Michigan Golf Journal September 2021

Soph i s t i cat i on and moder n comfor t come t oge ther at our l andmark four-d i amond re sor t wi th go l f cour s e, 5 i ve St eakhous e, heat ed and covered dr i v i ng range wi th Trackman , and the ar eas l arge s t re t a i l go l f s tore - Car l ’s Go l f l and . For s t ay & p l ay package s , re sor t re s ervat i ons and t ee t ime s ca l l 734-414-0600 or v i s i t the i nnat s t j ohns . com. 44045 Fi ve Mi l e Road Pl ymouth , MI 48170 players to say, ‘oh my gosh, Valery did this,’ that’s one thing. Then ‘oh my gosh, Valentina did it.’ Okay, it’s my turn.’” For most of her two- plus decades as coach, Slobodnik-Stoll has recruited the best players in Michigan and the Midwest. But it was when she got a letter about five years ago from Spaniard Paz Marfa Sans that she wanted to give more international players a closer look. “We just fell in love with her,” Slobodnik-Stoll said about a trip to Florida to watch Sans with former Spartan player and then assistant coach Amiee Neff. “As soon as we talked to her, it was like this kid is a Spartan even though she’s from Barcelona. So, we said, let’s try it, because everyone else is. With Paz (Marfa Sans), it was just so cool, learning about a new culture and all. Paz had a great attitude. She really set the tone for all the other players.” Slobodnik-Stoll continued to gush about the personal growth each player has experienced interacting day to day with teammates from a variety of cultures. She added that international players come to college already having gained the experience of being on their national teams back home, and all the special golf training, nutrition education and workouts that put them a few years ahead of most American players. “I think we did a really good job of holding off (going international) as long as we could,” she said about recruiting. “But everyone who is on this team understands we are here to be the best team in the country.” MGJ Michigan Golf Journal ichigan Golf Journal College C rner