Sept. 29, 2004

BOCA RATON, FL - "Hey Kristoffer, how's your soccer game been lately?" "Not bad, just shoveled some snow off our field this morning though! It's a little tough to practice in these freezing temperatures, Norway's pretty cold, but I'm a dedicated man!" "Well, I know you're dedicated, and you're good too; well not quite as good as me of course ...just kidding!" Well then, do I have a proposition for you ..."

The conversation might have been a little different between Kristoffer Aarskog and his soccer friend in America, one fateful day about three years ago. Either way, it was a poignant moment in time, as they discussed the possibility of Krisstofer transferring from his college in Norway, where he was playing on the soccer team, to FAU to play for us. He had never thought about leaving his home, but the offer was too hard to resist.

In the fall of 2002, he started emailing the soccer coach at FAU and contemplated leaving his home, and his college of two years, to travel thousands of miles away. When asked why he would consider making this move, he responded that it was a big opportunity, and the practice is more physical here, thus helping him to become a better athlete. Luckily for us, after having his own coaches vouch for his skills, along with his friend that was already here, he decided to transfer to FAU without the coaches ever meeting him in person!

He was already an accomplished athlete in his home country, playing handball, volleyball, basketball and soccer, before he finally settled on soccer as a sport he wanted to master. What does his family think about him being so far away? Understandably, his mom wants him to go back to Norway, but she supports him in all that he does. Another interesting fact about Kristoffer is that he also plays the saxophone! Wow! The headline might read: "The 25 year old saxophone playing soccer forward transfers from frosty Norway to the fair skies of Florida!" Oh yeah, he's 25 years old, but that just means he has some extra experience in life to share along with his skills.

What is he looking forward to the most this upcoming year? He says to "...go all way and win the conference final and then go in to the NCAA tournament and win games there..." Maybe if they do he'll break out his sax and play a tune on the field! He also wants to "keep on scoring goals for the team", in the "great environment" of FAU. Kristoffer comments on the team's "great chemistry", and attributes their success so far to their camaraderie. Kristoffer currently plays the forward position and is definitely helping our team to move forward as well!

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