Being on the varsity team for any sport is a sign of having very advanced skills in that area. Being a junior on varsity is not always easy to come across as well. For junior Niklas Feldmann, the story is extremely rare. Feldmann is an exchange student from Germany that is playing on Carlsbad High School’s varsity team without ever playing the sport until this fall.

“In Germany I played handball for nine and a half years,” Feldmann said. “It’s a very physical sport as well, I would say it is most similar to a mix between lacrosse and football.”

Carlsbad High School has provided Feldmann with the exact experience he was looking for.

“I really love football. The games are huge here and I’m not used to playing in front of so many people,” Feldmann said. “The practices are great, the teammates are very nice, and the coaches are very nice and great. I get a lot of support from the team and the coaches.”

The fact that there are no football teams in Germany has given Feldmann the chance to try something new in the States.

“I decided in Germany that I want to play football here. It’s because I love football in general,” Feldmann said. “In Germany no one’s playing football so I had no chance to play there. When I made the decision to come to the U.S. I wanted to try. It’s really fun.”

Feldmann decided to study abroad to enjoy new experiences, meet people from a different culture, and see new things. The program he came through randomly chooses where there study abroad students are placed.

“I’m so happy and lucky to have been placed in Carlsbad,” Feldmann said. “I love the city and the high school and the people are very nice. I love it here.”