Q&A with Pien Hulsebosch

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Second-year Pein Hulsebosch made her debut with the Virginia field hockey team this week when the Cavaliers took on Lafayette in a preseason scrimmage. The Amsterdam, Netherlands native, who redshirted the 2007 season, tallied the lone goal of the game en route to UVa’s 1-0 victory. Hulsebosch and the Virginia field hockey team officially opens the 2008 campaign next Friday (Aug. 29) at home against William & Mary. The contest begins at 2 p.m. at the University Hall Turf Field and all matches are free of charge.

Question: How did it feel to get out there and actually play for the first time?
Hulsebosch: It was awesome to finally play after one year of sitting out and waiting to get my chance. I couldn’t play last year and that was very difficult. But I got through it. That was it. Now I’m here and I’m glad.

Question: What are your goals for the season?
Hulsebosch: That’s a tough question. I am just trying to play my best. Try my hardest and play well. I want the team to be better. I want to win.

Question: How will it feel to suit up for real and actually play the first game?
Hulsebosch: I think once I step on the field, I am going to be nervous. A little tense and a little overwhelmed. But once the whistle blows and the ball is rolling, I will forget everything. That is what usually happens. I don’t know what is going on I just play field hockey.

Question: How old were you when you started playing field hockey?
Hulsebosch: I was five, so I have been playing for about 14 years.

Question: What do you love about field hockey?
Hulsebosch: I just love it. It’s fast. You can develop your skills. There are so many different things you can do with it. And I love being part of a team. It is so much fun to play the game you love with other people.

Question: What do you like to do for fun?
Hulsebosch: I love to be around my friends and just hang out. I love to shop. When I am back home, it’s different. It’s easier to do stuff. I have more time. But I love being at Virginia and I love playing field hockey. It takes a lot of discipline but that is a nice motivator for me.

Question: Is it more challenging to be a student-athlete from an entirely different part of the world?
Hulsebosch: I think so. I know in the beginning of my first year, I was sitting in a lecture with 500 people around me with my mouth open, just thinking, What is going on?’ I was trying to write my notes and it was hard to keep up. Now that I have learned the system and how everything works, it’s a lot easier. Still, English is a second language for me.

Question: What do you miss most from back home?
Hulsebosch: The whole surrounding. Everything all together; it’s so different. Amsterdam is a big city and compared to that, Charlottesville seems like a small village. That is something I miss. I love the buzz of the big city.

Question: What is your favorite place on Grounds?
Hulsebosch: The amphitheater. I love being in the sun. That is my favorite spot.