By DeAnna Britton, Contributing Reporter
Freshman, Krizia Layne, made the journey from Arima, Trinidad to be one of the Pride’s field hockey forward/midfielders. Layne made a smooth transition from Trinidad to Long Island thanks to her teammates, “I felt welcomed here, it was mostly because of the team,” she said.
Layne has been playing field hockey since she was 11-years-old. She was a member of the Trinidad and Tobago National Team, 2003 Female School Player of the Year, named Most Promising Attacker at the 2006 National Schools Outdoor Tournament and competed in the 2009 Pan American Cup. She has lived in Trinidad all of her life with her mom. Layne knew she wanted to come to the United States for college, “up here we have the most competitive hockey levels,” she said.
One of the biggest adjustments Layne has had to make may be surprising to some people. She says the hardest part is “the weather. Sometimes I just want to go home because it’s so cold. The winters will be the hardest.” In regards to field hockey, the differences are in the work ethic and players. “The level of hockey is different and there’s more discipline [than back in Trinidad]. The players are more physical and stronger,” Layne said.
While the cold weather has been hard on Layne, she has also had to face other obstacles such as her accent and the different kinds of foods. She explains that back home there are more family meals while in America there are more fast food restaurants. Also, that they don’t eat three meals a day but two meals at any time during the day. In addition Layne has faced problems with her strong accent, “people tell me to slow down sometimes because they can’t understand me,” she said.
Layne knew fellow teammate, Arielle Williams, sophomore also from Trinidad, before coming to Hofstra. Layne describes how people here are different than in Trinidad, “People here are more willing to help, they are courteous; people back home keep to themselves.”
Although she plans on going back to Trinidad after college, she is not homesick. “I miss my mom the most. I miss my friends. But I can deal with that. Everyone here is so friendly and accommodating,” Layne said.
With her busy schedule, one of the main things Layne wanted to do but hasn’t had time for is to go to Manhattan. When asked what she most wanted to do in the city, she immediately responded, “shopping. And go to the Empire State Building,” she said, “Just to say that I’ve been there.”
With three goals and two assists so far this season, Layne has made a great start to her Hofstra Pride career. The team is currently 8-6 overall and 3-2 in the conference. They have five games left and three conference games to play. The Pride is fifth in the division, behind Northeastern who is 3-1. As the season comes down to these last games, Layne will play an important part in the fight for the playoffs.
