Exchange Student Athletes to Bring Panther Lessons Back to Europe

New Lexington, Ohio — Two New Lexington High School exchange students picked up more than just a new language during their almost year-long stay in the U.S.

Julius Rauhaus, 18, of Germany and Joachim Hodne, 17, of Norway are returning to Europe next month as successful three-sport athletes and will represent the Panthers on an international stage.

Hodne will take home the title of the Muskingum Valley League’s kicker of the year and an invitation to play in an international football tournament in Australia this summer.

But no one expected that to happen nine months ago when the duo walked into athletic director Steve Fondale’s office the day they enrolled for school.

“I couldn’t imagine coming here as an exchange student and not doing sports,” Rauhaus said.

The two had just learned that their new school did not have a varsity soccer team–the sport they had both played in Europe for years.

“I asked them, ‘What do you guys want to play?’ They said ‘football,’” Fondale said.

Rauhaus didn’t know much about the sport, and Hodne had never touched an American football — let alone seen a game.

“Joachim speaks up and says ‘I can kick’ and I looked at his shoes and he had these little sneakers on, slippers almost. I said, ‘Are you sure you can kick in slippers?’” Fondale said.

“I didn’t know the rules or I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t expect to have success at all,” Hodne admitted.

The coaches didn’t expect it either.

“(Hodne) puts the slippers on. I’m holding the ball and I send Julius behind the goalpost to catch it….The first kick he kicked it probably about 50 yards down over the hill, straight through the middle,” Fondale said. “I get on the phone. I call coach (Dave) Rupe. I say ‘coach Rupe, I got a kicker for you’ and of course he thinks I’m joking.”

But Hodne’s natural talent was no joke. He became the starting kicker for the team last year and Rauhaus played wide receiver.

“They soaked up everything; every movement, every word,” New Lexington football coach Dave Rupe said. “They came here hungry to learn the culture, to learn about our school system, to learn our entertainment and extracurricular (activities) and they dug right in. We’re really privileged.”

Rauhaus and Hodne went on to play basketball in the winter — another sport neither had ever played competitively.

“It helped our overall team chemistry because they were there to lighten the mood,” New Lexington basketball coach Dustin Addington said.

Rauhaus played baseball in the spring while Hodne is running track. He is set to compete in the 800 meter run district final Saturday at Nelsonville-York.

“You wouldn’t find this (organized sports) anywhere in Germany on a high school level. On a pro level, yeah, but not on a high school level,” Rauhaus said. “I was pretty impressed.”

For Rauhaus and Hodne, playing sports in America has been about more than winning.

“I had problems when I first came here with the language a little bit,” Rauhaus said. “Just coming to a school and not knowing anybody and don’t know even who to talk to at first….Sports make it a lot easier to get into the community.”

Hodne said his teammates helped subdue the culture shock.

“They helped us a lot at the beginning — trying to teach us how the games worked. They helped us a lot at practices and at school,” he said.

Both exchange students are leaving New Lexington in June to return home. Hodne will return to the United States and fly from Los Angeles to Australia for the football tournament on June 28.