Respected Canadian coach reunites with Norwegian players
OUTLOOK – A beloved volleyball coach who brought his passion for the sport to Norway, has continued to mentor a group of his former players with an invitation to Outlook to help them explore opportunities that may be open to them in Canada.
Todd Johnson is a Saskatchewan boy who attended LCBI in Outlook for two years and graduated in 1995. A visiting dignitary planted an important seed in what would become the path of his future. “There was a Norwegian delegation visiting Outlook,” Todd explained, “and the ambassador came to the LCBI and was talking about Norway. Another student asked about folk schools in the country and it resonated in me. I was curious to do something different and it went from there.
Folk schools provide general education and seek to provide students with opportunities for personal development. “It’s a school of life,” Todd said. “A place to grow and learn about yourself without the pressure of academics. It’s about exploring ‘who’ you are going to be, not ‘what’ you are going to be.”
After graduating from LCBI, Todd attended a year of Bible school in Sweden and spent a year at the University of Saskatchewan before traveling to Norway and enrolling in folk school. The English-speaking Canadian proved to be very popular when he arrived, but he recognized his need to learn Norwegian, so he asked for language help. His experience at the Folk School was so good that he wondered if he could ever go back and be on the staff.
Todd’s volleyball skills have caught the attention of many. In grade 12, he was co-captain of the LCBI Bisons for 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 for the men’s national team.
Todd and his wife Kristy lived in Norway for 11 years when they had the opportunity to fulfill the dream of working at Sunnfjord Folkehøgskule. In 2014 they moved to Førde, a town of 12,000 people located in the mountains on the country’s west coast. . Todd was responsible for the volleyball program and taught, and Kristy worked with students needing extra help.
Being Norwegian on both sides of his family, Todd said he felt proud to live there after hearing so much about the country growing up. “I just liked being in another culture. After a while, you feel that you are part of it.
They loved their life in Norway. “It’s a beautiful country,” Todd explained. “The mountains, the fjords, it’s spectacular. But in the end, it was the people. Genuine people. The focus on family appealed to Todd and Kristy. “It’s a little slower way of life,” Todd said. “For example, shops are closed on Sundays, so families spend the day walking around, spending time together and enjoying nature. There is more time to enjoy God’s creation.
After seven years at Folk School, and now as parents of three children all born in Norway, Todd and Kristy thought maybe it was time to move back to Canada. “We wanted our kids to experience Canada and feel Canadian,” Todd explained. So when a job opportunity presented itself at LCBI, they pursued it. “It’s a place that’s really close to my heart,” he said. “Two of the best years of my life have been at LCBI and in the city of Outlook. I met many people in the community and wanted my kids to experience Outlook. It’s a big community and that’s where we wanted to be.
Telling their kids about the move was a bit of a tough sell until they saw some of what the city had to offer. “When we told our kids we were moving to Canada, our eldest started crying,” Todd explained. “It was pretty tough for her. But 20 minutes later I showed her a picture of the Van Raay pool and things got a lot better!
The Johnson family moved in 2021 and Todd began working as an admissions officer at LCBI. But ties to Norway, the Sunnfjord Folk School and its volleyball team have remained strong and he recently hosted a group of his former players so they can explore post-secondary programs and learn more about the country from which he lives. had talked so much.
Six players spent two weeks here, adding to the travel and cultural component of their educational experience. Kenny Hoang described his time at the Folk School as “a bit like a gap year” and said he enjoyed “taking a year and studying different programs and being able to experiment with different things”. Gustav Skrefsrud said that the folk school is “a highly social place. You hang out with people all the time and have all kinds of experiences.
While in Canada, they enjoyed a busy schedule giving them insight into potential post-secondary programs, as well as watching and playing highly competitive volleyball. A match against Millar College of the Bible at LCBI drew a cheering crowd who appreciated the level of skill demonstrated on the pitch, as well as the result which saw Coach Todd take to the pitch alongside his players in this which was ultimately a Norwegian victory. Kenny remarked, “Todd told us this game was in the top three of his greatest games. It meant a lot to us to be on the team with him for this. It was awesome.”
The six young men praised their coach from the folk school. Isak Stavnem Sirnes remarked: “Todd is a very caring and intelligent coach. He sees each player individually. His teammate Jørgen Haga added: “He is passionate about the sport and he shares his wisdom. What he brings to the sport and what he has shared with us will accompany us wherever we go, on and off the pitch.
Volleyball is not the sport that most young Norwegians initially play. They smiled when Jørgen explained: “They say we are born with our skis. Not everyone skis, but everyone knows 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 across Canada and the opportunity to see great volleyball in the process. They think coming back is an option now that they’ve seen the possibilities of being a student-athlete here, but just having the opportunity to come to Canada is an experience everyone values.
They even found themselves in a big storm and had to take shelter for the night. Jakob Løe said: “We loved discovering Canada. The food, the culture, the people, the great volleyball and the cold. We got stuck in a blizzard. It was so Canadian,” he laughed. 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 grasslands, we have mountains.”
These young men certainly left an impression on anyone who met them, saw them play or, in the case of a toddler, was serenaded by them. Karlin and Joel Berg’s daughter, Minnetta, celebrated her second birthday as the Bethlehem Lutheran Church congregation gathered for a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper. Minnetta, who is named after her Norwegian great-grandmother, became the target of volleyball players when they sang their birthday wishes in Norwegian. The birthday girl wasn’t the only one beaming at the end of their song.
While they shared their pleasure of spending time in Canada, they in turn hope that Canadians will come to 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 discover nature.”
At the end of their two weeks in Canada, they reflected on their time here. “I think we will take all the experience we had here,” remarked Sigve. “We experienced schools and how school sport works in Canada. We were able to see three volleyball games which were perhaps of a higher standard than the top Norwegian league. It was really exciting to be here.