Overeager Swedes Paid the Price to Play Football in the U.S.
All Sigurdur Josuason and Mihaly Rapcsak wanted to do was play football in America.
No problem, right? Think again.
For the two friends from Goteborg, Sweden, the attempt to fulfill their wish turned into nothing short of an odyssey.
It started a few weeks ago when they called John Cicuto, Glendale College coach, and told him they wanted to play for the Vaqueros.
“I tried to discourage them but they were so persistent,” Cicuto said.
That they were. Not the types to be easily deterred, Josuason and Rapcsak showed up at LAX, three days before their visas would become valid.
Bad idea.
By the next day, they were on their way back to Sweden, at their own expense, because U.S. Customs officials would not allow them to stay.
“I figured that was it for them,” Cicuto said.
Not by a longshot. Two days later, they called Cicuto and said they were coming back.
“It’s like an extra $1,000 they [each] had to come up with for plane tickets,” Cicuto said.
Much to Cicuto’s surprise, Josuason, 20, and Rapcsak, 21, can play. Josuason, 6 feet 3 and 190 pounds, will play safety for the Vaqueros and Rapcsak, 5-11 and 180, will play cornerback. Neither will start but Cicuto said they’ll get plenty of playing time.
“I think they’re going to have major roles on the ballclub, eventually,” Cicuto said.
Can we talk?: Aida Krascenicova, a 6-3 freshman middle blocker for the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team, is fluent in five languages.
Unfortunately for Wave coaches and players, English is not one of them.
A former Czechoslovakian national team member, Krascenicova arrived in Malibu just two weeks ago.
From all indications, she likes the school and her new team, but the language barrier has been difficult.
“Poor thing, she said, ‘Nina, I’m so confused,’ right after registration and stuff,” Pepperdine Coach Nina Matthies said. “She smiles a lot though, and she’s real happy.”
Matthies, in her 14th season as Pepperdine coach, says Krascenicova is going to develop into one of the best middle blockers in West Coast Conference history.
“Trust me, she’s going to be good,” Matthies said.
Comfort zone: Kennedy High football Coach Bob Francola has a special affection for several graduated seniors from last year’s Northwest Valley Conference championship team.
When two of his biggest former standouts, Semisi Umufuke and Damion Thompson--who are playing at Valley College--visited Kennedy’s practice Thursday morning, Francola treated them like family.
“My sons have come back,” Francola said.
Umufuke and Thompson were not there just to visit old friends. Like a college student calling home when he needs money, they wanted something.
The players said they preferred their old football pads from Kennedy to what was available to them at Valley.
Francola was happy to oblige.
Quick study: Given only four days’ notice to take a final exam to become eligible to play for the Northridge women’s soccer team, Kristi Tynan recently crammed from a 400-page textbook.
Tynan needed to pass five credits at El Camino College this summer to earn her Associate in Arts degree and be eligible for transfer to Northridge.
Tynan said she did not receive credit toward her degree for a two-credit class she took in the summer because she was mistakenly misled by a counselor at El Camino in April. El Camino officials then found a two-credit health class for which Tynan could receive credit merely by passing the final exam.
Armed with a study guide and spurred by the gloomy prospect of missing the season, Tynan passed the test last week.
Quotebook
“We’re going to win the Alpha League title and the Division XI [football] championship. We’re going to take it all, and you can print that.”
--Village Christian Coach Mike Plaisance.
(Alpha League coaches, cut on dotted lines above and below).
Honors
JetHawk second baseman Jason Cook and right-handed pitcher Ken Cloude have been selected to the California League’s postseason all-star team. Outfielder Jose Cruz Jr., promoted to double A in midseason, and outfielders Shane Monahan and Jesus Marquez received honorable mention.
Statistics
The JetHawks might not make the California League playoffs, but appear to have won the heart of a city.
The Lancaster-based Class-A baseball team set a league record for a first-year franchise by drawing 316,611 at home. That’s an average of 4,523 for 70 dates.
Things to Do
The college soccer season kicks off this weekend with both Cal State Northridge teams in action. The Matador women open at 7 tonight at Cal State Los Angeles. The Northridge men open Saturday at home against San Diego State at 7 p.m. Next Tuesday, The Master’s visits North Campus Stadium at 7.
The JetHawks close out the regular season Sunday at 5 p.m. in San Bernardino.
Contributing: Fernando Dominguez, Jeff Fletcher, Irene Garcia, Mike Hiserman, Michael Lazarus, Tris Wykes, Peter Yoon.