Hi everyone! I wanted to give another update from Norway. Things here have been going well and I am continuing to enjoy the adventure. Since I joined the team with only two and a half months left in their season, it is quickly coming to an end. We have struggled during most of the games so far, so unfortunately we won’t be finishing in the place we would like to. Although we haven’t gotten the results we would have liked, having the opportunity to experience professional soccer in another country, in a new environment, and new culture has been a lot of fun for me. The system that my team plays involves a traditional type of striker, which is different than what I’m used to back home, so I have had to adapt into a new role. There have been challenges but it is an opportunity that I am embracing. I am focused on finishing my last few games here strong and enjoying the time I have left with my teammates. Even though the season hasn’t turned out how the team was hoping, training sessions are still a high level and the coaching staff is focused on finishing on a high note. The team has also made an effort to give some of the young players in the club time to train with us and begin preparing for next season.
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Outside of soccer I have been able to travel to the Lofoten Islands during my weekend off, which is considered one of the most beautiful places in Europe. It sure lived up to it’s name! While in Lofoten I did a lot of hiking and enjoyed the outdoor Norwegian spa experience. For the past month I have had the opportunity to coach the 2009 Medkila girls team with some of my teammates. Coaching has been something I’ve missed a lot while I’ve been gone so it has been nice to meet some of the younger players here and work with them. The language barrier with the younger players is a bit more difficult, but luckily they catch on quickly and can observe through our demonstrations. I’ve even been able to incorporate some of our PlayMaker drills, like knockout and figure 8’s, with the girls. Hopefully next week I can try out Capture the Flag!
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I hope our PlayMaker families are doing well and I’ll see you all soon!

​Hilsen fra Norge!
So far, my experience in Norway has been enjoyable.  The town that I am in is very far North, so traveling here was definitely exhausting.  I flew from Toronto to Copenhagen (Denmark) to Oslo (Norway) to Harstad (where I am living).  It has taken me some time to adjust to the time difference.  Norway is 6 hours ahead of Buffalo so the first week has been an adjustment and I have been pretty jet lagged.

Luckily the training sessions are very intense so I've been tired and have been able to get into more of a normal schedule.  I haven't found the language barrier to be too difficult, most people here speak English or at least can understand it.  My coaches and teammates do speak in Norwegian at times to each other, as they can speak a lot quicker in their native language.  They are very good at making sure I understand what is being said though.  Unfortunately, I was not able to play in the first game since being here, as I hadn't received international clearance from the U.S. Soccer Federation.  I was just notified yesterday that I received clearance so I will be able to play in our next game on September 11th.  The coaches are very knowledgable and welcoming.  They have done a great job at helping me get accustomed to the team and in the mix quickly.  My team has lost 7 starters over the course of their season due to injuries or transfers, so right now we have a very young team.

The system works differently here as they do not play college soccer.  WE have had to pull up some girls from Medkila's reserve team, so we have some players who are in high school and college on the team.  A lot of young players make for a very inexperienced team, but the team is very hard working and is focusing on their goal of staying in First Division.  The ninth and tenth place teams will be relegated to the second division for next season sou our goal is to work our way up to at least the eighth spot.  We have 7 more games left in the season so hopefully I can help out as much as possible! 
Being on a team who is in last play in a division is very different from what I am used to in Buffalo, but I am excited for the new challenge and hope to be a valuable asset to the team.  It is very cool to see professional soccer (futbol as they say here) in another country.  There are many differences to soccer back home, but at the end of the day the game unites us all and despite the different backgrounds, experiences, and languages, we are able to come together for Medkila IL.  I am looking forward to the rest of my adventure here in Norway and will update you all again soon!