Darline Radamaker welcomes a playmaking role as GVSU looks to go back-to-back
2019 was a historic season for Darline Radamaker and the Grand Valley State University Lakers. The team led the country in scoring, broke their all-time school record for goals, and won their sixth National Championship. “2019 was an incredible year for us,” Radamaker told BGN. “I think it’ll be vital to keep our foot on the gas and stay focused. The NCAA title is in the past now, we’ve celebrated, and I am ready for the next chapter in our book.”
“There’s a lot of teams waiting for their opportunity against us and we need to be ready for those moments. Our improvement comes from continuing to win the little battles in preparation for the big ones.”
In addition to her experience with GVSU thus far, Radamaker’s also had the chance to represent the Haitian national team, getting her first call-up when she was just 15 years old. She said, “Having been a part of the Haitian National Team honestly feels like a lifetime ago. I was so young when it was happening that I just tried to learn as much as I could from my new teammates.”
Her talent is so widely regarded that she was dubbed by some as the ‘Haitian Marta’. “Relating my skills as a player to Marta was something special and did put some pressure on my back,” she explained. “Marta’s abilities as a player are inspiring and I knew that the process would be one of the hardest times of my life.”
“I was under-developed and weak compared to the women I was playing with. By the end of my vigorous training and time with the National team, I went back to my club league feeling like the best player out there. I had grown so much both on and off the field.”
That experience with the Haitian national team also allowed Darline to revisit her past. “After I moved to the States, I had left my previous life behind,” Radamaker said. “Remembering where I come from and getting involved in something that represented so much was brand new to me. Joining the team actually allowed me to reconnect with my heritage and I was very proud to be a part of it.”
She moved to the United States from Haiti in 2005, when she was just six years old. “Among the many different culture shocks, I think the biggest one for me was the language barrier,” Darline said. “I didn’t know a lick of English and I only had my biological sister to communicate with. Even that was short-lived as we were both trying to immerse ourselves into this new culture.”
Are there any major misconceptions that Americans have about her native country? She answered, “The biggest misconception about Haiti is a tough question, even for me. I can honestly say I was surprised with how much support we’d gotten from the people when we went to play there in 2016. I figured the development of the team was not a huge priority, but it actually was a big deal to a lot of people!”
Speaking of development, that’s been a main focus of Darline’s since the 2019 season ended. “My role on the field is a topic that I have given a lot of thought to,” she said. “I think my biggest problem is being confident with myself. With that being said, I’ve done a lot of independent beast mode type training and game analysis. As inconvenient as COVID has been, I was able to take advantage of that time to work on my individual development.”
Through two seasons, Darline has played in more than 50 matches and has tallied ten assists and four goals. She’s been All-GLIAC second team in both 2018 and 2019. Now, she will be expected to step up even more as an upperclassman. “I know that I have a big role to fill in the midfield and need to be more assertive in setting, not only myself, but my teammates up for success,” she explained. “Assisting goals then celebrating with my teammates is something that I want to create more often, because it is a lot of fun.”
Tomorrow, Radamaker and #1 GVSU will look to set the tone in their GLIAC season opener vs. Northern Michigan. Kickoff is set for 4 PM Eastern and the match can be viewed live here for subscribers.
