Danish flavor adds to IU field hockey

Making the transition to college is hard enough for most, but for an international student, the changes in culture and lifestyle can be overwhelming. Freshman Claire Loots has tried to ease the adjustment by taking part in one of her homeland activities, joining the IU field hockey squad.\nLoots came to IU via a program in her native Sint Michielsgestel, just south of Holland in the Netherlands. The program allowed her to apply to five American colleges and then select one to attend. Loots chose IU for the campus' size and diversity, not its field hockey program. Loots didn't contact head coach Amy Robertson until she was already on campus for the fall semester.\n"I chose Indiana because it is so big, there are a lot of different people and lot of different classes that I can take," Loots said. "I also chose (IU), because IU had a field hockey team, but I didn't choose for the field hockey team at first. I didn't do anything from back home; I arranged everything with coach when I got here."\nIn Sint Michielsgestel, Loots played for the first division of her De Dommel club team. Robertson said she was impressed that Loots had played in such a high level of competition in her homeland and was excited to get Loots on the team.\n"She just happened to be on campus and called me and asked how she could play," Robertson said. "She said she played on the first division of her club team, so I was interested. Players from Holland are typically very good and have good skills; many of them have been playing since they were three or four. We gave her a tryout and got her eligible and she has been very helpful to the team."\nSo far, Robertson has been pleased by Loots' contributions to the defense.\n"Even though she came to the team late, she is really starting to step and really give us some solid poise and distribution from the backfield," Robertson said.\nSenior co-captain Akila Jones plays in the back with Loots and has also been impressed by the play of her teammate.\n"She has the talent and is an amazing player," Jones said. "We have tried to make her comfortable playing with us."\nJones also noted that the team worked to help Loots adjust, but she is treated like all the other team members.\n"Her English is great so the language barrier wasn't really too much of a problem," she said. "We've tried to help her understand that we try to play as a team and that she doesn't have to come in and do anything fancy, so she can just play like she knows how to. We give her encouragement and treat her just like anyone else one team, everyone gets the same treatment."\nLoots said the biggest changes in field hockey from her homeland were in the surface of play and the different phrases used in playing the game.\n"In Holland we had sand on the field, so it was a lot more bumpy and your hits had to be almost technically perfect," she said. "I thought language was kind of a barrier in the beginning because I had to get used to the specific field hockey terms since I had never heard them before. Language was probably the biggest barrier to overcome, but even it was a small one."\nBut Loots acknowledged that once on the field, everyone on the team is working toward the same goal and there are no obstacles between her and her teammates.\n"I play field hockey with my entire body, with my heart," Loots said, "so language and culture doesn't really matter if you are playing field hockey, because you're out on the field together and going for the win together"