I Left Beach Volleyball To Start Over

I've been playing volleyball since I was five years old. It was and still is one of the things I enjoy most in life. In 2009 I watched the beach volleyball world championship in Stavanger and that's where my dream of becoming the best in the world really started. Since then I spent most of my life chasing that dream. Together with my teammate Christian we have been at the top of the sport for the past eight years, winning olympic gold, a world championship and multiple european titles. But now I've decided to do something completely different. Not because I'm done with beach volleyball, but because I want to challenge myself again. I'm going from what I know best into something I don't know. From being one of the best in the world to learning, failing and seeing how far I can go again. And that's what this channel is about. But to understand why I'm doing this we need to go back to earlier this year. Yes, so I have a little more motivation down here. And that's also a bit strange, because playing beach volleyball has always been what he loves to do. And I still think it's fun, but I don't think it's as fun as it was once. But I don't know if it's just a sign that maybe I can find joy in doing something else. I don't know if I need a new challenge, a new drive. Now that I've been in this game for so long. Yes, we have won a lot. We have won everything we can achieve really. But that's all good. Now I'm number two in the world and I've been number one and number two in the top for eight years, I think. It cost me. We'll see. But now it was just ... I don't know if this will be used in any way. While all of this was going on in my head, life in Oslo kept moving. It was a busy period filled with rehab, training and planning our wedding, while still trying to make time for each other and for friends. But in the back of my mind, I kept coming back to the same question. What if I actually tried something different? I'm sitting here in my apartment in Oslo. I just finished a very interesting meeting. I have contacted an indoor volleyball agent. I'm just trying to get some info on how an indoor volleyball lifestyle would look like. Let's see. I just wanted to share this with you guys because it's kind of exciting. After a little while, I received some exciting news. Rana Verona, one of the top clubs in the world, was interested. The next step was to have a chat with their head coach and physical trainer to see if this could actually work. So I just got off the call with the coach and the physical coach in Verona. And while they're kind of on board with me joining in this team, they have faith in me for some reason. This is insane. It's just a really, really cool idea to be the first one to go from beach volleyball to indoor volleyball and maybe even combine the two of them. It will make me grow a lot as a person. I need to think about it. It was really a beautiful flight to Verona. I just flew over the Alps. It's crazy to think that this might be my new home. I have signed a contract. If things don't look good, they have the opportunity to break that contract. But if things look good, I will move here on September 1st. I'm really looking forward to coming down here, see the city, see the hall, see the new neighborhood that I might be living in. Feel the vibe. I have been booked up by the agent and am ready to get a medical check. The first thing I want to look at is the spinal cord, because it has been a bit wobbly. Okay, I'm done with the MRI and a little check on the bench. Now I'm going to do some tests. A very rough experience. I've been here for about an hour. It's very busy here, so that's cool. I'm excited to see what the day will look like. I have a little guide here in their hall, in their arena. There is room for 5,000 people. This is where they train every day. I have come back to the hotel and am done with the day. It has been incredibly interesting to get to know the club, how they are set up, how cool things are, and the city, not least. How nice it is here in Boråna. I think it will be a lot of fun. Now it's home. Tomorrow I'm preparing for Hamburg, I'm home, and I'm tired. Now I'm tired of being out here in Boråna, and then I don't know if it will be long until I'm back here again. What are you doing? Signing a contract with Boråna. What do you think? No, it feels pretty crazy. I don't understand what I'm supposed to sign on anything, but that's what I want. Today is the day of the official announcement that I'm going to go indoor. I'm a bit nervous. It's a big change for me, and I'm just a bit curious on how people are going to take it. I think a lot of people are going to be surprised by this choice. I think no one expects this to happen, but people are already writing me like, wait, is this true, bro? The response to my announcement was honestly overwhelming, but there wasn't much time to take it all in, because Christian and I still have three tournaments left to play together. We've been through so much over the years, and I'm incredibly grateful to have him not only as a teammate, but as a best friend. And I'm just as grateful to the rest of the national team for supporting me in taking on this new adventure. And what a way to finish our season together. Three finals in a row, ending with a win. It was also a special moment for Norwegian volleyball with three teams reaching the quarterfinals and two teams making it to the semifinals. I'm really going to miss being a part of this, but with the beach season behind me, it was time to head back to Oslo and get ready for a new chapter. Now I have to invite some friends over for the last evening here at our place. And I have to say goodbye to everyone, because I have to go to Verona tomorrow at 10am, so it's going to be really nice. You can say it, you can say it on camera. Thank you. It's like a warm-up.