Maude Stalars, a midfielder for the Central Michigan Field Hockey team has given much up to be on a collegiate athletic team. Like many college athletes, her hardest job is juggling academics and being an athlete. “You are held at high standards. Some students on campus may not always understand the time it requires and all the sacrifices you have to make to be part of a team,” she said. What sets Maude apart form other athletes is that she also grew up in Belgium, and traveled to the US to play the sport she loves.
Maude never thought she would go to college right after high school. Like many other European students she thought she would take a gap year between high school and college, but when she got the opportunity to talk to American coaches about playing field hockey for a year, she changed her mind. “As soon as I stepped in the US and started meeting my teammates and people around here, I immediately fell in love with this place and decided I was going to stay for at least 4 years,” she said. Although she doesn’t have any concrete plans for after graduation, she would like to start working in the US for an international company and travel to other places, possibly staying in Europe for a while.
Maude’s passion for field hockey developed when she was 8, after watching her brother play the sport. Back at her home in Belgium, every field hockey player and their family is part of a large field hockey community. She loves the team spirit and group support that comes with the support.
Now, at CMU, Maude spends most of her time with her teammates, and experiences a similar community. “You spend some much time together that you basically make friends for life. You are constantly thinking about field hockey so that you don’t have time to miss home,” she shared.
Kaiti Grant 