OUTLOOK - A well-loved volleyball coach who took his passion for the sport to Norway, continued to mentor a group of his former players with an invitation to Outlook to help them explore what opportunities may be open to them in Canada.
Todd Johnson is a Saskatchewan boy who attended LCBI in Outlook for two years, graduating in 1995. A visiting dignitary planted a significant seed in what was to become a path for his future. “There was a Norwegian delegation visiting Outlook,” Todd explained, “and the ambassador came to LCBI and was talking about Norway. Another student asked about the country’s Folk Schools and it resonated with me. I was curious to do something different and it spring boarded from there.”
Folk Schools offer general education and seek to provide students with opportunities for personal development. “It’s a school of life,” Todd offered. “A place for growing and learning about yourself without the pressure of academics. It’s about exploring ‘who’ you’re going to be and not ‘what’ you’re going to be.”
Following his graduation from LCBI Todd took a year of Bible School in Sweden and spent a year at the University of Saskatchewan before heading to Norway and enrolling in Folk School. The English-speaking Canadian proved to be quite popular upon his arrival, but he recognized his need to learn Norwegian so he reached out to get some language help. His experience at the Folk School was so good he wondered if he might be able to go back one day and be on staff.
Todd’s volleyball skills caught the eyes of many. As a grade 12 student he co-captained the LCBI Bisons to a provincial silver medal. In Norway Todd played for Mosjøen, Sortland and Kristiansund in the Elite Series and was Cup champion for Kristiansund in 2005 and 2007. He was also an assistant coach with the men's national team.
Todd and his wife Kristy lived in Norway for 11 years when they got an opportunity to fulfill the dream of working at Sunnfjord Folkehøgskule, so in 2014 they moved to Førde, a city of 12,000 people situated in the mountains on the west coast of the country. Todd was in charge of the volleyball program and did some teaching, and Kristy worked with students requiring supplemental help.
Being Norwegian on both sides of his family Todd said he felt proud to be living there after hearing so much about the country growing up. “I enjoyed just being in another culture. After a while you feel a part of it.”
They loved their life in Norway. “It’s a beautiful country,” Todd explained. “The mountains, the fjords, they’re spectacular. But in the end, it was the people. Genuine people.” A focus on family appealed to Todd and Kristy. “It’s a bit slower way of life,” Todd said. “For example, stores are closed on Sundays so families spend the day going on walks, spending time together and enjoying nature. There is more time for appreciation of God’s creation.”
After seven years at the Folk School, and now as parents of three children all born in Norway, Todd and Kristy felt it might be time to return to Canada. “We wanted our kids to experience Canada and feel Canadian,” Todd explained. So when a job opportunity came up at LCBI they pursued it. “This is a place that’s really close to my heart,” he said. “Two of the best years of my life were at LCBI and in the town of Outlook. I got to know lots of people in the community and I wanted my kids to experience Outlook. This is a great community and it’s where we wanted to be.”
Informing their children of the move was a bit of a hard sell until they saw some of what the town had to offer. “When we first told our kids we were going to move to Canada our oldest one started crying,” Todd shared. “It was pretty tough for her. But 20 minutes later I showed her a picture of the Van Raay swimming pool and then things got a lot better!”
The Johnson family made the move in 2021 and Todd began working as an Admissions Officer at LCBI. But ties to Norway, the Sunnfjord Folk School and his volleyball team remained important and he recently hosted a group of his former players so they could explore postsecondary programs and learn more about the country he had talked so much about.
Six players spent two weeks here, adding to the travel and cultural component of their educational experience. Kenny Hoang described his time at Folk School as “kind of like a gap year” and said he is enjoying “taking a year and studying different programs and being able to experience different things.” Gustav Skrefsrud said Folk School is “a highly social place. You hang around with people all the time and have all different kinds of experiences.”
While in Canada they enjoyed a full schedule giving them a look at potential postsecondary programs, as well as watching and playing highly competitive volleyball. A game against Millar College of the Bible at LCBI drew an enthusiastic crowd who appreciated the level of skill being demonstrated on the court, as well as the outcome that saw coach Todd taking to the court alongside his players in what was ultimately a Norwegian victory. Kenny remarked, “Todd told us that game was in the top three of his biggest matches. That meant a lot for us to be on the team with him for that. That was awesome.”
All six of the young men spoke highly of their Folk School coach. Isak Stavnem Sirnes remarked, “Todd is a very caring and smart coach. He sees each player individually.” Teammate Jørgen Haga added, “He is passionate about the sport and he shares his wisdom. What he brings to the sport and what he shared with us will go with us wherever we go, on the court and off.”
Volleyball is not the sport most young Norwegians initially pursue. They smiled as Jørgen explained, “It is said we are born with our skis on. Not all ski, but all know how.” Gustav agreed stating, “You rarely meet a Norwegian who can’t ski.”
But these athletes are grateful for the stepping stones volleyball has given them, including touring colleges and universities in Canada and getting to see some great volleyball in the process. They feel coming back is an option now that they have seen the possibilities of being a student athlete here, but simply being given the opportunity to come to Canada is an experience each one appreciates.
They even found themselves in a bad storm and had to take shelter overnight. Jakob Løe said, “We enjoyed just experiencing Canada. The food, the culture, the people, the great volleyball, and the cold. We got stranded in a blizzard. That was so Canadian,” he said with a laugh. They also noted the similarities between the two nations. Sigve Rødland said, “Some aspects of our winters are quite similar, but we don’t have prairies, we have mountains.”
These young men certainly left an impression on all those who met them, saw them play, or, in the case of a toddler, was serenaded by them. Karlin and Joel Berg’s daughter Minnetta was celebrating her second birthday as the congregation at Bethlehem Lutheran Church gathered for a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper. Minnetta, who is named for her Norwegian great grandmother, became the focus for the volleyball players when they sang birthday wishes in Norwegian. The birthday girl was not the only one beaming at the end of their song.
As they shared their enjoyment of spending time in Canada, they in turn hope Canadians come and visit Norway. Gustav encouraged, “If you like mountains and good powder, come to Norway. Visit the fjords When you come don’t just visit the cities. Come and experience the nature.”
As their two weeks in Canada came to a close, they reflected on their time here. “I think we will take back the whole experience we’ve had here,” Sigve remarked. “We experienced schools and how sports work in the schools in Canada. We got to see three matches of volleyball that were maybe a higher level than Norway’s top league. It was really exciting being here.”
