High Life: A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : An Expert in His Field Hockey : Athletics: Abu Zar’s sport isn’t very popular here, but he was a star back home in Pakistan.

Although he may be just another face in the crowd here, in his native Pakistan, Abu (Steve) Zar was a celebrity.

He often drew crowds of autograph-seekers, and his picture appeared regularly in the country’s major newspapers.

Zar, who is a junior at Dana Hills High School, is a field hockey player. And though the sport is not well known in Orange County beyond a handful of high school girls’ teams, in Pakistan it’s as popular as baseball is here.

He started playing for club teams at 7 and participated on Pakistan’s 14-and-under junior national team that won the 1988 World Cup in Malaysia.

Field hockey has also taken Zar to Germany, England, the Netherlands and India. He said the best opposition came from the English, German and Australian junior national teams, but he most enjoyed his visit to the Netherlands because it is “a small country but very beautiful.”

At age 16, Zar became the youngest player on the prestigious Pakistan International Airlines team. “Our team is as famous as the Lakers are here,” Zar said. “It’s one of the best teams in Pakistan. Most of the players have played in the Olympics.”

Though Zar is unsure of exact figures, he said the PIA team has “a lot of wins.”

Zar, who played the left-half position, where he was responsible for blocking and defense, said, “All of the players in Pakistan are good, but I’m the best in my position.”

He attributed his success to hard work and determination. His daily workouts, which he still performs on his own after school, consist of a half hour of weight training, an hour of swimming and 1 1/2 hours of distance and sprint running.

Zar resigned from the PIA team last year, when he moved with most of his family to the United States in an effort to make their carpet business more successful.

He said he was paid about 8,000 rupees (equivalent to $300) per month for playing field hockey for PIA and received free air fare, hotel stays and medical insurance.

Though the team offered to increase his salary to 9,000 rupees per month, Zar has decided to remain in the United States. He is now living in Laguna Niguel with his mother, one of two sisters and four of five brothers.

His father has remained in Pakistan, as has one of his brothers, where they both have jobs, and a married sister remains behind with her own family.

“I have many friends in Pakistan and I miss them, but I call them and write them letters,” Zar said. “I like the climate of the U.S. and I like people here. They’re very nice and cooperate with me.”

Zar said he is somewhat surprised at the freedom afforded American teen-agers. “Boyfriends and girlfriends are so common in America, but they’re not in Pakistan. People are a lot more strict in Pakistan.”

He said his school in Pakistan was quite different from Dana Hills too.

“The school that I went to is very famous in Pakistan. It accept only ‘A’ students. I’m only a ‘B’ student, but (it accepted me because) I’m a professional hockey player.”

Among the differences Zar cited: no computers at his former school, where there were stricter teachers, and the principal guarded classrooms to make sure students stay in class.

Zar, who hopes to become a computer engineer, said the United States affords him more opportunity than Pakistan. “I will go to college in (America), but I don’t know which one yet,” he said. “I think I will try living here.”

He is keeping his field hockey skills sharp by participating in club matches with other Pakistani and Indian players every Saturday from January through May in Los Angeles. Zar said his team, the Panthers, “are a little bit dull, but a good team.”

In the summer, he is looking forward to playing more junior national hockey, but this time for the U.S. team. His ultimate goal is to play for his new country in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

In spite of his busy schedule, Zar finds time to give something back to his sport. Every Sunday, he coaches children between the ages of 10 and 14 in Laguna Niguel through the Field Hockey Assn. of America.

“I coach hockey for free,” he said. “If people get interested, I’ll coach them. I love hockey. Hockey is my life.”