For Michigan State field hockey player Sophie Rosmalen, long and difficult journeys have become second nature.  Starting three years ago, the junior not only endured a journey of distance, moving from her native country of the Netherlands to East Lansing, Michigan, but began a journey of maturity, growing up from a youthful teenager to a worldly young adult.

Rosmalen, a star forward/midfielder on the Spartan squad, hails from Oss, Holland, a small Dutch city located near the country's border with Germany.  She left behind all that was familiar to her in that hometown and in her in native land, including and most importantly her family and friends, to venture to the United States to attend a university and to play collegiate field hockey.  What makes this endeavor even more impressive is that she accomplished it after graduating the Dutch version of high school at the very young age of 16.

"At home, the school system works a little different than it does in the U.S., said Rosmalen.  "We have different levels of high school; you start high school at age 11/12 after everyone first does a test at the end of elementary school.  Then your teachers help decide which level would be best for you to continue in.  You can do four, five, or six years of high school; pretty much the lowest level is four and the highest is six, which is the one that gets you prepared for university studies.  But with the five year program, you cannot start university study directly but you can do other studies and after one year you can still start university or continue the study you started.  I did the five years of high school which typically graduates you at 16 or 17.  I graduated at sixteen because my birthday is in August."

She was steered towards attending college in the United States at Michigan State through a simple twist of fate; a bit of destiny influenced by a shared background with a captive admirer.  It was lucky set of circumstances that would later prove to pay big dividends for the Michigan State field hockey program.

"I was playing at a district day-tournament, which is an opportunity to get selected for the under-18 Dutch national team where Rolf (MSU assistant coach and fellow Hollander Rolf van de Kerkhof) happened to be," explained Rosmalen.  "After my games he came up to me and introduced himself and told me what he did in the U.S. and that he was looking for new players for the MSU team.  He then asked me if I was interested in maybe attending MSU.  After that meeting, I kept in contact with Rolf even though I didn't know yet what I wanted to do after high school.  At that point, I only knew that I wanted to continue playing field hockey.  I actually didn't know anything about American field hockey or anything about Michigan for that matter, let alone MSU, but just before preseason started I decided to go to MSU and see what it would be like.  I hoped it would help me improve my field hockey and my confidence and it did."

For Rosmalen, the transition to life in the U.S., far away from all that was traditional and commonplace to her, was made easier by the instant camaraderie she developed with her field hockey teammates.

"I had actually never been away from my family for more than three weeks before that and with an ocean distance in between us, that was a huge change right away, stated Rosmalen."  I was lucky though because when I got here, for the first few weeks, I spent pretty much the whole time with my field hockey team.  I was never alone in the beginning and everyone helped me out when I needed help.  In the beginning, I never really noticed that I was kind of young but after being here for more than a year and looking back, I think to my self that I can't believe that I did all of that.  I was pretty young but luckily I learned a lot.  I must say that I learned a lot by coming here this young and coming into a team right away made it a lot easier.  There were also other things to get used to coming from a different country; the different language, food, and some cultural aspects, but being around a lot of American girls from the beginning made me getting used to everything pretty fast."

 
Her adjustment to life in East Lansing was also significantly aided by the fact that she was under the tutelage of a Dutch assistant coach and that several other Dutch players eventually joined Rosmalen on the Michigan State team.

"It has been a great help to have other Dutch people around because we all sort of have the same field hockey background," claimed Rosmalen.  "We understand each other about most things related to field hockey but we also speak just to talk Dutch with each other.  We can talk to each other about the differences between the states and Holland and help each other out in those ways."

According to Rosmalen, all the trials and tribulations she has experienced thus far in her collegiate academic and athletic career have been well worth the strife because the obstacles she has overcome have allowed her to grow and develop as a person.

"In many ways, this experience has made me a much more independent person.  The way that academics and sports are combined here makes sure you have to perform well academically as well as on the field.  It is a good motivation to do well academically and I have learned a lot from the classes I have taken in addition to the experiences I have had with field hockey.  I also notice that I dare to do more things when I want to.  When I first came to MSU, I just took everything how it came to me but never really initiated something myself.  Now if I want something or want to do something, I take action and work for it to happen.  I know more about what I want as well, instead of waiting until an opportunity presents itself.  I have also gained self-confidence, which helps me both academically and athletically."

Rosmalen's developed comfort-level, maturity, and self-confidence have undoubtedly been most clearly conveyed through her excellent play on the field.  A year ago, as a sophomore, she earned All-West Region and All-Big Ten honors.  Rosmalen was also named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team in 2001.  This year, she capped off a season in which she lead her team to a NCAA Final Four appearance, by being recognized as a STX/NFHCA Second Team All-American.  In 2002, the junior again also garnered All-West Region and All-Big Ten accolades.

In addition to supplying her with a more adult and self-assured character, Rosmalen's athletic experiences from the past three years have provided her with a richer and more thoughtful outlook on her life as a student-athlete and the life of a student-athlete in general.

"I have learned that it is a great privilege to be an athlete at a university," said Rosmalen.  "It gives you a lot of opportunities, although you have to use them right.  I know it is very important to have fun in what you do and I get the chance to have fun everyday by playing field hockey at MSU.  I also know that you shouldn't be afraid to do something you want to do and most importantly to have confidence in yourself."
   
Armed with the knowledge of those lessons learned, Rosmalen is ideally qualified to offer girls with similar interests and perspectives sound advice on the benefits of becoming and remaining involved in athletic pursuits.

"Use athletics to have fun.  There are lots of benefits of being an athlete; it gives you the opportunity to grow as a person, it gives you the chance to meet a lot of people that might become your best friends.  It gives you many advantages in everyday life.  It helps you to become more responsible and, through athletics, the opportunity to accomplish many great things."