Its field hockey team includes three members from the Republic of South Africa. Senior Samantha Sandham, junior Kim Erasmus and freshman Andrea Marais are three of six players in the Mid-American Conference from South Africa. The three others play for Ohio University.

Field hockey is a little-known sport in the United States, but is very popular in other parts of the world, such as Africa.

"It is bigger there than here in the sense that most high schools offer the sport," Sandham said. "Even guys play hockey over there. It is a big sport and everyone at least knows what it is and has been to a game, opposed to here. There are a lot of people who don't even know what it is. It is definitely a lot bigger."

In Africa, it is not unusual for some players to play for more than one team at the same time.

"Most people would play for two teams," Sandham said. "One for their school and then a club team. I would train twice a week for both my school and my club team. It is quite extensive, whereas here, it is more just high school than college."

Some spectators may think that the game in South Africa is slower than the U.S. version. However, Erasmus said it is a common misconception.

"Back home, we didn't focus so much on how fast a player was, we focused more on skill," she said. "Here, they focus more on the speed of the player. At home, we concentrate on the ball doing the work for us, which makes it so we don't have to be as fast."

Eunice Kets is the coach for Parel Valley High School in Cape Town, South Africa, where Sandham played her high school hockey. Kets believes the purpose of field hockey in Africa is to give players an opportunity to play elsewhere.

"When our players go to university, their hockey becomes more specialized," she said. "At school, we try to teach them to be passionate about their hockey as well as self-disciplined when it comes to training. The strategy of the game depends on the coach - each coach has their own preference of system that they play."

Kets said players in Africa experience the game sooner than those in the United States.

"Our players start playing from the age of 6. All our primary schools (6 to 13 years) have hockey," she said. "In South Africa, school sport is very popular and we encourage our pupils to participate in one winter and one summer sport."

Each of the three Chippewas from Africa are starting for the team this season. CMU coach Cristy Freese believes their early start at home helped them integrate into the lineup faster.

"Their field hockey experience and how much they had already played before getting here was really huge," she said. "That background that they have gives them the opportunity to come here and start right away."

While the team has three players from South Africa, assistant coach Earl Marais also is from country and came to the United States just a few years ago. Marais is a crucial component in recruiting players from South Africa.

"I was out with my friends one night and got a phone call from my mom," Sandham said. "She told me that she had news for me and that it could be good news or it could be bad news. I rushed home and it turns out it was the school (CMU) about a scholarship for field hockey."

These athletes consider it a great experience to travel and get the opportunity to play in a different country.

"When someone calls you with the opportunity to live in another country, it is just hard to pass up," Sandham said. "Obviously, having that paid for is huge. I think I speak for a lot of foreign athletes when I say I couldn't have done it without that."

sports@cm-life.com

HOCKEY HOMELAND

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