A dream come true

Fast forward and Potgieter is living that dream as she plays field hockey for Central Michigan University as a defensive back. 

As a senior, Potgieter has now officially completed three seasons with the Chippewas, making her presence felt on the defensive side of the field. Potgieter's time playing field hockey in America has led to her growth as both an athlete and a person, all while giving her the chance to live out her dream of traveling to new places.

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Field hockey beginnings

Potgieter discovered her love for the game of field hockey when she started playing the sport at the young age of four.

“My mom and my dad (were) kind of like, try everything and then (we'll) decide what you want to do,” Potgieter said. “And I just fell in love with field hockey when I started playing when I was really young.”

Potgieter continued to play field hockey, but it wasn’t until high school that she started seriously considering playing in the United States. After going to a school career fair and discovering the opportunities open to her, Potgieter set her sights on playing in America.

“If you told myself, when I was younger, like if you were gonna see all these states, I would have not believed you at all,” she said.

When Potgieter first arrived in America, the transition wasn’t easy. Not only was it difficult for her to be so far away from home, it was also hard to adjust to life in a different country with a different way of life. The language barrier was one of the biggest differences for Potgieter, whose native language is Afrikaans.

“My first year in the States was hard,” Potgieter said. “I was very homesick....I cried basically every day, missed my family… not being able to speak in my language kind of, and the food (is) different, like trying to figure out where to get medicine… It was definitely a big adjustment.”

Coming to CMU

Potgieter played her freshman year of field hockey for La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. La Salle, however, was not a good fit for Potgieter, leading her to transfer to a new school for her sophomore year.

Central Michigan caught her eye because of the team chemistry and family-like culture on the team.

“I chose Central Michigan because I kind of, when I talked to the coaching staff, it kind of gave me new hope in a sense of trying to find family,” Potgieter said. “I chose Central Michigan as well because when I came on my visit here, I fell in love with the girls.”

Since joining the Chippewa squad, Potgieter has become extremely close to her teammates, leading to relationships that run deeper than being on a field.

“I never had a group of best friends like this,” Potgieter said. “Yes, field hockey, I'm gonna miss it, but it's more so the girls that made field hockey so special.”

Potgieter’s relationship with head coach Jennifer Johnstone has also grown throughout her time on the team. Johnstone became head coach of the team in February of 2022, while Potgieter played her first season with CMU in the fall of 2022. 

Potgieter credits Johnstone and the program at CMU with teaching her valuable lessons that go beyond the game of field hockey. These lessons have helped Potgieter grow as a person through her years at Central Michigan.

“The one thing I've learned from this program is that tiny details do count,” Potgieter said.  “In the beginning, I never really understood, but now I can see how that has helped me never be late, never forget anything because one day in your job, you're not going to be able to be late or forget something… so it definitely showed me how to be more, I feel like, responsible in a way.”

Potgieter’s impact on the field hockey team has not gone unnoticed by Johnstone. Johnstone said she has seen Potgieter become more confident in her play and make a difference on defense for the Chippewas. In addition, she praised Potgieter for being a “very, very solid team player”, willing to put it all out on the line for her team.

“She is the type of player that would sacrifice her body and put her body on the line for a team, which is so rare in this day and age,” Johnstone said. “So, I mean, she will do everything she can for her team and they are definitely always first.”

Johnstone made it clear that she was glad Central Michigan became a home away from home for Potgieter as she played internationally.

“She's just always been a ray of sunshine, a really positive kid,” Johnstone said. “She's just a great teammate. And I think for me to know that when she came to Central, she hadn't had the greatest experience prior to coming and, you know, was so homesick and didn't have a great experience. 

“And for us to be able to change that and… for her to look at this team and think it's part of her family and to sort of have that support being an international (student) is just so special.”

Family Impact

Potgieter’s family has played an important role in her field hockey career in America. Her parents have been her supporters since she started, having an impact on her playing career.

“My mom and dad (have) played a huge role in my career,” Potgieter said. “I can't ever thank them enough. I hope to one day… be that parent for my kids if they decide to play a sport or anything.”

Potgieter’s mom, Rika Potgieter, has been at the forefront of her daughter’s mind recently as she battles colon cancer back in South Africa. Rika has been a part of Simone's field hockey career since the start, and has been instrumental in helping her grow as a player.

“We've coached together,” Simone said. “She's been my coach. She has taught me (the) majority of (the) field hockey that I know… so she definitely had a huge impact on my field hockey career.”

Along with sending support from halfway across the world through encouragement and care packages, Rika also helps Simone improve her skills, even when that requires staying up until 3 a.m. to watch and critique her games.

“She will analyze my game sometimes for me when I'm like, 'mom, this is a terrible game. Can you watch this game (from a) coach point of view and not (as) a mom?'”

The CMU field hockey team has rallied behind Simone and her mom as they go through this tough situation. The team has worn blue warm-up shirts with Rika’s name on them before multiple games this season. They even dedicated a game in October to colon cancer awareness and to Rika as she fights cancer.

“I didn't wanna tell anyone, and then, when they ended up finding out, this is the most support I have felt from everyone from the media, staff, from my coaches, from my teammates,” Simone said. “Like this is the most support I have ever gotten, and it has helped me grow not just as a field hockey player but as a person as well.”

Finding worth

As Simone has grown both on and off the field, she has made sure to keep her faith as a Christian in the forefront of her life. Her faith was something she relied on as she was getting acclimated to life in a new country. 

During her collegiate athletic career, Simone has remained connected with her faith as she attributes her skills on the field to God.

“Every day I just remind myself just to do it for God and to play for him because he was the one that… gave me this talent to be able to play field hockey,” Simone said.

Simone said she reminds herself that her identity is not found in field hockey, but in what God thinks of her.

“Something I've really been struggling with my entire life was not putting my worth in field hockey,” Simone said. “My identity would kind of depend on how I did (in) practice or what my coaches thought of me instead of what God thought of me…  I needed to find my identity through him and not through how I do in field hockey.”

Simone believes that the game of field hockey has taught her a faith-based lesson.

“Something that field hockey has definitely taught me is to just keep on trusting,” she said. “You don't always know why things are happening, but just to keep on trusting.”

What’s Next?

During her career with Central Michigan, Simone has played in and started 50 total games for the team. She recorded her first assist this season, but her stats are more focused on the defense side of the ball. 

During the 2022 season, Simone was named to the NFHCA National Academic Team. The following season, Simone tied for sixth in the Mid-American Conference in defensive saves with three. She also earned Academic All-MAC honoree.

After Simone graduates from CMU with her degree, she plans to become a secondary education science teacher in America. Not only does Simone plan on staying, but she also wants to bring her parents over from South Africa.

“I absolutely fell in love with this country,” Simone said. “I love my parents. I want them to move here one day. When I have a lot of money with my teacher's salary, I'll bring them over.”

As she prepares to leave CMU, Simone wanted to leave her field hockey team with a word of advice. Advice that echoes her journey in America so far.

“Just remember to get back up because… you are going to get knocked down,” she said. “There (are) gonna be days it's going to be hard and there (are) gonna to be times where you wanna give up, but you need to play for that little girl who fell in love with the sport, for that little girl that put so much effort into actually getting there.”