International athletes, youth teammate reunites at Tarleton

BY BROOKLYN MCKINNEY / Multimedia Journalist

Imagine experiencing college almost 4,000 miles away, doing what you love in exchange for a scholarship, and experiencing it all with your best friend. 

Well, that’s exactly what Tarleton State University students Kimberley Dóra Hjálmarsdóttir and Una Hlynsdóttir decided to do.

Hjálmarsdóttir and  Hlynsdóttir both grew up in Akureyri, a town in North Iceland bustling with entertainment, yet small enough to feel intimate and close to nature.

Kimberely Hjálmarsdóttir is a midfielder and defender for the Tarleton women’s soccer team, and Una Hlynsdóttir is a forward. They played for the Youth National Teams of Iceland together for many years.

“We have experience with very good players from back home, and we played against people who were in top leagues from Germany.” Hjálmarsdóttir said.

But their bond goes deeper than just soccer. Hjálmarsdóttir and Hlynsdóttir really got to know each other during a middle school theater class. They have been inseparable ever since and even decided to attend college on the other side of the world together.

“I wanted to get the opportunity to go to school and play football together. And it was nice we got a good scholarship too, so we didn’t have to pay a lot,” Hjálmarsdóttir said.

While they may have experience with soccer, they didn’t have any outside of Akureyri, Iceland, and their previous soccer team.

“For me, it was just the experience of trying something new, like completely new. Because I had never been in the States. So just meeting completely new people, a new team,” Hlynsdóttir said.

To Hjálmarsdóttir and Hlynsdóttir, becoming Tarleton Texans has been exciting and fresh so far.

“Everything is just bigger here. Like the food, you get more when you go to restaurants,” Hlynsdóttir said.

Hlynsdóttir loves sushi, while Hjálmarsdóttir’s favorite meal is steak with baked potatoes. But fish will always have a special place in their hearts.

“We miss fish, there’s a lot more fish in Iceland,” Hlynsdóttir said.

Having been from Iceland, Hjálmarsdóttir and Hlynsdóttir had never been to a Walmart or Target store.

“We like trying new things here,”  Hjálmarsdóttir said. “Our first trip to Walmart was really fun.”

Another concept that was initially foreign to them was a waffle maker.

Andrew Loewe, the assistant Director for Athletic Communications said, “You guys were very confused with the waffle maker in the hotel,”. “They made waffles for the first time in San Antonio, and them and the Australian were very confused on what the maker was.”

Not only the food but also the customs and culture are very different in Texas.

“I found it kind of funny that they (the women’s soccer team) were like line dancing in the locker room today,” Hjálmarsdóttir said.

Instead of dressing up for Halloween, they have Öskudagur which takes place the first week of March.

“It’s kind of like Halloween but not scary,” Hlynsdóttir said. “We go to companies instead of people’s houses and sing for them. And there’s costumes, and they give you candy.”

In addition to exploring everything Texas has to offer, Hlynsdóttir and Hjálmarsdóttir love hanging out with their team.

“It’s just easier to talk to each other when we’re all the same age, going through the same things,” Hjálmarsdóttir said. “And everyone is super nice too.”

Hlynsdóttir and Hjálmarsdóttir enjoy studying together in their free time because they are both computer science majors. They are grateful to have been able to lean on each other for support and meet so many new people at Tarleton.

“Just put yourself out there. Don’t be shy because if you’re going alone, you’re going to need to get to know people,”  Hjálmarsdóttir said.

Hlynsdóttir and Hjálmarsdóttir have a lot of soccer experience under their belt that the Tarleton Texan soccer team is lucky to have, and they have already done more than just break the ice with their teammates.

For more information, go to: https://www.northiceland.is/en/destinations/towns/akureyri, https://grapevine.is/news/2020/02/26/oskudagur-is-today-heres-everything-you-should-know/,  and https://tarletonsports.com/sports/wsoc/roster.