University of Memphis Athletics
Throwing For The Top
May 10, 2010 | Men's Track and Field
May 10, 2010
By Joshua Wilkins Graduate Assistant
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – They grew up almost nine hours apart, but University of Memphis throwers Steffen Nerdal and Knut Syversen have travelled many more miles together.
Hailing from opposite coasts of Norway, Nerdal from Bergen on the West and Syversen from Sarpsborg on the East, the duo found their way more than 4,000 miles to Memphis in time to hurl the Tigers into a throwing force to be reckoned with in Conference USA.
Nerdal, who came to Memphis first, is a seven-time C-USA champion and national championship contender. He owns numerous conference and school records living up to his nickname “Enly,” which means “Viking Power.” He is also a member of the C-USA Academic Honor Roll and has been nominated for an NCAA post-graduate scholarship thanks to his classroom achievements.
Syversen has been named All C-USA seven times, and won the conference indoor shot put title in 2009. He was the 2008 C-USA Freshman of the Year.
“Not only are these guys phenomenal track and field athletes, but they accomplish a great deal in the classroom, give their all in everything they do, and they have some of the highest GPA’s in the entire athletic department,” Memphis Track and Field Head Coach Kevin Robinson said. “They do everything the right way, and I think they’ll make a substantial contribution to society beyond college. As a coach involved in college athletics, that’s what you’re here for.”
Social Adjustments
The contributions of Norwegian throwers that started with Gaute Myklebust, the 2003 C-USA Male Outdoor Athlete of the Year, and now are given by Nerdal and Syversen, are apparent every day on the track for the Tigers. However, they started years ago in their native country.
“For me, throwing with Steffen has been great,” Syversen said. “I always looked up to him in Norway. He helped me out a lot, introduced me to a lot of people here, and made the transition to the U.S. easier, along with my brother.”
Syversen’s brother, Stein, was a thrower for the Tigers earlier in the decade and lived in Memphis for awhile thereafter. Stein Syversen was introduced to Robinson by Norwegian National Coach Lars Ola Sundt. He helped Nerdal make the transition to the track and to the classroom at the U of M.
“Having someone come before you always makes it easier,” Nerdal said. “Just all the day-to-day stuff can be hard at first if you don’t have some help.”
Syversen found other helpful resources he wasn’t necessarily used to – teammates. With social customs being slightly different in Memphis than in Sarpsborg, a town surrounded by forts built during the Northern Seven Years War, Svyersen wasn’t used to as much verbal communication in athletics.
“I had never been a part of a team before,” Syversen said. “In Norway, throwing is an individual sport, so having teammates and getting used to that dynamic was new to me. That was hard at times because, when I came here, I was still shy and insecure. People in Norway aren’t always as social with people outside of their families, so it took awhile to come out of my shell.”
Syversen also credits the family of his throwing teammate, Harding Zills, for helping.
“We go eat at his uncle, Larry Turner’s, a lot on Sunday,” Syversen said. “They really welcome us with open arms.”
Climate Control By The Sea
Unfortunately for both Norwegians, the food can’t deter the Mid-South humidity that can add weight to summer training.
“That took a while to get used to,” Syversen said. “I really do like the warm weather, but at first, the heat mixed with the humidity was different than I was used to living in Norway all those years.”
Nerdal had at least experienced southern heat and humidity once before. He spent one year at Lawton Chiles High School in Tallahassee, Fla., as an exchange student and finished fourth at the Florida State Championships in the hammer throw that year.
“I loved the laid back culture there,” Nerdal said. “It made the transition to Memphis much easier.”
While Tallahassee wasn’t directly on the coast, it was closer to one of Nerdal’s great loves – the ocean which is something he shares in common with Syversen.
“I really miss the ocean and not being close to the ocean,” Nerdal said. “Bergen is the second-largest area in Norway. It’s really a beautiful place. It’s called the City Between Seven Mountains. There are many places in and around the sea you can check out both mountains and the ocean. There is a big downtown wharf that has stayed the same way for hundreds of years.”
Syversen’s coastal home is much less mountainous. However, the ocean comes in to play since the fishing industry teams with the paper industry to employ many in Sarpsborg, which when teamed with Fredrikstad, is part of fifth-largest urban area in Norway.
“I really love the sea,” Syversen said. “I love the closeness to the sea.”
School Ties
American university classes, mostly taught in all English, were tough to adjust to as well, though both throwers had a good English-speaking background. Syversen remembers being frustrated with one of his first chemistry classes, which he passed but didn’t receive the grade he wanted.
“You have to force yourself into it,” Syversen, a civil engineering major, said. “I’m still not sure if I’m completely comfortable, but I’m getting there.”
A multiple-semester stay on the Tiger 3.0 Club would prove him correct.
