Courtesy: Fresno Pacific Athletics
Trading the sub-arctic winters of Scandinavia for the scorching summer heat of California’s Central Valley is essentially the definition of going from one extreme to the other. For lifelong swim athlete Tora Elise Lynes Nordli, it was a trade worth making. In December of 2023, Tora was offered the opportunity to swim for Fresno Pacific University. She recalled all the movies she’d watched about life in America and imagined what it would look like if it were her. Getting here was one thing, but it’s what she’s done since stepping foot on the FPU campus that has defined Tora’s story. Her journey to Fresno has been a story of courage, affirmation, determination, and fulfillment.
“My whole life has… been in the pool”
Tora was raised in Oslo, the capital of Norway. Growing up as an active child, she played many sports such as: hockey, track and field, handball, and of course, swimming.
With her parents being athletes in either gymnastics or handball, they gave her many opportunities to find a sport that called her name. As a baby, Tora started swimming lessons to learn the life-saving tool. As she continued, she discovered that swimming was her passion and continued pursuing it. “My whole life has probably been in the pool, I don’t know how to put it away,” Tora states.
As Tora began exploring possible paths for her near future, the opportunity to swim at FPU became clearer. With a combination of research, talking with friends, family, and her swim coach, she asked herself how realistic attending college in America and swimming in the NCAA could be for her. With one of her friends from Norway, sophomore Martin Beitveit, currently swimming for FPU, she reached out to him for guidance. The amount of support and encouragement she received, comforted her in her decision to take the leap across the globe.
Handball is another sport that Tora has enjoyed playing. With many years of experience under her belt, she almost chose to pursue it professionally. However, she realized that doing swimming and handball at the same time was very overwhelming and had to decide which to focus on exclusively. While evaluating both options she thought of her great friends in both teams, but felt that swimming did something different and special in her compared to handball. She realized that her heart was more in swimming and was eager to see what following that path would look like in her professional career.
Tora has found her place here at Fresno Pacific and has grown fond of the people and community. The numerous activities the school has to offer – from hiking trips in Yosemite and the Sierra to the many clubs and volunteer opportunities – have helped Tora feel more immersed in the community. The small school and class sizes have allowed her to build more relationships and nurture them. As excited as she felt about moving to FPU, naturally, she had some reservations as well. Fears about moving away from family, friends, and communicating in a new language were things that took place in her mind often. Through all the emotions, she decided to hang on to her courage and embark on the adventure to Fresno Pacific.
When she first arrived in Fresno, she was shocked at how different the city and region looked compared to what she had imagined. She spotted plenty of agriculture here in the Central Valley, which isn’t commonly depicted in movies taking place in California. Nevertheless, the more Tora explores Fresno she is starting to notice the “treasures” the Central Valley holds. The FPU community have welcomed her into the family with open arms and given her a home away from home.
Being part of the Fresno Pacific swim team has been an amazing experience for her so far. Tora stated that she had a smooth transition to the FPU swim team and had a good experience transitioning into the athletic program. Competing in the breaststroke and individual medley – which is a combination of four different swimming strokes – her current goal is to have fun and make memories. She understands the importance of enjoying the sport and believes the results she is looking for will come with time. “Right now I’m in a phase where I just want to enjoy swimming, and see where [it] can take me and what I can do with it.”The team itself is a cohort of like-minded student-athletes that love and support each other through the different stages of college life. When asked what one of her favorite memories she’s had so far, she said it was going to her first swim meet in America. Sitting on the bus with her team was when she realized that she was no longer swimming for herself, but for the team as a whole. Cheering for her teammates is one of her favorite things and it brings her much joy. Recently the women’s swim team traveled to Alaska to compete, and although they didn’t win the meet she shared that the trip was a good bonding experience with each other. When arriving in Alaska, the cold weather and the snow greeted them. It comforted Tora with the reminder of home. Being able to go to the “North Pole” and meet “Santa and his reindeer” was a fun memory for the team in Alaska.
Before moving to Fresno, the passion and motivation she once had for swimming started to disappear. She felt nervous about joining the FPU swim team and had doubts about not being good enough. Questions about how life in America was going to be, college, and the swim team would arise in her mind. However, when she arrived to Fresno, swam with her teammates, and immersed herself within the loving community, her motivation for swimming returned. The fact that everyone is accepting and brings encouragement to each other is the environment that Tora loves about the FPU swim team.
College is an adventure, and building relationships is an important tool to have. To nurture her relationships, Tora likes to grab coffee with friends and talk about life. Since coming to America, she’s discovered new places she enjoys such as Dutch Bros and Love & Thai, the restaurant across the street from the FPU campus. Her first time having coffee drinks like Dutch Bros was here in America and she is excited about discovering many more new things. Her enthusiasm and positive attitude towards life and immersing herself in new experiences has made her a shining light on campus.
Culture shock was inevitable when coming to America, and so were the adjustments that had to be made when moving halfway around the world. One of the first things that surprised Tora when she arrived at FPU was how welcomed she felt. After the long travels, she felt noticed and loved here on campus by her fellow classmates and student-athletes. Adjusting to the weather and time zones of California was a challenge. Winter in Oslo is typically around 26º F with record temperatures as low as –3º. Summer temperatures are closer to 70º which is a stark difference in climate compared to the extreme summer days in the Central Valley. The time difference is also an important factor Tora has to think about when contacting her family. With the time difference being nine hours, she takes extra consideration to think about the best time to call her family and friends so she doesn’t call them at inopportune times such as in the middle of the night. Through these differences and changes, Tora is adapting to life here along with the new experiences and cultures Fresno brings.
“Do your best, put in the work, and always follow your heart.”
Life has taught Tora many things throughout her transition from Europe to California. She has learned the importance of reaching out to others if she needs help or is struggling. She states that people want to be there and support you and you just have to do the first step and reach out. For anyone out there who dreams of playing sports in college, Tora encourages you to go for it. “Do your best, put in the work, and always follow your heart.” That is good advice from Tora Nordli that can be used throughout every season of life, both the difficult and the ones full of adventure.
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