![]() Adya Kadam has been with NorCal Impact since she was an itty bitty middle schooler. We've had the pleasure of training and nurturing her talent and couldn't be prouder of how far she has come. Adya committed to UC Berkeley in the fall of her junior year to join the Class of 2029. She has one more year of high school (class of 2025) as a Willow Glen Ram before she morphs into a Cal Bear and steps up to the collegiate level. A Californian through and through, Adya knew that if she had her way, she wouldn't leave this sunny state. Unfortunately, that limited her top prospective schools to play field hockey, so she explored other schools back east as well. Ultimately, Cal became her top choice, especially since she had dreamt of attending Cal when she was in fourth grade and played in their 6v6 tournament. Cal's field hockey program has a rich history and after getting to meet and chat with some of the current players, she knew it was the right place for her. Academically, Adya is interested in STEM and Cal offers the top 3 programs for the majors she is considering. ![]() Her top 3 criteria when considering schools were the academic programs, the coaching staff, and whether it passed the "broken leg test." Since her interests are in engineering and computer science, Cal is an ideal choice given its #1 ranking of all public schools in the country the last few years. Having a connection to the coaching staff was also an important consideration. Finally, Cal passed the "broken leg" test for Adya. The "broken leg" is exactly that - if you were to break your leg and be unable to play for a while, would you still want to attend that school? A choice of university should be based on more than the field hockey as your college career will encompass so many varied experiences from academics to athletics to social clubs and so much more. Adya has some great advice for anyone who wants to play in college: "I would advise all players who want to be recruited to play in college to always remain on top of their game, sending out emails and editing highlights [videos]. I know it may seem time consuming but it will pay off in the long run! I also want to advise them to continue to attend clinics/events for schools they are interested in as the best way for schools to see you and your interest in them is through these events!" Many college coaches are hesitant to recruit a player they have not seen live. So, getting out to that school's clinics, camps or prospect days is key. Adya is grateful to many people who helped her along this field hockey journey. "I want to start off by thanking my family for all the support they have given me for the past couple of years. I also want to thank all the coaches who have helped develop me as a player and given me the opportunities/advice I needed to get here especially Coach Leaf, Coach Linda, Coach Erin, Coach Harry, all my old coaches at Lions Field Hockey Club, and my future coaches: Coach Shellie, Coach KC, and Coach Manny! Another big thank you to all of my friends and teammates who have supported me or ever given me advice about the recruitment process, and a HUGE thank you to NorCal Impact FHC for giving me the guidance and support I needed to achieve this goal!" We are so happy for her - even happier that we get to work with her one more year before she leaves for Cal and competes at the next level. We encourage all of our older players to give back to the field hockey community in some way...and lucky for our younger U16 players, not only is Adya happy to coach and help them hone their skills and increase their knowledge of the game, she welcomes any questions regarding recruiting and her own journey that could help your efforts. Congratulations, Adya! You've worked hard - earning recognition and a commitment to Cal and we couldn't be prouder of you!
