Just outside of London, England is a small town called Hertfordshire, where Ohio freshman Deborah James grew up. The town is 3,835 miles from where James now resides in Athens, where she recently finished her first season of collegiate field hockey.
The sport, as James puts it, is “engraved in (her) veins,” with familial ties few can compare to. Her mother, Olive James, was an accomplished field hockey player in her own right, playing and captaining the Ugandan national team.
“Having (my mother) play at that high of a level has been the best and worst thing that could possibly happen,” James said. “She will be my biggest supporter but then tell me exactly what I’ve done wrong … but also because she’s played at that high of a level, I’ve been able to get really good knowledge.”
James’ mother has always been the biggest influence on her passion and pursuit of field hockey. From lonely nights on the field with her mother back in England to over-the-phone coaching across time zones, her mom is very present in her athletic career in the U.S.
“She just loves the fact that I’m also playing the sport that she plays,” James said. "When we were younger, we used to just go to the pitch and hit about. I remember during COVID … we would always be able to go down to the pitch because no one was there and we would just hit and pass.”
Now, despite the mother and daughter being separated by thousands of miles and a four-hour time difference, James’ mother continues to help her daughter in any way possible. James sends her mother clips after games, even if she has to wait hours for her mother to wake up.
However, a point of solace for James is that her situation is not unique. Of the 23 women on Ohio’s roster, eight are from overseas countries, ranging from South Africa to Germany to England.
“I think it's nice that you have people who are international, people who are out of state and people who are in-state as well,” James said. “You get a really broad number of personalities and different playing styles, which all mesh together … I’ve only known them for three months, which is crazy, and we’re already really close.”
Along with James, Ohio has three other European freshmen: Marie de Grande from Belgium, Sophie Van Der Wal from Holland and Ash Stephenson from England. Alongside her fellow freshman teammates, James has acclimated to Athens quite well.
“Some of us go to the movies … for my birthday, we went axe throwing, which was really wild,” James said. “Going to dinner and going to lunch is also a really good way of bonding.”
The difference between the Midwest and England still sticks out for James, from the heat in the middle of fall to rampant small talk.
“I’m not saying that us English people aren’t friendly, but everyone seems very happy … maybe it's because of my accent, so everyone’s like, ‘Oh my god, your accent!’ and we get a conversation going,” James said. “I’ve been able to talk to a bunch of random people (easier) than back at home.”
Despite how quickly she’s found her footing in Ohio, just three months into her time in Athens, James knows she still has a lot of opportunity for growth. Now that she has her place, she’s looking forward to growing in her role with the team that has been so quick to bring her into the family.
“I definitely think freshman year is for learning where you fit,” James said. “Everyone who’s not a freshman has at least been playing with each other for a year … so (I’m) looking forward to next year and being more settled and just being able to be myself.”
