Arny Dagsdottir (left) and Anna Olafsdottir (right) in 2018
Friends Moving Across the World to Play Golf: Arny Dagsdottir and Anna Olafsdottir
9/8/2020 3:42:00 PM | Women's Golf
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - It's one thing to go to college with your best friend when the university is just down the road, or even in the next state over.
It's quite another to pack up and move across the world with your best friend to play collegiate golf.
That's the story that freshmen Arny Dagsdottir and Anna Olafsdottir get to tell. The two grew up in Iceland, over 3,000 miles from their current home at Purdue Fort Wayne.
Now teammates, the two have connections dating all the way back to elementary school, when they attended the same school (the first time). They knew of each other but did not become great friends until later. Olafsdottir is one year older, so growing up they had different friend groups. But that all changed when Dagsdottir started playing golf, and the two social circles started to overlap.
Olafsdottir had been playing golf since she was 11. Her father's interest in golf spurred her early involvement in the sport, but she grew more connected to it as the years went by and she developed friendships with the girls with whom she was practicing. Her primary sport was handball, but after she broke her hand, she went all in on golf, and her interest skyrocketed.
Dagsdottir came onto the golf scene a few years later, around the age of 14. Her former stepfather was the CEO of a course in Iceland, so she would visit the course often when she was young. When she decided to grab clubs at age 14, she played in some tournaments and admitted she played poorly, but she had the desire to become a high-quality golfer like the other girls in the club.
Iceland, a country just eight percent larger than Indiana in terms of square miles, is home to the GKG Golf Course, where the two were members. The club features two courses, an 18-hole course called Leirdalur and a nine-hole course called Mýrin. Dagsdottir described GKG as one of the toughest in the country. The steep learning curve of the course helped prepare them to play at the highest level. Once they reached a certain threshold, they realized that they had the opportunity to play in the United States and receive an education while playing.
"I thought it would be a good preparation for everything," Dagsdottir said. "If I wanted to go professional or not, it still helps me grow up and be independent. You don't get this kind of education in Iceland. All of my friends are really jealous that I get to come over here and have this opportunity."
"It's once in a lifetime," Olafsdottir said. "There's also a couple of girls in Iceland that have gone to America, so it was helpful to know that other girls have done, and we can do it."
The pair came to the United States in February 2020 together, exploring what universities had to offer. There were a few options for both of them, but Purdue Fort Wayne showed interest in the two of them together, which was an immediate selling point for them. When telling the story, their friendship was obvious. They finished each other's thoughts.
"We came here and immediately fell in love," Dagsdottir said.
"The campus was so beautiful," Olafsdottir said.
"The team was so nice," Dagsdottir said.
"Everybody took such good care of us when we came to visit," Olafsdottir said.
Dagsdottir and Olafsdottir are nearly inseparable now that they live together. They have been on campus since August 13 and have been using their downtime to experience what they can.
"We are really goofy together," Dagsdottir said. "We like doing activities together."
"We need to always be doing something," Olafsdottir said. "We bought bikes and have been riding around [Fort Wayne]. It's been good to get to see the beautiful area around here."
Dagsdottir is majoring in biology, while Olafsdottir chose graphic design. Since the two are so close, they see having different academic interests as a positive. One benefit of the two being together is to keep sharp on their linguistics, as they are both multi-lingual. Both speak Icelandic, English and Danish, while Dagsdottir also speaks Spanish, and Olafsdottir also speaks French. The expectation of their education in Iceland is to learn these languages, starting with Icelandic in elementary school, English from age six on, Danish from age 13 on, and then in junior college they can choose between Spanish, French or German.
"It's so good to have someone who knows you so well," Dagsdottir said.
"It's like having a part of Iceland here with us," Olafsdottir said.
"Our Icelandic thing is to go to swimming pools, but we can't really do that now," Dagsdottir said. "So, cooking has become that Icelandic thing we do a lot together."
