By: Katie Kleinpeter
KENNESAW, Ga. – It seems that with the addition of Danish international student
Manu Johnsen to the roster, the Kennesaw State volleyball team is being transformed from the inside out.
Kennesaw, Ga., is a long way from Johnsen's home of Copenhagen, Denmark. The freshman outside hitter's mere three months that she has spent in the bustling college-town only illustrates a small depiction of her elaborate story.
Johnsen is initially from Cameroon in west-central Africa. At the age of three, she and her mother moved to Denmark to establish a new life with her Danish step-father. It was in Denmark that her volleyball journey began, with the influence of her childhood best friend that first attracted her to the game. Simply wanting to spend more time with her friend, Johnsen always followed her to practice and, from then, never really left the gym.
KSU head coach
Keith Schunzel first heard about Johnsen from long-time fellow coaching friends Coley and Dan Pawlikowski, who also doubled as Johnsen's coaches back in Denmark. Nearly two years ago the Pawlikowskis began influencing her potential to Schunzel. Their words carried weight. Coley was in Schunzel and his wife Briana's wedding. Their previously established credibility pushed the decision from an idea to a reality.
"First off, she is a really good athlete," Schunzel said. "She gets off of the ground easy. She's very twitchy and quick about things. Secondly, I trust our friends. They kept saying, 'This is a unique player with a unique story and if she puts her mind to it, this will be a great thing for both her and your team.' That really kind of piqued our interest."
Johnsen's resume up until this point is of considerable length but has seemed to always be one-step behind. She began playing volleyball at the age of 14, and quickly after that, joined the Danish youth national team at 15. Short-lived as it was, she didn't see it as a fit for her at the time. When she was 18, she started training with the Danish national team. Unfortunately, due to a season-ending shoulder injury, the experience was but a moment. However, even that adversity couldn't prepare her for the cultural change that was to be experienced in the U.S.
Not only is the more intense and rule-dominant structure of volleyball in the States a change for Manu, the college atmosphere altogether is something that she continuously has to work towards adapting. Fortunately for her, her fellow teammates have put in efforts to make her comfortable despite the obvious differences that they all share between one another. One such teammate and friend, Chelsea Abel, has made it her goal to make this transition as smooth as possible for Johnsen.
"If there are ever times, either at practice or just during the day, when I see that she is upset, I go to her room and talk to her about it," Abel said. "I want her to understand for the time that she is here, that while it is different, she doesn't need to change herself for it. Things are just different here compared to the happiest country in the world."
Those differences appear in abundance both on and off the court for Johnsen. In Denmark, there are not nearly as many women on a team. In the U.S., that average is around 15. Contrarily, in Johnsen's home country, that number shortens to about seven or eight. Naturally, the level of competition in the states is a lot greater.
"One of the reasons that I decided to play volleyball here is because I could play the game at a higher level and still get a college education to have something to fall back on," Johnsen said. "I also needed to work on some mental skills in order to be ready to play professionally."
While this mentally-straining transition has certainly been an adjustment for both Manu, her team, and staff, this opportunity has challenged the players to work together for the betterment of themselves and each other. Sure, for Johnsen, this experience has been daunting, but for her team witnessing this adjustment, they realize that they probably couldn't do what she is doing. It's a change of perspective.
"As this fall season has gone along, I am seeing more acceptance of people, more openness, more willingness to try to get to know teammates," Schunzel said. "There is more mental openness about what a diverse team full of people looks like. I'm not just talking about race, but also things like age and life experiences. I think our team is starting to appreciate that more."
This "hilarious, very nice, genuine, and social" girl that Abel describes, is an innovator. She thought she was coming to the States just to gain a redeeming experience. While this is certainly proving to be true, little did she know, she would change the dynamic of a team in the best way. A team accepting of change has shown it is ready to conquer challenges.
