In recent years, several promising athletes have left Sweden to attend college in the United States. Now, the 20-year-old who competed for Sweden at the Junior World Championships last winter has decided to try life on the other side of the Atlantic.

Last year, top prospect Erica Lavén chose to leave Sweden to start college in the U.S., specifically in Salt Lake City, Utah. Now it’s confirmed that another rising star will do the same.

Sofia Pedersen competed at the Junior World Championships for Sweden last winter, and now she’s leaving Sweden to spread her wings across the Atlantic.

“I was planning to move to Östersund and thought it would be great, but then when I got the offer from the coach in Utah, it felt like something I couldn’t turn down,” Sofia Pedersen told Östersunds-Posten.

“New Opportunities”

Sofia, who competes for Trillevallens SK in Sweden, now hopes to gain new perspectives in the U.S.

“America will be a new place with new opportunities and a new training perspective. There, you can also focus more on hard training instead of chasing results to qualify for the World Cup.”

But the process of completing all the paperwork required to study in the U.S. has been long.

“It’s so complicated. When I talked to the coach in the U.S., he said it was just a matter of taking an English test and getting a visa. That sounded great, but when I started all the applications, there was so much hassle,” Pedersen told Östersunds-Posten, adding:

“They’ve checked my social media. I think it’s crazy that they have to go through your social media, and if you’ve liked something that’s politically incorrect, it could have become an obstacle in my visa process.”

Also Read – Life at College in the USA: “I love my life here”

Several Swedes Already There

It’s not just Erica Lavén who is attending college in Salt Lake City. Carl Rune has also been there for a year, and Sofia has some information to be ready once she arrives.

Read More – Success across the Atlantic – on the podium in every race: “I have no regrets”

“I spoke with Carl Rune, who’s there, and there’s training from Tuesday to Saturday: mornings every day, plus two evening sessions. After lunch, you go to school. It’s about 35 degrees there now, so training starts at 7:30 every morning,” said Sofia Pedersen.

What’s your goal?

“Setting goals has always been a bit hard for me. Of course, you should aim high and want to be the best, and I do. I want to keep skiing as long as I think it’s fun and as long as I’m motivated. I hope that will make me a good skier,” Pedersen concluded.

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