When MSU's field hockey team lost long-time head coach Michele Madison to the University of Virginia last spring, the program didn't have to look far for someone to step into the top spot.

Rolf van de Kerkhof, who spent seven seasons as assistant coach under Madison, is ready to make a name for himself and his Spartans team, looking to put the program back in the national spotlight after last year's merely average season.

He helped the team rack up an impressive list of accolades during Madison's tenure, including winning the Big Ten Championships in 2001, 2003 and 2004, taking the conference tournament title in 2002 and 2003 and reaching the NCAA semifinals in 2002 and 2004.

For van de Kerkhof, the sport is more than a career — it is a lifetime association with the field hockey community.

"Growing up in the Netherlands, field hockey is a big time team sport," van de Kerkhof said. "When you were young and hanging out with your friends and you were trying to decide what you wanted to do that day, you played field hockey.

"Hockey is more than playing a game — it is a culture. It has a social structure. Outside the U.S., it has its own identity, it's own community."

Van de Kerkhof was born in Tilburg, Netherlands, where he played the game for more than 15 years. After earning his degree in sports, economics and communication at the Fonty's Hogeschool in Tilburg, he went on to complete two coaching degrees offered by the Royal Netherlands National Field Hockey Association.

He said his task now is to continue the tradition of excellence at MSU, while establishing his own method of coaching.

"I want to challenge myself, my coaches and my players to be the best they can be," van de Kerkhof said. "We are all in this together, so we need each other.

"I want to create an environment where everyone enjoys being out there and is willing to commit the time, energy and effort."

The first part of that challenge involves a new training program that concentrates on shorter, more realistic match play and something van de Kerkhof calls assigned individuals. The individuals are one-on-one training sessions with the coaches designed to target weaknesses in a player's game. The players can also request individuals for things they feel they need to work on, van de Kerkhof said.

He also said his dedication to the team translates into long hours, paid back in a constantly improving team.

"The day starts when you wake up," he said, smiling. "I think being a coach at a Big Ten school is a 24/7 obligation and responsibility.

"I think the art of being a person is finding that balance and enjoying your profession."

The last couple months have been taken up with getting through the "transition tunnel," van de Kerkhof said, but now things are really falling into place.

Despite the job's pressures, van de Kerkhof said he is ready to get the season under way.

"Who would not get excited about pre-season of your first time in charge of a Big Ten team?" he said. "This is the whipped cream on the cake.

"It is time to stop dreaming about the dream job and wake up and start living the dream job. And what better place than where I spent the last seven years working. I don't like titles, but I am excited to coach the Spartans."

This season, van de Kerkhof also said he wants to keep the fans the team has gained over the last few successful years at MSU.

"A fan base lets the players realize that what they do is more than playing a game," van de Kerkhof said. "They represent Spartan athletics.