BY RANDY SCHULTZ –
When Marit Hainke found out she had been accepted into a foreign exchange student program that would allow her to travel from her native Germany to the United States, little did she realize the hockey adventure she was about to begin.
Her travels led Hainke to Amherst, NY where she settled in with her host family, Jeff and Elizabeth Hoelscher (who also have two children) and attend school at Amherst High School. She had a tryout and made the CASH (Amherst, Sweet Home High Schools combined) girls high school ice hockey team.
“I originally saw this ad for an exchange program that was sponsored by the government,” recalled Hainke. “I didn’t get that, but I still wanted to come over here.”
As it ended up, Hainke paid her own way over to the U.S.
Hainke is from a very small town in Northern Germany, Hassel an der Weser, with a population of approximately 2000 and not many large cities near it.
“It is much different than Buffalo,” stated Hainke.
Marit is the daughter of Jens and Trixe Hainke. Marit also has a sister, Gesa.
Unfortunately for Hainke her one year as a junior with Amherst High School will not count as a junior year at her high school back in Germany. When she returns to her native country in June, she will still have two more years to schooling to go in Germany.
“The experience of being over here is definitely worth it,” commented Hainke. “The nice people over here makes it worth it.
“Everything is so big over here. The cars are huge. The streets are huge. Being from a small town makes everything over here seem so big.
“And the people over here are so much more open and friendly. It has been a great experience.”
Her school experience has been as interesting as well.
“This school over here is so much bigger,” said Hainke. “But the classes offered are a bit different, especially the electives.
“In Germany I take the basic courses like math, science and German. Over here I can take elective courses like film studies and woodworking.”
And when it came to hockey, Hainke wasn’t exactly “foreign” to it.
“We don’t have that many rinks around the area I live in,” responded Hainke. “I think the last time I was on the ice was about two years ago.
“When I got over here the coach (Nicola Adimey) asked me if I would like to play ice hockey. I had never played it before. It was kind of scary to me.
“It helped that the coach is also from Germany. She talked me into trying out. I could skate, but I didn’t understand the game.
“Other members of the team would help me out if I had a question or didn’t understand something. I struggled with some things.
“But I had lots of support out there.”
She explained further.
“I had always wanted to play hockey because I enjoyed skating. And it helped that I had a coach that was originally from Germany.
“The coach was like home for me. She could speak German, so when I got home sick she was there to help me.”
Adimey admits that she really enjoyed having Hainke on the team.
“She was a nice addition to the team,” said Adimey. “And she really blended in well and got along very well with the rest of the girls on the team.
“I think it was a wonderful experience for her on the hockey team.”
What is in Hainke’s future?
“Finish my studies in Germany,” responded Hainke. “Go on to the university and study things to do with the economy.
“That was another reason I came over here this year was to explore different career possibilities.
“It has been a wonderful experience over here. But I’ll be looking forward to going back home again at the end of this school year.
“I’ve matured a lot, being a lot more independent over here being with my host family. I’ve grown up a lot.
“It has all been good.”
