Colorado Academy senior Sterre Van Ede (14). (Courtesy of Trevor Brown)
When Sterre Van Ede steps onto the turf at Slater Field at Colorado Academy, and the rubber beads kick into the heel of her cleats, she has tapped into her spout of happiness. And when you find that, it’s hard to know anything before.
Her love for the sport of field hockey was instantaneous, as if they chose each other. Having played basketball, soccer and lacrosse, Van Ede is sure that if it weren’t field hockey, there wouldn’t be a replacement.
Most high school seniors at the top of their sport started when they could walk, learning the game at such a rate that club tournaments became as vital and routine as vitamins. But not for Sterre. She didn’t pick up a field hockey stick until sixth grade. Like the broomstick picks Harry Potter, so it was with Sterre and her stick.
The grasp would never loosen.
She’s played the past four seasons at Colorado Academy, a highly recognized academic and athletic high school which has won the past two state field hockey titles and is currently riding a 29-game winning streak — and ranked No. 1 in this week’s poll. It has only further pushed her innate ability and awareness of the sport.
“It’s the only thing in my life that has truly come naturally to me,” says Van Ede, “but I wouldn’t be here without the teammates and coaches I’ve played with.”
The defensive wing has been coached by three different figures at CA, all of whom she attributes her success.
Sterre Van Ede.
And while an inconsistency in coaches can often interfere with a player’s development, Van Ede’s multiple influences have only transformed her for the better.
“You can learn a lot from different coaching styles,” she says. “It’s exciting to see what each one will teach you and what each one will see in you for improvement.”
Van Ede was first instructed by Rachel Sparks, who brought her English background to the field, then Daan Polders from the Netherlands, and now, in Van Ede’s final season, the former Belgium professional player, Veronica Scott.
But one coach has been by her side since the beginning. Her father, Pieter, a former Dutch national field hockey player, has been the biggest figure.
“In the beginning, he pushed me a lot,” says Van Ede. “Now, he does not have to.”
The elder Van Ede and his teammates from the Netherlands lost to Australia in the semifinals of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and he doesn’t like to talk about it, according to his daughter.
“Don’t ask him how he did,” Van Ede quips.
But now, his attention with the sport is focused mainly on his daughter, a prodigy of sorts who excels at the sport with tact and grace.
Yet, her distinctions are more than statistics and a championship last year.
Her level of play — she was named CHSAANow.com’s player of the year last season as a junior — is also matched by the example she sets for her teammates.
“Younger players emulate her competitive attitude and desire for perfection, while older players strive to match her intensity,” says Scott, CA’s head coach.
Van Ede is bringing her talent and thirst for excellence to Cal, where she has committed to play Division I field hockey. But Van Ede won’t be a Bear until 2016. Before moving on, she is taking a gap year to spread her passion elsewhere: she plans on volunteering in developmental programs in Africa and India.
After competing with her high school, Denver Field Hockey Club, and USA Field Hockey’s Futures program — this country’s Olympic Development Program — it will be good for Sterre to shake some of the pressure of being arguably the state’s best current player, and the best Colorado has seen in a while.
“I am always pushing myself,” she says, “because I can always be playing better.”
Perhaps she’ll finish off her high school career with a repeat win for a storybook graduation. Maybe she won’t. But there are certainties: With her sheer potential, genuine ardor and relentless will for progress and leadership, Sterre will continue to turn heads and invoke a drive in players and coaches alike.
“I’m so happy when I’m playing,” says Van Ede. “There is simply nothing else I would want to be doing in that moment in time.”