As the two best friends prepare for their first season with the Mastodons, they are also developing their skills to compete in Purdue Fort Wayne's inaugural season in the Horizon League.
It's quite another to pack up and move across the world with your best friend to play collegiate golf.
That's the story that freshmen Arny Dagsdottir and Anna Olafsdottir get to tell. The two grew up in Iceland, over 3,000 miles from their current home at Purdue Fort Wayne.
Now teammates, the two have connections dating all the way back to elementary school, when they attended the same school (the first time). They knew of each other but did not become great friends until later. Olafsdottir is one year older, so growing up they had different friend groups. But that all changed when Dagsdottir started playing golf, and the two social circles started to overlap.
Olafsdottir had been playing golf since she was 11. Her father's interest in golf spurred her early involvement in the sport, but she grew more connected to it as the years went by and she developed friendships with the girls with whom she was practicing. Her primary sport was handball, but after she broke her hand, she went all in on golf, and her interest skyrocketed.
Dagsdottir came onto the golf scene a few years later, around the age of 14. Her former stepfather was the CEO of a course in Iceland, so she would visit the course often when she was young. When she decided to grab clubs at age 14, she played in some tournaments and admitted she played poorly, but she had the desire to become a high-quality golfer like the other girls in the club.
Iceland, a country just eight percent larger than Indiana in terms of square miles, is home to the GKG Golf Course, where the two were members. The club features two courses, an 18-hole course called Leirdalur and a nine-hole course called Mýrin. Dagsdottir described GKG as one of the toughest in the country. The steep learning curve of the course helped prepare them to play at the highest level. Once they reached a certain threshold, they realized that they had the opportunity to play in the United States and receive an education while playing.
"I thought it would be a good preparation for everything," Dagsdottir said. "If I wanted to go professional or not, it still helps me grow up and be independent. You don't get this kind of education in Iceland. All of my friends are really jealous that I get to come over here and have this opportunity."
"It's once in a lifetime," Olafsdottir said. "There's also a couple of girls in Iceland that have gone to America, so it was helpful to know that other girls have done, and we can do it."
The pair came to the United States in February 2020 together, exploring what universities had to offer. There were a few options for both of them, but Purdue Fort Wayne showed interest in the two of them together, which was an immediate selling point for them. When telling the story, their friendship was obvious. They finished each other's thoughts.
"We came here and immediately fell in love," Dagsdottir said.
"The campus was so beautiful," Olafsdottir said.
"The team was so nice," Dagsdottir said.
"Everybody took such good care of us when we came to visit," Olafsdottir said.
Dagsdottir and Olafsdottir are nearly inseparable now that they live together. They have been on campus since August 13 and have been using their downtime to experience what they can.
"We are really goofy together," Dagsdottir said. "We like doing activities together."
"We need to always be doing something," Olafsdottir said. "We bought bikes and have been riding around [Fort Wayne]. It's been good to get to see the beautiful area around here."
Dagsdottir is majoring in biology, while Olafsdottir chose graphic design. Since the two are so close, they see having different academic interests as a positive. One benefit of the two being together is to keep sharp on their linguistics, as they are both multi-lingual. Both speak Icelandic, English and Danish, while Dagsdottir also speaks Spanish, and Olafsdottir also speaks French. The expectation of their education in Iceland is to learn these languages, starting with Icelandic in elementary school, English from age six on, Danish from age 13 on, and then in junior college they can choose between Spanish, French or German.
"It's so good to have someone who knows you so well," Dagsdottir said.
"It's like having a part of Iceland here with us," Olafsdottir said.
"Our Icelandic thing is to go to swimming pools, but we can't really do that now," Dagsdottir said. "So, cooking has become that Icelandic thing we do a lot together."
As the two best friends prepare for their first season with the Mastodons, they are also developing their skills to compete in Purdue Fort Wayne's inaugural season in the Horizon League.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
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