with my family, my club, other parents at Paly, Jenny Crane and even USA Field Hockey, we found a community of people who would help push this team forward,” Gwyn said.
Crane, a special education teacher at Paly at the time, also noticed the potential value of establishing a field hockey program.
“As a former Division I field hockey player at UC Berkeley, I recognized an opportunity to introduce the sport to the school when I joined Paly in 2014 and discovered there was no existing team,” Crane said. “Given that California has only three Division I field hockey programs—Berkeley, UC Davis, and Stanford—and with Stanford located just across the street, it seemed like the perfect chance to bring this exciting sport to our high school community.”
Once Gwyn and Crane joined forces, things began to fall into place.
“After [finding Crane] I started a petition which I spread around school my freshman year, and my mom also posted it on the Paly parent’s Facebook page,” Gwyn said. “We surprisingly found many parents who had played field hockey growing up and were very supportive of this team.”
With demonstrated interest in the program from both parents and students, Crane and Gwyn proceeded towards their next goal: acquiring equipment.
“At the time, Athletic Director Therren Wilburn facilitated securing donations from USA Field Hockey through their grant program, which supports schools launching new field hockey programs,” Crane said. “This grant provided us with enough sticks and balls to equip our varsity team. Additionally, we ensured the acquisition of essential items like goalie equipment and goals.”
While expanding the team’s resources, the two also focused on fostering a sense of community among aspiring players, which included founding the Field Hockey Club prior to the team’s official establishment.
“[At the club] I would teach skills at lunch time and we would hit around,” Gwyn said. “Jenny was my club adviser and would come to help coach.”
Approval for the team was ultimately granted under Title IX, following the addition of a men’s volleyball team at Paly. Consequently, the Palo Alto field hockey program could officially begin.
“There were many times when I wanted to give up because it seemed like everyone with the power to [create] this team didn’t know or care about field hockey like I did,” Gwyn said. “But little by little, with lots of people helping and supporting, we got it done.”
After two years of dedicated effort, the program finally became a reality. However, the team faced a significant challenge: competing against well-established and experienced programs in the area.
As the only player with prior experience, Gwyn grappled with finding her appropriate role.
“The first season was a crazy mix of emotions,” Gwyn said. “On one hand I was so excited to have this dream of mine come to fruition, and to be playing for my school. But on the other hand I had completely overlooked the challenge that would come with being one of the only experienced players on a team of 19 girls. I had to learn to empower other players instead of letting frustrations take over.”
The girls’ opening season consisted of two wins and 15 losses, placing them sixth out of seven teams in the El Camino League. Despite the record, the team maintained a positive outlook.
“One thing [Crane] did really well our first season was to take winning out of our main team goals,” Gwyn said. “Our goals became more about developing the basic skills, building chemistry as a team, and good character as teammates and people. With that we looked at small wins: could we connect three passes, could we make a good block tackle in the game, could we score a goal?”
With the help of Coach Crane, the girls were able to focus on the things they could control, including team chemistry and group support.
“Sure losing was tough, but since we hadn’t expected to win, we could walk away feeling proud of ourselves,” Gwyn said. “I think that idea helped grow the program. No one wants to join a team, especially as a beginner, if you feel like your teammates won’t love you or support you if you mess up.”
These core values remain integral to the team today. Current varsity Coach Clare Doyle has continued to uphold and expand the fundamentals that Director Crane introduced.
“[Today] we have a close-knit culture of growth and support, where players come in generally with little to no experience but a strong desire to work hard, improve and cheer on their teammates who are doing the same,” Doyle said. “It’s a testament to the roots of our program that we continue to hold beginner-friendly, minimal-cut tryouts with high levels of interest from incoming freshmen – and we care a lot about maintaining this culture even as our team’s performance in the rankings continues to improve.”
