Smilla Klas '23 Recruiting Profile

I started playing field hockey almost 9 years ago and I’m not exaggerating when I say that those 9 years have been the best years of my life. This sport makes me forget everything else and I just get to have fun and enjoy every second of it. From countless practices, to endless games and tournaments, some of those losses, but mostly wins, I wouldn’t have changed anything about the path my field hockey career has led me to. And this is why I’m hoping to continue to play throughout college and be able to learn lots of new things on the field and in the classroom.

Sometimes I would hit rough patches on the road of playing field hockey, but with so much passion for this sport, I never gave up, but motivated myself to work even harder to achieve my goal of becoming a college athlete and I push myself to succeed. I believe that with hard work and dedication there will always be a way. On and off the field I try to be the best player, teammate and person I can be, though I trust that there’s always room for improvement. My vision of the field helps me know where my teammates are and how to work off of them.

I grew up in Germany and learned how to play “the German way”. And even though I think my playing style hasn’t changed too much, growing up there and now living in California has really shown me, and given me the opportunity to experience different playing styles and it has helped me learn different skills from both countries. Growing up, with field hockey being such an important part of my life, I know now how to take responsibility, be a team player, and always work my hardest no matter what.