An impressive number of 10 foreign exchange students at New Ulm High School this year have begun to show their love for sports and are taking a shot in the dark on sports they have never played.
Two of those ten students are playing football, and their names are Ole Helgevold and Leo Ljung. Ole is from Norway, and he has a good build for football, standing around 6’4 and 250 pounds. He could have been a good lineman due to his dedication and energy if he had played the sport his whole life. This is Ole’s first time playing football, so he had lots to learn this season. He did not play minutes in the game. Not playing in games did not stop Ole from having fun during practices and having lots of energy on the sidelines at games, getting very excited when his teammates made big plays. When asked what it has been like learning a new sport, Ole said, “It’s been really fun because it’s been a new experience, and I have enjoyed the new experience. Ollie has enjoyed being on the team and has loved the process of being in a new sport.
Leo Ljung is another one of the foreign exchange students who decided to play football. Leo is from France, and he has a strong love for sports. He stands around 5’10 and 150 pounds, and Leo played some minutes at the C squad level. Even though Leo was new to the sport, he found his way onto the field for some games due to his dedication to learning the unique skills of football. Leo is a man of few words, but when he speaks, he can usually make someone laugh or ask what something means, trying to figure out the complex sport. Leo’s love for sports transitions into practices where you can tell he is putting in 100% to be the best he can be and to get to play and compete in a game.
These two athletes and many others are bringing lots of new energy to this school year in many ways. Other foreign exchange students are in sports, like Valeria Garcia from Spain, who is trying volleyball; Francisco Lavalle from Brazil, who is planning on joining track; Ole, who is planning on joining basketball; and more. As the year goes on, it will be fascinating to see if any of these athletes exceed in their sports.
