Attending school at one of the largest universities in the U.S., and living thousands of miles away from home could be intimidating for many international students, but those on the ASU water polo team who hail from a different country have found solace in sport.
One of those players is freshman Bente Rogge.
Rogge grew up in Zaanstad, Netherlands located just northwest of Amsterdam. After competing in the Under-19 Junior European Championship last summer, Rogge made her way to Arizona for a new challenge.
“I was kinda scared when I first came here,” Rogge said. “I have one teammate from the Netherlands, so it was nice to have her, but at the same time I was the only freshman who is foreign.”
Rogge quickly learned that she had nothing to worry about. While moving to the U.S. was a huge culture shock, she would have no problem being welcomed.
“The minute you come here they treat you like you're family,” Rogge said. “It makes you feel like you belong here.”
Junior Lena Mihailovic reiterated Rogge’s feeling, as she too felt welcomed almost immediately when she came to Arizona from Serbia. Both girls noted how the different cultures create a better team dynamic.
“I think each one of us brings something different to the team,” Mihailovic said. “It’s really nice coming here and not being the only one away from family.”
Not a single player on the Sun Devil roster is from Arizona, so it can be difficult for most of the players to be away from home. However, Mihailovic said that created a bond among the girls as they were able to form their own family.
“We only have each other here, so that helps us a lot,” Mihailovic said. “It’s something that other teams don’t really have.”
Rogge agreed that the mixture of different cultures allows for the team to have a slight advantage over the competition.
“Everyone has their own feel on water polo, so if we combine what we know we can get better and learn from each other,” Rogge said.
Since Rogge competed in the European Championship with the Netherlands Junior National Team, head coach Todd Clapper said she brings something special to ASU.
“There’s always an adjustment coming from international play,” Clapper said. “But I think she’s really coming into her own confidence offensively, and I think we’re really going to see in the second half of the season her break out.”
Clapper praised Rogge for her ability to adapt quickly to new rules and techniques that differ from what she learned on the international level.
Rogge said playing internationally gave her confidence and believes she will translate that over to her career with the Sun Devils. Rogge has already made that clear with five goals on the season.
Several of the international players on the team have their minds set on playing for their respective national teams. The players aren’t just focused on what they will do over their four years at ASU, but also what they will do afterward which gives them an extra push to succeed on the collegiate level.
“That culture and that thought creates that competition and that extra drive,” Clapper said.
Not only do the international players like Rogge bring a different passion to the program, Clapper reiterated Mihailovic’s point that really, all they have is each other.
“It’s a really great atmosphere,” Clapper said. “They’re all best friends and do everything together.”
A strong bond is an important stepping stone towards a successful season and the way Clapper, Mihailovic and Rogge put it, there’s no doubt this team's unity in and out of the water will lead them to do great things this year.
The Sun Devils will compete in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational Feb. 24-26 in Irvine, California. Their first matchup is Friday, Feb. 24 against Long Beach State University.
The field has been set for next week's Barbara Kalbus Invitational hosted by UC Irvine! Get all of the info here; https://t.co/1bua938PX0
— ASU Water Polo (@ASUWaterPolo) February 17, 2017
Reach the reporter at klbroder@asu.edu or follow @KellyB1459 on Twitter.
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