The program has come a long way since its formation. Team size, skills, and interest have all made strides since their opening season. “When the program was first launched, we started with a single varsity team of 19 players, only one of whom had prior field hockey experience,” Crane said. “Today, the program has grown significantly, now comprising both junior varsity and varsity teams with a combined roster of approximately 40 athletes. Many athletes now play field hockey in the off-season with local clubs and understand the game prior to trying out in the fall.”
As the program continued to improve, Coach Doyle looked to expand the program’s goals beyond what the early team used to strive for.
“The players’ and former coaches’ hard work over past seasons has put the program in a really exciting place where we are becoming competitive with the top schools in SCVA. This season, as a coach, I wanted to put us in the best possible position to compete with any team in SCVAL: this involved not only making sure our fitness level, preseason involvement and team equipment matched that of other competitive programs, but also working to change our program’s self-image and to instill confidence in Paly players that we have the skill and drive to compete with any school we play,” Doyle said.
In the 2024 season, the Vikings placed sixth out of eight teams, falling short of fifth place by only one point in the De Anza league. This league includes opponents such as CCS champions St. Ignatius.
“In previous years, Paly has been in a loop of promotion and relegation between the two divisions: we finished with zero wins in De Anza two years ago and moved to El Camino, then were promoted once again for the 2024 season after a 2nd-place finish in El Camino last year,” Doyle said. “Though it is certainly a tougher division to compete in, it says a lot about our improvement as a program that we will remain in De Anza next fall.”
The 2024 season marked a historic milestone as the team’s first qualification for the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs.
“Being able to end my senior year off so strong as the first Paly field hockey team to make it to the CCS playoffs was incredibly exciting,” senior and co-captain Polina Vanhulsen said. “It made the season all that more fun and fulfilling.”
Crane credits the program’s success to its strong values. “Over the years, Paly Field Hockey has consistently advanced, establishing itself as an increasingly competitive program with each passing season,” Crane said. “I believe this success is largely due to the program’s emphasis on fostering meaningful relationships and building a strong sense of community among its athletes.”
This sense of community is shared with players and coaches alike. Junior Charlotte Barclay expressed her appreciation for the strong bonds she has formed through the program.
“My favorite thing about the sport honestly has nothing to do with the sport itself, but with the amazing community of players and coaches that we have and the lifelong friendships I’ve formed with some of my teammates,” Barclay said.
Vanhulsen reaffirmed this idea, emphasizing the team’s supportive ways.
“We have an incredibly welcoming environment that fosters growth, hard work and friendship which has truly made me enjoy field hockey,” Vanhulsen said.
Next season, Gwyn plans to return to the program she helped establish, taking on a new role as a coach for the team after her own graduation. Reflecting on the program’s journey, she expressed her excitement to contribute further and hopefully continue on the path of success.
“Jenny and I both watched [the program] grow from barely one varsity team into this full fledged program with JV and varsity teams which is incredible,” Gwyn said. “To come back is an opportunity to give back to the program that gave me so much when I was in high school.”
Gwyn credits much of her personal and leadership growth during high school to the guidance of Director Crane.
“[Director Crane] really taught me a lot about being a leader during my time on the Paly Field Hockey team. I had a lot of growing to do. She has been one of my most influential coaches, and to come back to coach with [Director Crane] as the athletic director makes me feel so proud,” Gwyn said.
As a program born out of determination and fueled by a passion for the sport, Paly field hockey has proven itself to be a powerful force amongst other teams, as well as a rewarding experience for coaches and players within the community.
“I just have so much love for this sport and this program. Watching it grow has been one of the biggest joys for me,” Gwyn said.
The program has attracted new players every year with their increasing success and their strong sense of community, support, relationships and a willingness to grow.
“It is incredibly rewarding getting to introduce [new players] to the game and watching them grow in skill and confidence — I have been amazed how fast beginner players pick up the sport over the course of a single season,” Doyle said. “I am excited for what future seasons have in store, and am a very lucky and very grateful head coach!”
