London calling

Susie Rowe was joined by her Terrapin field hockey teammates at midfield on the Trager Stadium turf in Louisville, Ky., her wide eyes transfixed by the newly acquired national championship trophy.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, the London native's family had a gathering of their own, their eyes fixed on the household computer screen.

As her teammates dispersed, finding their parents in the crowd, Rowe found her cell phone.

"I just called [my family] outside, and they were singing on the phone, some champions song," Rowe said through a slightly bemused smile. "They're all wearing their Maryland stuff at home in London, huddled around the computer."

Soon, the family will celebrate in person.

The senior back graduates at the end of the semester after finishing her career as one of the most successful Terps in program history. A self-described "fairy tale," Rowe's four years in College Park have been replete with championships, accolades and records - all punctuated with charmingly British quotables.

But while she's looking forward to rejoining her family, Rowe has found that her fleeting time in the states has been more bittersweet than happily ever after.

After all, she's been busy playing field hockey these past four years. Now, she not only leaves her friends behind, but a country left undiscovered.

"I've been to Boston three times and never been to Boston," Rowe said, making sure the difference is clear. "I've been to the field hockey fields."

n FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Nonetheless, the journey has been a cultural crash course for the robust blonde who coach Missy Meharg endearingly calls "just very, very British."

Arriving alone for her official visit, Rowe was overwhelmed by the experience of the college field-hockey scene in America, something she wasn't expecting because of America's lack of an international presence in field hockey, an extremely popular sport worldwide.

"The professionalism of it all, stuff that you'd never get in England. The fact that it's so well funded," Rowe said. "[Senior transfer and fellow Brit] Emma [Thomas] still can't believe that we [flew] to Louisville; that we would fly to a hockey game. It's just really done the right way."

Rowe's parents, Colin and Josephine Rowe, have been equally impressed.

"Even [the top English universities] are like a corner shop compared to all this, whereas an American university is Wal-Mart," Colin Rowe said.

Josephine Rowe noted that "in England, you're lucky to get one man and his dog" to show up for a game.

Enchanted with America, Rowe could hardly wait to start her tenure with the Terps.

But, returning to College Park a year later, she struggled to fit in. The only foreigner in her class, Rowe stood out.

She was quiet and workmanlike on the field. Her classmates mistook her stoicism for arrogance.

"[They thought that] I thought I was the best thing since sliced bread, because being an international on the team, you come with the expectation of being a high-standard player," Rowe said. "I remember Ellen [Ott] particularly - and this is so funny 'cause we're so clever now - she was one of those people who thought that, and she was the first person to tell me that people thought that. I was like, 'No, you don't understand the half of it.' I was so in shock.

"Culturally, I had nothing in common with these girls, because we had different upbringings," Rowe continued. "We didn't have similar TV shows that we could talk about. And they'll say, 'Remember this? When you were a kid, you did this,' and I'd say, 'I don't know what you're talking about.'"

n THE QUEEN'S ENGLISH

The confrontation was a turning point for the timid freshman, who lost her stiff demeanor and allowed her personality to shine. And as she became more talkative, Rowe's teammates began to pick up - and pick on - her English lexicon.

Rowe and Ott reflected on some of the humorous disconnects between the Queen's English and the American brand. Each pointed out that, while in Maryland, Rowe has tried to remember to say "trash can" instead of "rubbish bin."

This season, Thomas, the fellow Brit, has teased Rowe at times for becoming too American. It's an amusing notion, considering Rowe's ever-present accent and penchant for the chuckle-inducing phrase.

Still, when Rowe goes home, she must make an effort to use her "English dictionary."

"I've really tried to stay true to my English accent, but I notice sometimes I'm like, 'You sound so American. If someone from England was to hear me talking right now, they would totally have a go at me,'" Rowe said.

Her diction betrays her heritage, even while addressing her purported assimilation.

Ott, now roommates with Rowe, isn't sold.

"I'll try and talk to her on the phone over the summer, and her accent gets so heavy I can't understand her," Ott said. "Eventually I'll just say, 'Why don't you send me an e-mail?'"

n THE SAFETY IN A SKIRT

Yet one thing that hasn't been lost in translation is Rowe's worth on the turf.

The senior plays with a calculated abandon that can bring the crowd to its feet as she leaves her own for a diving shot attempt or steal. Her shot is so true that Rowe will occasionally raise a triumphant fist before the ball has crossed the goal line.

Prowling from the back line, Rowe leans forward, knees bent, calves spring-loaded. She's always ready to stomp into the action, a strong safety in a skirt.

It's this bold determination that her parents said they've missed most in her absence. They felt deprived of her vitality, even more so than her presence.

"We love watching her play," Colin Rowe said. "I mean, not just because she's your daughter, but because she played in a way that just caught the eye."

"It's how aggressive she is, her focus," Josephine Rowe continued. "When Susie's on the pitch, something's going to happen. When Susie goes off the pitch, the game goes quiet."

Fortunately, through the miracles of modern technology, Rowe's parents have been able to keep up with her play on the field. Though they no longer subscribe to ACC Select because "the pictures kept freezing," Josephine Rowe said, they regularly check websites that cover the team.

n HOMECOMING AWAITING

But stat sheets and recaps can't compare, and with Rowe returning home, her parents eagerly await the chance to watch her on the pitch.

A true sports junkie, Rowe is traveling to Australia in January to play club cricket, a sport she picks up every time she goes home. She'll be back in England in the spring to compete with the Canterbury Hockey Club, and her parents plan to be at all the games.

Rowe said her classmates have promised to visit in England. She is excited to get to show them life in England, and "get them talking my language."

"I'm really going to miss these girls when I leave, because they've become not even friends, but my sisters; I speak to them about stuff I wouldn't even talk to my sister about," Rowe said. "We've become so close, and they are my best friends, more so even than my friends at home."

Even if those plans never work out, Rowe is already plotting her return.

"I've been to so many places and never really seen America apart from the roads," Rowe said. "Obviously, I'm going to live in Europe now, and to be able to see America is going to be a lot more expensive. I really want to see Hawaii; I want to go back to California. I want to take a road trip through America, but I [haven't had] the time."

Yet Rowe is not quite ready to leave Maryland - even if she does miss watching the "match of the day" on the sofa with her father, stealing sips of his beer.

In addition to the reverse culture shock, the marketing major will have to find a job. Rowe said she put off the search because there was no time as the Terps marched to their third national championship of her career.

Still, the knowledge that she's adjusted once before should be comforting. Rowe has already conquered a foreign land, and it's a lesson she'll take back home with her.

Rowe laughed, remembering her perceived absurdity of taking a seven-hour flight to Maryland for a weekend visit. It's tough to believe the finality of the pending flight home.

Perhaps next year she'll be crouched in front of her own computer, checking scores of the team she left behind.

mkatzdbk@gmail.com

SUSIE ROWE IS...

n the sixth Terp ever to be a three-time first-team All-American.

n ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

n ACC tourney MVP (2005, 2008).

n Terps' record holder for most points in a season, with 74.

n tied for Terps' record for most goals in season, with 28.

n one of four finalists for the Honda Award (best player) to be announced later this month.