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Congratulations, Mia Karine Myklebust - Selected to USA U-21 Jr National Team to Compete at JPAC5/22/2024 ![]() We love keeping up with our club alumni as they continue to compete and make their marks at the next level. Mia Karine Myklebust (MK), an alumna of Impact is a familiar face, coming back to coach our players when she is in the area. This week, she was officially named to the USA U21 national team roster to represent the USA at the Junior Pan American Championships (JPAC) in Canada July 2 - 12. JPAC is a qualifier for the 2025 Jr World Cup competition next year. The USA U-21 squad is the returning champion having beaten Argentina in the 2023 JPAC final. ![]() MK (Leigh '22) joined the Brown University field hockey team this spring after training and playing with the Wimbledon club in London, England, last fall semester and competing in her freshman year at Columbia University where she earned All Ivy League 2nd Team honors. To track USA's progress in the JPAC tourney and watch the livestream, click on the link in the JPAC announcement. Congratulations, MK! We can't wait to see you represent the red, white, and blue and compete in Canada in July! Go USA! ![]() As we wind down this 2024 spring season, we would like to recognize our college committed players by learning a bit about their recruitment journeys. Hopefully, their stories will provide some insight to help anyone aspiring to play at the collegiate level. Last August, Gabi committed to the admissions process at Wellesley College. In December, she was officially accepted and is excited to join the team as part of the Class of 2028. ![]() For those players aiming for high academic schools, the "committed to the admissions process" phrase is often used because the player still has to be officially accepted to the school on her own merits. It is a "supported" process where the coach is able to interact with an admissions liaison to address any questions that may come up from the application review and resolve them while communicating with the prospective student-athlete. Wellesley College was her ideal choice because of the academic rigor and location just 30 minutes outside of Boston. She liked the idea of having a true campus feel while being close to a large, historical city like Boston. Though it is a relatively small school, there are many resources for students and the ability to take classes from other nearby universities such as MIT, Babson, Olin, and more. She plans to major in Data Science or Economics. Advice she would give to aspiring collegiate student-athletes is to build a relationship with the field hockey coach. Gabi not only talked about any field hockey updates but mentioned other things to give the coach more of her personality like something she did over the weekend or something she was looking forward to. Gabi would like to thank her parents, high school coaches (Coach Ng & Coach Katie), all of the Impact coaches, Coach Callie (Wellesley Head Coach), and the many teammates she has had. We're super proud of Gabi and her hard work; we look forward to following her career this fall. ![]() In July last year, Leah Froemming committed to Johns Hopkins University to join the Class of 2028. When researching colleges, the science and research programs initially drew her attention as she was interested in STEM majors and knew she wanted to focus on science. During the recruiting phase, Leah was impressed with the open communications with the field hockey coaches and their interest in getting to know her as a player and a person. Combining the high caliber academics, great athletic program, and team culture, Johns Hopkins ultimately seemed the best college for her to continue her studies and athletic career. ![]() Leah's intended major will be either Chemistry or Biology with a minor in Environmental Science (hopefully!). And since Johns Hopkins is well known for their STEM programs, she couldn't have chosen a better university to attend. Leah's determination and ambition drove her to develop into the player she is today and she acknowledges the support she has had throughout her journey. She would like to thank Coach Leaf and Coach Linda for all of their support, encouragement, and continuous feedback in helping her to improve her skills and game. Since middle school, they have found opportunities for her to grow into a better player and leader. She is grateful to her Dad for being her practice partner during the difficult Covid time and to her mom for taking her on the myriad east coast college visits and clinics. The entire local field hockey community has been a great support system from teammates to practice and play with, to parents cheering everyone on. She offers the following advice for anyone embarking on this recruiting journey:
Leah has been with NorCal Impact since her freshman year in high school and we've enjoyed watching her develop her game. We wish her the best of luck at Johns Hopkins and look forward to following her college career begin in the fall. ![]() Congratulations to the Impact players that were recently selected to move onto the Nexus Regional Championships! This year's event will take place in Moorpark College this weekend, May 11-12! This is the first selection event along the USAFH Olympic Development Pathway and represents the top 40% of players that have been participating in the Nexus camps in Northern California. Your hard work has paid off and we are so proud of your selection. While several of our players have attended in past years, the following advice from your coaches bears repeating, especially for those new to this competition. We hope you can execute on skills and tactics we've gone over with you over these last few months:
Here's a link of what you can think as you pre-scan: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6h7fvSruJ-/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng%3D%3D These are some of the world’s best soccer players, especially Messi. Watch how he is constantly looking nearly 360 degrees versus the others only seeing 180 degrees. Though it seems he is simply walking, his head is swiveling around noting play all around him so that he knows exactly when/where to get involved and affect play. More advice in this post congratulating last year’s Nexus Regional participants such as:
Best of LUCK! Safe Travels! |
AuthorThe official blog of NorCal Impact field hockey club. This is where you'll find the latest goings-on with our club and field hockey at large. Archives
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