HAMBURG, Germany -- After the postponement of the University of Maryland's fall field hockey season this year, Terps junior forward Bibi Donraadt took the opportunity to play the game she loves overseas. Donraadt is currently spending her semester in Germany and playing competitively at the club level for GTHGC Grossflottbek, which is based in the city of Hamburg. 

The opportunity arose when Donraadt connected with her fellow Terrapins teammate and friend Linda Cobano. Cobano, who is from Germany, had already committed to playing for the Grossflotbek team in the fall. Donraadt decided to join her overseas. 

"I got to play on this team because Linda (Cobano) plays here now since she got back from playing at UMD last year. Linda and I became really good friends while she played at Maryland!" said Donraadt. 

While there are many challenges that come with playing competitive sports during a pandemic, the team was able to compete and participate in a number of meaningful games. Donraadt described this as a great learning experience, as she was surrounded by a lot of great field hockey minds and players.
 
"We were able to play 14 official games and some scrimmages. Which is pretty awesome to me during these Covid times. I was able to play both in the midfield and in the forward line and played against and with a lot of national team players from multiple countries. It was a great experience to learn from these players, coaches and from the different culture," she said.

While Donraadt has been staying in Germany, she explained that she is still staying in contact with all of her Terrapin friends and teammates back home. She also added that she misses being back at the University of Maryland and all the experiences that come with it.

"What I miss most is the Terp family. I miss the fun tailgates after games, the dances in the locker room before, and our Terp fans and girls on the sideline cheering the team on. I miss hanging out with the girls and having fun and working hard at practice," she wrote, adding "I stayed in touch with the coaches and the girls. I call with the coaches on a weekly basis and text with the girls. I love to see updates on social media and miss them a lot!"