Foreign Exchange Students Join Calloway Teams
Coming all the way from Denmark, Kristian Agesen-Pagh (Known as AP) has been a dominate soccer player since he started as in August. AP currently leads the team with 16 goals with 8 goals scored in the last 3 games. In his first game, he scored a goal helping the team defeat Paducah Tilghman. Since that point, the team has rallied behind AP. He is currently averaging 1.8 goals a game, an absurd number. Not counting the fact that he missed the first two games of the season. Yet there is much more to being a foreign exchange student athlete.
When we sat down with AP, the sports staff asked about the transition from Denmark to America. “The transition was an easy one for me, knowing the language really helped.” According to AP, the competition is a bit easier here, saying that soccer in Denmark is at a “higher level.” Additionally, the training is very different, yet AP likes training in America a little more. “Back home, it’s not a school sport, it is a club sport, so you can’t just walk to the field after school.” “We would only meet and practice a couple of times a week. The practices weren’t even that hard, here it is every day, and the intensity is ramped up.” When AP moved to the US, he said one teammate helped him out. “Freeman (Reinhardt) was always there with a smile on his face and a good attitude, plus he is one of the funniest guys out there on a daily basis.” One of AP’s first games here was the first Murray-Calloway game. “I didn’t realize there was that rivalry. Back home we don’t play with schools but with clubs, so it was really fun and different.” AP said.
Currently the Lakers are in the middle of the 2A state tournament, and AP has been an important asset consistently putting up multiple goals in each game. He is going to be a key piece to the Lakers’ success as they move through the season. The Lakers are joined by another foreign exchange student, Jakob Kahrs. The German native is also a soccer player back home, stating, “The competition is very close to the same, but the play style is different.” Jakob is a midfielder for the Lakers and has been a key piece to them off the bench. We discussed training with Jakob, and he commented, “The training is very similar to the training back home, besides the number of practices, but the drills and conditioning are the same.” The bond that these two have built has brought them very close. “We are both going through the same stuff, same problems. We are the only two that know what the other is going through.” Jakob said. With these two in the picture, the Lakers are now on the hunt for a regional title. The Lakers are currently second in the region with a 10-3 record with a 6-2 district record. They have been consistently victorious and now are one of the top teams in the region.
