Golf Ball Sails Across Big Pond

By Tara DeMuth

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — While the majority of timid freshmen load their cars and drive from their Colorado homes to attend CSU, others have much longer journeys, some extending from across oceans and from different countries.

Cecilie Krefting,19, is a sophomore at CSU who traveled from Norway to pursue her dream of playing golf. Not only is she an international student, learning to live in a new culture while away from her family, but she plays Division I golf for CSU.

Krefting was born in Oslo, Norway, and lived in Dubai for 12 years, with her mom, dad and younger sister. At age 12, Krefting became interested in golf, when her family started to go to a local golf course to play every Sunday.

“My family never pushed me in sports,” Krefting said. “We played a round of 18 together and ate lunch. It was something to do as a family.”

Later, at age 15, Krefting started to play golf competitively and, at 17, made the decision to move to the U.S.

“I wanted to play golf in college,” Krefting said. “It was my choice to come to the U.S. and my parents were supportive of that.”

Unlike in the U.S., there are no collegiate sports offered at universities in Norway. Further, participation in sports at the high school level is selective, as only two to three students are chosen to play golf for each high school. Other athletes, who want to play sports, must play on club teams. As a result, many young adults come to the U.S.

“I know a lot of people at different universities that come from my club team at home,” Krefting said. “It’s nice to talk to people that are struggling with the same things, whether that be culture shock or having to balance school with the busy schedule of golf.”

Upon coming to the U.S., Krefting first attended The Pendleton School, a private high school in Florida. This school focuses on international students with a passion for sports. Classes are offered from 7:20 a.m. to 6:20 p.m. to accommodate the training schedules of the students. Further, 12 languages are spoken by the faculty members to support the 52 countries represented at the school.

Before graduation, Krefting only considered colleges in Florida. However, after Angie Hopkins, the head coach for golf at CSU, saw Krefting play, Krefting was asked to come on a recruiting trip to CSU. On her visit, Krefting fell in love with Colorado and the school.

Now in her second year at CSU, Krefting is one of six international student athletes and one of around 400 students participating in athletics for CSU. As all student athletes know, participating in Division I athletics is time-consuming and challenging.

“It takes a lot to play golf,” Krefting said. “It takes time and dedication, and if you don’t have that commitment, then you will not succeed.”

For Krefting, commitment became a defining characteristic when she first made the decision to come to the U.S. to pursue her passion for golf.

“It was difficult to adapt to a different culture, to different food and to the different ways people behave,” Krefting said. “But I have made great friends and have learned to be and stand on my own because I’ve been away from home.”

Many students, close to Krefting, describe her as a girl who has a unique amount of courage, passion, ambition and dedication to her sport and goals in life.

Further, Krefting’s outgoing demeanor has caused her to become well-known in the athletic department. Whether fellow athletes go to her for help with homework or to talk and laugh after a hard day, Krefting is a reliable friend.

She has also learned to carry these characteristics into working with her teammates and improving how she plays golf as a team sport.

“Though it’s an individual sport, when we play, we play as a team,” Krefting said. “If someone acts negatively, it will affect every player.”

As she looks to the future, Krefting is majoring in communications and pursuing a minor in business with the hope of finding a job in marketing.

Whether Krefting will stay in the U.S. or return home after college, however, is still undecided.

“I’m taking it one step at a time, but I think I’ll go back home after college because I will have lived away from home for five years,” Krefting said. “It’ll be time to go home, but I’ll always have a connection to the U.S.”