“The hardest thing for me was getting used to all of the mid-week assignments,” added Nerdal, a business management major and finance minor. “Here, you have things due every week, so you really have to keep your schedule up-to-date with athletics and school. In Europe, you just take one big final exam for a class usually. I think this way keeps me more caught up though, and it’s good for me.”
“I think if an international athlete can make it through that first year it becomes much easier,” added Robinson. “They know what to expect after that and any language barrier becomes less of a factor.”
Both athletes have also stated a wish to at least look into staying in the U.S. for graduate school once they are finished with their undergraduate work.
“That would be a dream come true to be able to further my education,” Syversen said. “My brother lives in Newport Beach (Calif.) now, and I like all the parts of the U.S. I’ve been to. I really like the southern hospitality thing with people here. It makes you feel welcome.”
“I want to stay here as well,” Nerdal said. “I want to find somewhere I can go to school, but continue to train for the Olympics as well.”
Family Back Home
That training and schooling means that both would likely be able to only see their families twice a year as they’ve both been doing while at Memphis – once over winter holidays and once in the summer.
“With the internet these days, staying in touch is much easier,” Nerdal said of keeping up with his parents, Willy Nerdal and Signe Steinkopf, both chemistry Ph.D.’s. “I skype some, and e-mail them often.”
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Syversen, the youngest of four boys, has the advantage of having one brother in the States. He also talks to his mom once a week on the phone. He admits that personal contact helps him stay updated on his family. In terms of friends following his athletic progress though, it’s a little harder.
“I don’t think the newspapers there follow sports in other areas like maybe they do here,” Syversen said. “I think people there still pay attention to what I’m doing though.”
He does feel ties to his brethren in head coach Kevin Robinson’s throwing system through time spent together on the track as well as time spent together off of it hanging out.
“We’re like a family,” Syversen said. “We’ve all become very, very close.”
When Robinson took over the whole track program in 2006, that’s one of the visions he had.
“I think that type of atmosphere is pretty special,” Robinson said. “When I went through the program, the male throwers were me and one other guy who were sort of left on our own. When I became coach, I wanted to create a different culture with more of a team atmosphere where our athletes could really rely on each other and bond through their hard work and the amount of time they spend with each other.”
Like Coach, Like Pupil
Both Nerdal and Syversen give Robinson great credit with attracting them to Memphis. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Robinson himself was the 1994 C-USA Indoor Athlete of the Year and a seven-time conference champion. He has also coached eight All-Americans at the U of M – many of them throwers, including Myklebust
“The first time I met Coach Robinson, he was still practicing for the Olympic team,” Nerdal said. “I was really impressed with the intensity he practiced with. He also did such a good job of teaching technique, so I felt like he could get me where I wanted to go.”
Robinson also remembers the meeting and remains impressed with the progress Nerdal has made since that time.
“The first time I saw Steffen he was the same height, but he had a much different physical makeup. I think his diet consisted mainly of honey buns. He had so much potential though, and he was already making great strides with his throwing technique. Plus he and I hit it off personally from the first time we really spoke.”
Robinson added that meeting Syversen was slightly different.
“Knut looked like a young boy in a man’s body,” Robinson said. “He just had to come into his technique a little. He was a little shy, but very polite.”
“I really liked how he was trying to build the throws team,” Syversen, who’d been to Memphis three times prior to his enrollment, added. “He was bringing in some good throwers. I’d rather be the worst guy on a really good team than have it the other way. I want to compete with and against the best instead of trying to be a big fish in a small pond.”
Three and four years later, neither have questioned their decision to become Tigers or compete for Robinson.
“Coach Robinson has taught me to think less about the throw while I’m doing it, and just feel the throw more,” Nerdal said. “He also gets the most out of me in the weight room. He’s also great off the track. I stop by his office several times a week, and I know I can run anything by him to get his advice.”
“Every kid in our program is special,” Robinson added. “However, I don’t coach all of them individually, so I do take a great deal of pride in the hard work and accomplishments our throwers bring to the program.”
If I Ever Get to Norway
Both throwers can offer their own advice to Americans, who may be spending any time in Norway coming up.
“If you know me, you should come fishing with me,” Nerdal, a self-admitted water sports nut, said. “I can take you to some really cool places. You can also book cruises that will take you around the entire coast of Norway in about two weeks. It lets you really get a snapshot of what life is like all over the country.”
“Be sure and enjoy the seafood,” Syversen said. “The food here and there is really good. The food here is more complex. In Norway, we have more simple dishes. We eat more dishes with fish – like cod and potatoes.”
No matter when Nerdal or Syversen get back to their coastal homes, both feel like they’ll be bringing an evolved personality, and athlete, back with them.
“It’s been a challenging ride, but I’m glad it’s gone well,” Nerdal said. “It’s made me a more well-rounded person, and I’m proud of myself and my team for the progress we’ve made.”
“Coming here has been the greatest experience of my life,” Syversen added. “I really feel like it has bettered me, and it will pay off in the long run.”
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