Coming to America

Sophomore Annica Loftstedt arrived in Bloomington for the first time on official move-in day last fall.\nThe native of Sweden had never visited IU, had yet to completely master English and wasn't even sure where Bloomington was located on a map. \n"You just sit on a plane and think 'Oh my gosh, I don't know anything about this, what am I doing?'" Lofstedt said.\nFreshman Frederique Meeuwsen, who hails from the Netherlands, had similar feelings of anxiety when she first arrived on campus a few months ago.\n"I thought maybe because I'm Dutch and don't speak English as well, (people) wouldn't talk to me," Meeuwsen said.\nLoftstedt and Meeuwsen have more in common than being international students at IU -- they are both varsity athletes.\nSome IU community members, sports fans or not, might find the following statistics surprising: There are approximately 28 athletes representing 15 different countries among 10 men's and women's varsity sports. They all come from different backgrounds and have different stories, but all have been brought together through their love of sports and their desire to simultaneously play sports and receive an education.\nSince most countries do not have school-sponsored sports, many athletes travel to the U.S. to play competitively and get a degree at the same time.\n"If I didn't come over here, I don't know what I would've done," Lofstedt, a member of the women's swimming team, said. "I had to come here (if I wanted to continue to swim)." \nMany of the international athletes became interested in their respective sports because their family members preceded them with talent. Loftstedt's grandmother was a swimmer and won the Swedish Nationals, and her three older sisters swim as well. Meeuwsen, a member of the field hockey team, and her siblings were taught the sport by their father, who was a field hockey player in her home country. \nJunior Sarah Batty, a native of England and member of IU's women's tennis team, became interested in the sport at a very young age and went to her older sister's tennis lessons to help retrieve balls.\nBut not all of the athletes followed in family members' footsteps. Tyson Beattie, a sophomore punter for the football team, was inspired to pursue a career in football Darren Bennett from his hometown of Attadale, Australia, became a punter in the NFL. \nBeattie honed his kicking skills while playing Australian Rules Football and entered a punting competition sponsored by Bennett. He did well, and although it took him some time to learn to kick a different type of ball and get used to bulky American football equipment, he decided to pursue his dreams. \nFor Stephanos Ioannou, a sophomore from the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus, a successful track career came as a surprise. Ioannou was a dedicated soccer player and was selected by his gym teacher to run track in seventh grade.\n"My P.E. teacher had us run for 20 to 30 minutes, and he picked people he thought were fast," Ioannou said. \nInternational athletes often begin their competitive sports careers by joining sports clubs, facilities separate from schools designed which serve to help children learn sports and compete as individuals or as part of a team. Clubs, however, are not affordable for everyone.\nBen Ishola, a junior defensive end on the football team from Berlin, waited until he was 17-years old to start playing football. Before then clubs did not provide football equipment, so players had to buy their own.\n"I've always wanted to play football," Ishola said. "In Germany football is not as popular, so they said I had to buy my own equipment. Equipment was $500, and it was too expensive."\nIshola prospered despite his limited experience playing club football. He turned down offers to play for the NFL Europe league so he could play college football in the U.S.\n"I didn't want to give up an education," Ishola said. "I didn't want to give up football either. I had been thinking about (coming to the U.S.) since I was 17. Everybody who plays football in Germany dreams of this."\nFor foreign athletes, playing varsity athletics at an American school is not easy. Many athletes have to do their own research and recruiting. \n"I want to go into the (American) NFL, so I thought the college route would be the best way to go," Beattie said. "I did all the research on it myself. I looked on the internet, sent videos and e-mails and made phone calls. No one could come over to recruit, so I had to do the recruiting myself."\nMany athletes, like sophomore Susanna Ernst, a swimmer from Austria, find it extremely complicated to act as their own recruiters because of the amount of research and continuous communication the process entails. \n"I started to send out e-mails and (look) for information on Web sites," Ernst said. "An American coach from Nebraska came to coach at my club and gave me last-minute advice. He told me about IU, and if it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't be here."\nOther students do get help from scouts, agencies and their coaches. After playing in competitive leagues and working for a few years, Ishola was noticed by an NFL Europe scout who knew IU football coach Gerry DiNardo and referred him to the IU program. Ishola was given the opportunity to play for IU when he was 22.\nMeeuwsen was aided by an agency in the Netherlands called Lancon that sends videos of athletes to schools in America. IU field hockey coach Amy Robertson responded to Meeuwsen, who committed to play for one year. \nIoannou's coach set American schooling as a long-term goal for the track star. With his coach's encouragement, Ioannou decided to come to America during his last year of military duty in Cyprus and talked to some of the coaches at IU.\nInternational athletes appreciate being able to experience sports and competition in a new environment, and appreciate the different aspects of sports in America -- particularly the intensity of practice, the sense of spirit and tradition surrounding competition, and the fact that there are teams. \n"Practice is different," Ernst said. "It's insane ... I thought I was training hard at home, but it's so much harder here."\nPlaying college sports in America gives foreign athletes the opportunity to experience teamwork.\n"I never experienced a team before. There's so much closeness and enthusiasm, and I didn't have that in Germany," Ishola said.\nThe athletes also noted that the support they gained from their teammates helped them make an easier transition to the new culture.\n"I was scared to leave my family and friends, but (the team) is just like a new family," said sophomore Cecile Perton, a women's tennis player from France. "I've never been happier since I've been here. I love it."\nMeeuwsen also had an easier adjustment, thanks to her teammates.\n"If I have questions, (the girls) are willing to help me," Meeuwsen said. "They're very kind to me all the time. They want me to feel at home."\n-- Contact staff writer Carrie Ritchie at ccritchi@indiana.edu.